I’ve had a bit of a love/hate relationship with running. And by that I mean that experts love to tell you how good it is for you but I hate to do it.
However, when I was running regularly (I much prefer to get my cardio in other ways now – football, hill walking, climbing…) I always swore by Inov-8 running shoes.
I used their barefeet shoes for weightlifting too.
More recently, I finally abandoned Merrell hiking boots because I am sick of getting my feet wet in “waterproof” boots. I moved to Inov-8, opting for a pair of Inov-8 Roclite Pro 2 Goretex women’s boots.
I’ve also got a long sleeved tee and a merino wool tee from the brand, so with the experience of a few pairs of running shoes, 200km now (I reviewed them at 100km) in the hiking boots and those tees, here’s my take on whether Inov-8 is a good brand for hiking and whether it’s worth the money.
My Inov-8 Reviews
Here are all the reviews for Inov-8 products I’ve bought, used and written up so far (I promise, I’ll get round to writing the rest up soon):
Is Inov-8 a Good Brand for Hiking Boots and Gear?
Inov-8 might be better known for its running kit than its hiking gear. But after buying a couple of hiking clothing items and, more notably, switching to Inov-8 for my hiking boots, here’s my take on whether or not Inov-8 also makes a decent hiking brand
Inov-8 – What’s Good and What Could Be Better?
No brand is perfect. So here’s roughly how I score the brand overall:
I think the footwear quality in particular really is fantastic. I rave on and on about how great the GrapheneGrip is but for someone like me who is often scrambling or out walking in wet conditions too, having grippier feeling soles is a big deal. In fact, the Inov-8 hiking boots I have right now are my favourite pair of hiking boots I’ve ever owned. They’re cheaper on Amazon at the moment than what I paid for them so I’m probably going to pick up another pair or two for when I inevitably wear these ones out.
Things like the tees – they look great and they are comfortable. No complaints. But they’re nothing particularly special compared with other hiking brands. Decent quality, durable, last and comfortable. But you could probably pick up equivalent items at a lower cost from alternative brands.
Customer Service
Well the good news is that I have not had to deal with customer service as I’ve had absolutely no problems! But that does mean I can’t reasonably review it either.
Inov-8 as a Hiking Brand on the Whole
It’s a big thumbs up from me for footwear and while I have would have no qualms buying clothing from them again either, I wouldn’t necessarily go out of my way to pick Inov-8 clothing over another brand.
But for hiking boots, I’ll definitely be sticking with Inov-8 for the foreseeable. Exceptional waterproofing, some 250km+ in now with no significant signs of wear and I’m absolutely delighted with them.
Here’s those boots on Amazon:
