UKC

I have used my Flyrocs in the Lake District as my main active shoe (anything other than work and smart) for the past 2 years and have run, biked, walked and scrabled in them extensively. They have also been attached to the back of my harness on Gimmer and Gray Crag.

Read more at http://www.ukclimbing.com/gear/review.php?id=1849

In reply to UKC Gear: I've gone through 3 pairs of these in a v. short space of time. Great feel to them, but the grittyness of 'the peak' trashes the uppers pretty quickly. It's a shame as I like them a lot. My latest Montrail shoes seem a little less delicate, which I like.

In reply to dannyboy69: There's real durability issues with inov8's. My terrocs have failed in the same place repeatedly. Supposedly they were looking at improving that but the cynic in me now thinks they know they have made shoes that only last a few hundred miles.

The hardest wearing fell/trail shoe I've had is the montrail highlanders, they have absolutely hammered the longevity of any othe fell/trail shoe I've owned (Walsh, Inov8, Salomon, Asics, Saucony, Mizuno).

I prefer the standard Walshes but there sole unit wears flat very fast, but the uppers survive well, the opposite seems the case with inov8.

In reply to UKC Gear:
I hammered through the sole on a pair of terrocs in about 2 months, being used solely as approach shoes. Was promptly ignored by invo8s customer service when I complained. I'll not be buying another pair.....

In reply to UKC Gear:
Inov8 durability has been a long standing issue, I brought a pair that promptly fell apart. I met a chap whom had his replaced free of charge, the free of charge replacements replaced free of charge, and you guessed it those replaced...........because they all fell apart, and Inov8 acknowledged the problem.

In fact the pair on his feet were held together with duct tape, and had been nearly new on his feet stepping out at Glen Shiel, I saw him at Seana Briagh after three or four days running and they weren't going to last another day.

This must have been about four years ago. I hoped they had raised thier game, but obviously not.

In reply to UKC Gear:

Just ordered an Inov8 Rucsac, Anyone used those? Hoping that won't have durability issues! Anyone?

In reply to ScraggyGoat: My experience has been positive. I've had a pair of the Flyroc 310s for something like three years now. I've probably haven't used them as much as Mick's pair got used but they've last rather well. The uppers are a bit rubbed in various places - clear cut forest when orienteering didn't mix well with them because all the trimmed and discarded branches would catch in the mesh - but otherwise they've been good.

They feel so light I always thought they would break, but they haven't. I use them when travelling quite a lot as they are so light to pop in your bag when on a business trip, then you can go out for a jog or a stroll in them.

In reply to TobyA:

I've also had a pair of Five Ten Rhapsodys - again ran them into the ground. Great for scrambling in, and unlike the Five Ten Guides, they have a rocker so are good for walking and a thick lug so good for wet grass.

I had zero durability problems with them and would highly recommend them.

BUT - got another pair six months ago and they have now spilt in three places.

There does some to be durability/quality control issues with some companies.

Is this because manufacture is off-shore - usually the Far East - and the company loses control over quality.

Similarly a shoe company had issues in Mexico concerning glue - the samples were great, first batches were great: then later it transpired that some of the operatives were putting one brush of glue rather than three or so. Result was that the shoes came apart where they hadn't been glued properly.

I'm sure when company observers are there, quality is top notch. Then when full scale production kicks in do they take short cuts?

I don't know. Anyone care to illuminate us on Far East manufacture.

Mick

In reply to Mick Ryan - UKClimbing.com:

I was happy with the durability of my first Flyrocs.

But it seems if you do run everyday in them, some do have problems as regards durability. See comments above.

Mine gave up the ghost after 2 years. The uppers were fine, it was the sole that eventually split.

I really couldn't complain for £70 though: two years good and hard use is fine in my book for a pair of trainers that I take into the hills.

The new Flyrocs do look 'sturdier' in the photos. Haven't seen a a pair in the rubber yet though.

Mick

In reply to UKC Gear:

I've been disappointed by a pair of Roclite 390 GTXs that I'm using as my main pair of walking boots. After a year of use the stitching has parted on the instep of both boots simultaneously. I like the boots so much (light, comfortable & fantastic sole) I'm taking them into LSR in Burnley to get them repaired. I bought them as a result of my good experience of a pair of Mudclaw 330s I use for running. I need a new pair of fell shoes and am now reluctant to buy Inov8s.

In reply to bouldery bits: Never heard a bad word about any of their other gear. They've certainly breathed a breath of fresh air into fell running with their light weight kit and thought out gear, with them, OMM, raid light and soloman there's no so much more choice.

In reply to IainRUK:

I have put 55 miles on a pair of roclites and the outer covering of some of the studs is starting to come off already....

In reply to IainRUK:

I've had a pair of Terrocs for a couple of years and they're now coming apart after pretty light use. Looking for a new pair so I might have a look at the Montrails.

