Inov8 Terroc 330's are from the chunkier end of Inov8's ultralight footwear range. Aimed at long distance off-road travel they have something of a cult following amongst lightweight and UL backpackers. Sporting technical sounding features such as Meta Flex, Met Cradle and Terra Shank they are actually very simple and nicely low-tech compared to some of the over-stuffed, pumped-up, fussily engineered rubbish that passes as athletic footwear these days.
My Terroc 330's were actually warranty replacements for my ill-fated Flyroc 310's. It was nice of Inov8 to have enough belief in their product to replace the 310's but they were proving to be a popular model last year and they didn't have any in stock. I was happy with the 330's as a replacement as I'd heard how supremely comfortable they were whilst still retaining Inov8's commitment to low weight.
The Terroc 330's, built on the 'Comfort' last, have a wider toebox than many of Inov8's models, something that is very welcome in shoes that might be used for 8 hours a day and they cope with any slight swelling easily. The mesh is fairly free flowing and as well as letting glacier-cold water in during early season fording they also allow it flow out again and dry somewhat after a few miles if you're lucky to be blessed with a dry trail. The heel cup is also good, somehow I find it deeper than the 310's and 315's and I've not had a blister on my heel, the part of my foot that seems more prone than the rest, whilst wearing these. For the gram weenies, my size 10.5UK shoes weigh in at 803g a pair.
The sole unit isn't my absolute favourite in the Inov8 line-up, I much prefer the sublime mud shedding abilities of the Roclite sole as the Terroc sole does tend to pick up bits of gravel fairly easily but it's still very grippy and far superior to the Salomon's that seem to be the 'other' UL footwear of choice. The tough rubber toe guard is also welcome on a long days hiking when energy flags and foot falls are not as accurate as earlier in the day. I also like Inov8 laces. Tough, normal laces instead of the 'hi-tech' damage-prone systems of some other manufacturers. In fact, when a fancy kevlar lace system failed on a pair of other shoes I replaced them with some spare Inov8 laces and they've been perfectly fine ever since.
They are one of those items of gear that if I lost today I would go out and buy exactly the same item tomorrow. Comfortable, light, well ventilated and grippy they cover just about every necessity that an enlightened backcountry traveller could have. Highly recommended.
