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Has Inov-8 Wrecked the Terroc 330?

The Old Terrocs and the New Terrocs
The Old Terrocs and the New Terrocs

It was only a matter of time before Inov-8 revamped their Terroc 330 running shoe –  one of the most popular shoes used by hikers who have switched from traditional hiking boots to lighterweight and faster drying trail runners. But change is bad when it comes to hiking shoes and I’m afraid that Inov-8 has gone and wrecked the Terrocs of old.

The biggest change is that the new Terrocs aren’t made out of mesh anymore. 

They come in purple and orange instead of black and silver and there are a host of other changes. I could have lived with them, if Inov-8 had kept the mesh.

But no mesh? WTF were they thinking?

Luckily I have a few pairs of the old Terroc 330’s stockpiled in anticipation of this change.

New fabric does not drain when wet
New fabric does not drain when wet

Hikers bought the old-style Terrocs because they drained so well, a must-have when hiking or running cross-country.

Interior fabric does not drain when water is poured onto it
Interior fabric does not drain when water is poured onto it

But the new fabric on the Terrocs has a very tight weave and doesn’t drain, even when you pour water into the shoe!

Changes to Side Compression
Changes to side compression and toe protection

The old sewn-in side compression system (left) is now printed onto the exterior fabric in the (right) new shoe – probably a cost reduction move. And that’s not all.

Better side protection in new shoe(top)
Changes to sides and sole molding
Tread on new shoe (right) is a wee deeper than the old shoe (left)
Tread on new shoe (right) looks to be a wee deeper than the old shoe (left)
New tongue has more padding, but less curve along top edge
New tongue has more padding, but less curve along top edge
More Styling Changes
More Styling Changes

When famous athletes retire, their jersey numbers are too. The new Terrocs should have been given a different model number. They’re not the same shoe.

I bought these new Terroc 330s at Zappos in the US – so don’t try to buy the Black Terroc 330 model there. But chances are you can still find some of the old shoes at:

Hurry!

39 comments

  1. Having worn two holes in the heel cup of mine on the TGOC I hate them. Poor on hard packed terrain and not durable. Any new update must be about feedback on issues. I am back to other trail shoes and Inov-8 wont see my money ever again.

    • I seriously doubt that. I believe the change had to do with cost of goods and marketing, and not quality. Looks like they switched offshore manufacturers. As for the quality of the old shoe, it is true that it breaks down between 250 – 500 miles, but I walked the same miles as you and didn’t wear out the heel cup. Granted the old model Terrocs were not well padded for road walking on Tarmac, but I almost never do that in the USA … and only do it in Scotland on the TGO.

  2. This is a constant battle for me with many shoe manufacturers. New Balance is the worst– they update each model of sneaker every year, regardless of how good the current model is. The quality of the upgrade is hit or miss, but the fit changes dramatically, which means a frustrating trip to the shoe store every year. I much prefer companies that keep the same model for several years, so I can just re-order the same footwear I had in years past. Awfully frustrating…

  3. I just wore a pair of the new terrocs on the West Highland Way (after logging a hundred miles or so on local trails here in NJ), and have to say that I loved the shoes. I know that the WHW isn’t the TGO Challenge, but we still experienced a wide range of weather and terrain conditions, and the shoes performed beautifully. We had a couple of days of steady rain, and the shoes drained and dried beautifully. And, while I had some problems finding the right size, once I did, the side compression worked well: the shoes pulled up around my feet and gave me a really solid footbed.

    Can’t compare, alas, to the old model, which I never wore.

    My wife wore RocLite 315’s, and she loved those, too.

  4. I spent the last year experimenting with what fit my foot, along with making the transition to trail runners. Tried a couple of the Innov8 styles and Merrels. Finally settled on the La Sportiva Raptors ( I figured Andrew Skurka must have some reason other than just sponsorship to choose these shoes). They did seem to fit me the best overall, and have the drainage and grip properties of the more popular Innov8’s ( although they do have less mesh fabric and more plastic compression support than your old Terroc’s). When I found them in my size at STP for just over $50/pair, I scooped up several pair. They can still be had at this price at STP on their frequent sales, but the sizes are now more limited.

    • I agree with Steve – La Sportiva’s work great for me.I like the wild cats for air ventilation.You can feel the breeze blow right thru them.Great for hot clims.

  5. They did the same with the Roclite 295s this year. Inov-8 appear to have gone for form over function. Perhaps the biggest sin was to change the last used for that shoe – it’s now so much narrower that I had to go one size larger than in the sold model, and it completely compromised the fit. A few hours after wearing them around the house I took them back to the store. The website doesn’t help as Inov-8 are transitioning to Natural, Endurance and Precision fit, with no translation for those of us who are familiar with Comfort, Anatomic, and Performance last. They are not a 1:1 match in all shoes.

