Review: Inov8 Roclite G 345 GTX

Inov8 Roclite G 345 GTX

Key information

Price (at time of writing): R2799
Weight: 345g per shoe (Size 9). 690g per pair.
Women’s version: Yes

Intro

The question often gets asked by beginner hikers, “Which is better: trail shoes or hiking boots?”, and the correct answer would be, “depends on the hike”. That being said, if you could pick a shoe with almost all of the benefits of both, wouldn’t it make that decision so much easier?

The Inov8 Roclite G 345 GTX might just be that answer. It’s a lightweight, water-resistant, high-ankle, trail shoe, fitted with Inov8’s latest Graphene sole, which, amazingly, increases both grip and durability.

Construction

The shoes’ upper is the usual mix of hardwearing synthetics, with a lighter mesh over the forefoot.

The laces and lace-loops are extremely hardwearing, yet lightweight, paracord. All these little design tweaks add up to a tough, yet light, hiking shoe.

Water-resistance

It has a GORE-TEX lining which does a great job of keeping heavy moisture out, while still allowing one’s feet to breath. I went on a couple of very sweaty hikes and I never felt like me feet were unusually hot because of the water-resistant lining.

Fit & Comfort

The Roclite G 345’s come with brilliant out-of-the-box comfort. I went on multiple 16km+ hikes, on varied terrain, without any “break in” period and I had no issues with blisters, or any other kind of discomfort.

The shoe will be perfect for medium or low-volume feet, however, even with my wide feet, I could go one size up and was still perfectly comfortable, so a pretty good all-rounder in the fit department.

Support

Usually, one has to forego the support of a heavy boot, if you prefer the lightweight freedom of a trail shoe. Not so with the G 345’s. The raised ankle collar does a fantastic job of protecting one’s ankles from dangerous amounts of flex on uneven terrain, as well as a buffer against sharp rocks and sticks.

The midsole is made of Inov8’s POWERFLOW material which offers fantastic cushioning and great energy return.

In addition to a comfortably cushioned midsole, the G 345’s also have a lightweight shank, or META-PLATE, as Inov8 calls it, which protects one’s foot from sharp rocks without sacrificing too much sensitivity, so you still have a pretty good idea of what’s happening under your feet, which is essential on technical terrain.

Grip

Finally, the pièce de résistance: Graphene! The single element that sets Inov8’s G-range apart from all other shoes. They are the first shoe brand to blend Graphene and rubber to produce a sole that is both sticky and durable, at the same time.

In a nutshell, Graphene is the thinnest material known to man and more than 100-times stronger than steel (read more about it here). The net result of mixing it with shoe rubber is that it adds a phenomenal amount of abrasion resistance. However, because it’s so thin, it doesn’t inhibit grip, thus allowing Inov8 to make stickier-than-usual rubber, which would usually wear down quite quickly, like a rock climbing shoe, while having the abrasion resistance (and “lifespan”) of a much harder, less grippy rubber.

The sceptic in me perceived this as being some good old marketing spiel, until I started walking in these shoes and noticed that the little nibs on the lugs weren’t even wearing off! I did some more reading and found a review of a guy who walked 1200 miles (1920km) in his pair of G 345’s and they still had a decent amount of tread left! That’s unheard of!

The grip is confidence-inspiring in pretty much any situation and the deep lugs keep you moving uphill even in the muddiest conditions.

This is, by far, the most exciting development in technical footwear in a very long time and Inov8 have racked up some serious awards because of it.

Cons

The only thing I have against this shoe is the colour… The old-school brown seems at odds with the technically advanced nature of the rest of the shoe. Fortunately it does come in a few other colours, but I don’t think they’re currently available in South Africa (Inov8 South Africa, you know what to do 😉 )

Conclusion

The Inov8 Roclite G 345 GTX is a comfortable, lightweight, water-resistant trail shoe with ankle support, a lightweight shank for foot-protection, an energy efficient midsole and a sole that is exceptionally grippy and yet lasts “forever”. All of that for the highly competitive price tag of R2799… I don’t know how else to say it, but that is bloody amazing!!

This shoe was provided by Inov8 for review purposes and can be purchased online at https://www.driftersshop.co.za/ .

About Arno van der Heever 54 Articles
Co-founder of Hiking South Africa, Arno loves the outdoors and finds joy in sharing it with others. He is a qualified mountain guide, a keen rock climber and has a "thing" for technical footwear and backpacks.

6 Comments

  1. I have a pair of these, used them on several different hikes. Great grip on all kinds of terrain. The shoe is a little too flexible for anything that needs stability but really durable. Also, this roclite series can be used for trail running as well, the boots are ok to run in for smaller sections of a hike. the most surprising factor was the weight, they are super light and you have less foot fatigue.

  2. Seem good. Certainly caught my eye. All of Inov8 actually.
    I’m curious though, would you say they’ll offer decent protection in snow?
    And how would you compare they’re ‘hotness’ to say technical waterproof leather boots. Questions on the two poles, I know, but still, would love to know you’re experiences.
    Thanks

    • I have no doubt they’ll keep snow out, but you’ll obviously have to wear gaters to stop the snow from creeping in from the top (if it’s more than ankle deep).

      They weren’t as hot as full leather boots, but I’m not very sensitive when it comes to footwear warmth – I’m quite comfortable in full leather boots in summer.

      All in all, I can’t see how one can be disappointed by these shoes. I’d happily buy them again.

  3. Arno I’ve been following Innov8 for a while and have only now decided to jump in with the support of a 60% discount

    Just read on the forum a request for info on boots when walking along a path that’s sloping where your feet are pushing on the downslope sides of your shoes. There’s really nothing quite as annoying as walking a long trek up a side slope on an inclined path with your feet pushing to the outside of your boots.

    This is where technically supportive boots come into their own- your post just dragged back the memory – it was on the slopes of Mt Kenya had to walk about 15 km to fetch a fuel pump 7 km down 7 k up the whole way on sloping single track in Veldskoon Han it was odious!

    I’ve just brought a pair of Innov8 Rocklite G286 (literally opened the box 15 minutes ago brought online cheap) and for the past 14 minutes I’ve been really impressed walking around the room in them – now I’ve just realised that these will be shite on a side sloping path!
    Minimum you’ll want are high ankle rigid boots that offer structural rigidity

    That said these are very light and comfortable
    The uppers are cordura with goretex lining they are almost tight across the bridge (I have medium wide feet but I’m sure will loosen up)

    I wanted to add that Innov8 have foot width ratings in their shoes on the website 1-5 at the widest these are a 3 I also normally wear a 10&1/2 or a 10 Wide I brought the 11 and the fit was perfect

    Yet to push these beyond the living room but they just feel right

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