In reply to IainRUK:

Iain

Are The Highlanders that much more hard wearing than their predecessors the Phoenix? I have had a couple of pairs of the Phoenixes bought cheaply from Rock & Run & have been disappointed with the wear on the uppers (they have lasted less well than my Flyrocks) Though I like the shoe more especially for true fell running. As they wear less than 1/2 price (hence me buying 2 pairs) overall the deal has been ok.

I would now like to buy some Highlanders but are a little put off by the wear I have experienced with the Phoenix. If it helps the wear on the Phoenix has been on the upper forward of the lacing area the shoe is not robust enough here.

Regards
Andy

In reply to Andy Saxby: I never tried the Phoenix's so have no idea. Mine are now a good year old and still going, I've had 3 or 4 pairs of walshes in that time.

In reply to Andy Saxby: The highlanders look 'beefier', just had a google, I tried on the Phoenix but they were too narrow. They are quite heavy, but there is a balance between weight and durability. I have a pair of walshes that only get worn for racing because the sole gets so badly damaged so easily.

In reply to IainRUK:

Ian

Thanks for that, I agree totally on the balance between lightweight & Durability being a difficult one to strike & essentially why we get durability issues with lightweight fell shoes. After all we want as light a shoe as possible & then charge as fast as we can over all sorts of terrain which could not have been designed better to wreck said shoes!

By the way I enjoyed your article in Summit the other month.

Regards
Andy

OK, I'm going to make the big leap from hiking boots to approach shoes for summer use. I want to use them for:

1. Long walk-ins on trails
2. Hiking on rough trails and on no trails - heather, bog, grass, mud
3. Scrambling on wet rock and (hopefully) on dry rock

Are there any Inov-8s that are grippy on wet rock? To be honest, a teflon chip pan would be grippy on dry rock, so I'm really looking for that extra bit of grip/confidence on damp or wet rock i.e. I don't want to slide off a slab while scrambing on it .

Having read all the forums, people seem to have a lot of love for the 5.10 Camp 4s - any ideas?

In reply to UKC Gear:

The Highlanders are much more durable than the Phoenix(had a pair and found the uppers tore pretty easily), been using a pair for more than two years and they still do the job, uppers still great - no tears or undone stitching as you might usually expect from hillrunning shoes, some wear on the studs but thats it. Drawbacks to them are take ages to dry out and grip not the best on some wet rock.

In the time I've been using them also been racing in Walshes which are excellent to run in but not the most robust. The PBs I used last year(really just for racing) pretty trashed, picked up some new ones at Stuc a' Chroin and they seem a bit better, still in good nick after a few races and can't beat the grip.

In reply to UKC Gear:

My Flyrocs have been through occasional use on everything from Alpine approaches to muddy hikes and trail runs to shopping in London for just over a year and are beginning to be very worn, but not to fail catastrophically. They have performed well across the board, but don't seem hugely durable. On the other hand, they are designed for hardpack trail running in races and fast endurance events, so maybe have been put to incorrect use!

I have been much more impressed with my Inov8 Mudclaws which have been utterly thrashed in all sorts of places and conditions and have survived very well.

For scrambling, my girlfriend and I both find that Inov8 mudclaws are fantastic. The big, bendy lugs look as though they should make it a nightmare, but I have found them grippy, precise and comfortable.

The inov8 sacs are fantastic; if I could afford it I'd buy the whole range.

In reply to UKC Gear: Got a pair of these 3 years ago. they have been used for everything including an 8 pitch route in the dolomites when my mate forgot his climbing shoes. They are really scruffy but very comfortble now. I've just ordered a new pair .. BUT I got the heavier shoe by Ivov and the sole split in 6 months.

In reply to UKC Gear: I've got a pair of Inov8 albeit not Flyrocs and found them ok but similar to the montrail Phoenix - good grippy sole but no structure or support from the upper. Afterwards, I got a pair of La Sportiva Crosslites from V12, had them for a couple of months now and IMHO they are way better. My feet are held in place when traversing hills and I dont feel like I've ran up a scree slope in bare feet with them.

Just thought I'd mention them as no-one else has, but I think they are easily as good if not better than the other shoes mentioned here (provided they fit your feet that is).

Rob

In reply to Robert Wilson:

I'm no great fell runner but I do do some running and I don't rate the flyrocs compared to the walshes I had before. my flyrocs are very slightly oversized which is part of the problem but the main issue I have is just not trusting the sole as much on most surfaces, especially wet rock. when I first got walshes I was well impressed at how well studs gripped on rock as well as turf, tracks etc. but the flyrocs just don't do it for me - I'm much more cautious. I can see that the ridged sole doesn't wear anything like as quickly but I'd take a studded pattern any day.

In reply to Robert Wilson: Sportivas are nice but the fancy mesh covering the laces is a pain, means you can't tighten the toe box, quite broad fitting shoe though.

Walshes and flyrocs are incomparable really, flyrocs are more of a trail shoe, walshes a pure out and out fell shoe.

In reply to IainRUK:

you're right and I do realise that but even on trails made up of rocks - you know the kind of motorways you get on really popular hills etc. I was disappointed with the flyrocs.