    • I wil be interested to see what Chris Townsend makes of this change as he is a big proponent of the original Terrocs and what he switches to. I have my eye on a few models from Salomon that have mesh but I also have two years worth of the old Terrocs stockpiled. :-)

  6. I wore out the heel cups on my Terrocs after only about 100 miles of hiking and I was VERY annoyed about that (huge blisters on my heels = unacceptable). I had already bought a replacement for them and hiked in them the last two weekends. So far so good, but I’m very worried that the heel cups will fail in the middle of a hike and I’ll be limping out of a long hike with killer blisters. So I’m a bit wary of getting a third pair of Terrocs and am now back on my long search for the perfect hiking shoe (any suggestions would be much appreciated). Maybe these new ones will be better for me, but of course it’s too bad for all you folks who liked them that they changed the design.

    Do you have a stockpiled pair of the old Terrocs to check against the treads on the new design? I think the ones you have there have worn down quite a bit and the treads aren’t really that different. I was shocked at the difference in treads between the old and new pairs I had.

  7. I’ve worn various Roclite models over the years. Most of the changes made to those shoes have been negative ones in my opinion.

  8. I recently got into a pair of Altra Lone Peaks, and I love them. Very spacious toe box, the extensive mesh drains almost instantly, and the sole manages to disperse the hard knocks of White Mountain trails very comfortably.

  9. I bought a pair of the new Terroc 330’s about a month ago per your recommendation. So far they have been great. I only have about 50 miles on them so far but they have worn and drained well and most of the miles have been in either wet conditions (good amount of rain here in GA so far) or dry conditions on solid granite (elevation workouts at Stone Mountain). That being said I have a 110 mile AT hike coming up at the end of this week. It isn’t the 250 miles you guys just did but I sure hope the heel cups hold up! On a purely aesthetic note, I much prefer the old black and silver look to the purple and orange!

  10. I have had 2 pairs of Inov-8 shoes and they have both degenerated too quickly. I think they are overrated. The weight became the important factor.
    I bought a pair of Saloman xa pro 3d ultra when they first came out, years ago. I have done so many miles in them i couldn’t even guess at the total but i do know it far out ways the total for both my inov-8 pairs combined. Yes they are heavier than the inov-8 but not that much that you notice. Nothing on them have degenerated to the point where they need replacing. even the sole which i had doubts about when i bought them are still in good shape.
    Like other companies though, the xa pro has changed design over the years. I don’t know if the 2013 model are as good. I may check them out.
    But there are so many good shoes out there now, they have caught up and passed Inov-8 in my opinion.

  11. I’m using the Saucony Peregrine 2 right now, which seems fine. Probably not the brand most hikers turn too, but I really like the profile and it’s just the right stiffness, and only a 4mm drop. I have not tested the shoe on any long-distance hikes yet, so I can’t really comment on the durability, but so far so good.

  12. Interesting article and a disturbing trend. Plus, Inov-8 keep changing their website and nomenclature, making it less and less informative.

    I’ve been through several pairs of Roclite 315’s (haven’t tried the 330’s). My first pair were shorter than the nominal size would indicate. I have a narrow foot but once I sized up they fit perfectly. Subsequent pairs changed the last. They were true to length but wider. To wear them I have to use a thicker replacement insole, cut the heel off the original insole and insert it underneath the replacement.

    Last year I discovered that, while the 315’s are great for day hikes, they are not so good for lightweight backpacking. I had two problems with them. They have very poor lateral traction on rock. And the heel of both shoes partially collapsed under the added weight of a 25 pound pack. I’m not a heavy person so this was completely unexpected.

    So not only do I now have to go back through the painful and lengthy process of finding a good lightweight backpacking shoe, but we have another company that seems to be heading down the path of churning profits and placing customers second. I do hope I’m wrong.

  13. The old Terrocs have always worked well for me, too bad they are changing a succesful recipe.

    I do notice that the Terrocs (old or new) are no longer on the new Inov-8 website, so maybe the model is being retired completely.

    • Actually they are still on the web site – at the very bottom of the ‘three arrows list’. It took a while to find them.

      For what it is worth – you can still find examples of the old Terroc 330s online at various places, and the old Roclite 315s, the old Roclite 295s. They won’t be around for long though – get ’em while you can.

  14. Thanks for the heads up. I bought a pair on Amazon for under fifty bucks. I tried out my Scarpa Sparks this past weekend in the Wichita Mountains of Oklahoma and really liked them. The Terrocs will also get a workout and I’ll have another pair of shoes for the inevitable wearing out process.

  15. I was disappointed to see this change – to the colours, the styling and some of the basic features. Once my older model Inov-8s are worn out I think I will have to find a new manufacturer. Not sure who at this point though …

  16. Rob fae Craigellachie

    I use Innov-8’s every day and my preferred shoe is the 295 as it grips quite well on wet rock and nearly all of my walking is off trail.

    I recently bought three pairs of the “original” 295’s which should keep me going for sometime.

    When they are worn out I hope either that Innov-8 have come to their senses and have re-introduced the originals (faint hope!) or I’ll have to start all over again looking for shoe that it is comfortable for me.

    Cheers,

    Rob

  17. Got my Terrocs in today and bought another pair for a 16 year old grandson so that he’ll leave my hiking shoes alone when we backpack together.

  18. As a matter of interest, does anyone have any suggestions for alterntative manufacturers for those of us who liked the old Inov-8 models, but not the new ones?

  19. I’ve just hiked along the Scottish Watershed in the new Terrocs – about 550 miles (I did about 150 miles in sandals) mostly off-trail in mostly wet and boggy terrain. The shoes worked fine but they are different enough to the original Terrocs that I think a new name should have been used. Briefly, I found them more water resistant, slightly slower drying, harder wearing, warmer and windproof – the last was really noticeable – I used to wear waterproof socks inside the old Terrocs in cold winds to keep my feet warm. In hot weather the new shoes were sweaty though. The fit is much the same but the new tongue doesn’t stay in place quite as well. The sole seems a little more durable and the uppers are definitely tougher with no splits appearing. I don’t like the new colour scheme – too bright – but a few peat bogs dull it quite quickly!

    As an alternative with a mesh upper I quite like the Berghaus Vapour Claw.

    • Welcome back Chris and thanks for the feedback on the new Terrocs. Sounds like a completely different shoe and should have been renamed, though I am also diappointed that the old style wasn’t continued. I am feeling abandoned by Inov-8 and will give the bergans vapor claw a try if I can get them here in the states. There seem to be an growing number of mesh alternatives in the market, so I am surprised that Inov-8 took a giant step back on this design round and made a more traditional solid-wall shoe. As a huge foot sweater, slower drying is a problem for me.

  20. I found a bunch of the old Terroc 330s online for under $40 per set. I now have three pair and will be in good hiking shoe shape for a few years to come. I hope I’ll be in as good condition…

  21. Looks like this model differs from the original and the new one you reviewed? Have you had a chance to review this new version?

    https://www.inov-8.com/new/global/Product-View-Terroc-330.html

    • Nope. Chris Townsend has been using them but says they’re a lot different. I’m testing a replacement from Salomon. I need mesh.

      • Gotcha, well hopefully my original 330s will keep going a little longer until I can find an alternative (mesh as well), please keep us posted on what you hear about these new 330’s or the Salomon’s you’ve been reviewing…thanks

  22. Having just seen the light at the end of the trail and decided to give trail runners a go in replacement of gore-tex boots I have been reading all about what guys such as yourselves have been wearing and have been blinkered, seeing only Inov8. to read this article was a bit of a disappointment until I looked at Salomon’s XA Comp 7 and XA Pro 3D Ultra 2, no to mention Mr Townsends recommendation of the Vapour Claws! All of which (unlike Inov8’s) are available to me in local stores :-) Cant wait to try ’em.

    • The XA Comp 7’s have very poor traction on wet granite and the XA Pro 3D Ultra 2’s have a wide flared heel like a road running shoe which I don’t particulalry like. I’m still trying on others and will keep you posted. If you find anything suitable, do be sure to let me know. Thank you Zappos for your free return policy.

  23. Philip
    The Flyroc 310 is a good replacement for the Terroc. You may want to check them out.
    https://www.inov-8.com/new/global/Product-View-Flyroc-310.html?L=26

  24. I’ve been using the new 330s about a month now – yes it should have been renamed but its still a good/great hiking shoe. More cushion feel on the heels, more water resistant, too warm in hot weather – and hopefully a bit longer lasting the the previous model. To be honest I think INOV8 HAD to change the shoe just because of the AWFUL durability, but should have looked at strengthening the mesh (Kevlar?) and rest of the shoe.

  25. Hi Philip,

    I am in search of the older Terroc 330s. I have an old pair from 2011 or 2012…. And I don’t know where to find another pair. If you have an extra pair or two would you be interested in selling me a pair??? Please!

    Ryan

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