Discussion: Rubber-soled orienteering shoes: recommendations & where to buy

Any recommendations about rubber-soled shoes? Had VJ Sticky, liked those otherwise but unfortunately the upper part was too weak. I like Icebug Spirit OLX but those are studded (bad on trails and pavement) and a feel a little too much in hot whether.

Have heard that Icebug Acceleritas has a rather thine sole. What about Zeals? Anyone can recommend the Innov8? Anything else?

Cheers,
Ott

The Inov-8 X-talon 212 is the greatest shoe ever of any type.

Thank you for the reply, ian.

Can you elaborate a bit? How do they feel on pavement/trail/rocks/forest? Cushioning? How strong are the upper parts? Any particular problems (delamination, ...?)

FYI about the 212's.... they now come in both Precision (the only option before) and Standard fit.

The trend in trail running shoes is going wider, so Inov-8 added a new fit. At my local trail running store this spring, I tried on a pair of 212's tand they felt really weird compared to my Oroc 280's (also Precision). The salesman informed me that Inov-8 added a Standard fit, and that's only what he carried (but he special-ordered me the Precision fit ones).

Compared to the Spirit OLX, the 212's give you *much* better ground feel - the soles of the 212s are a lot more flexible, but cushioning is still pretty good. I've run two trail marathons in 212s and come away with my feet feeling surprisingly good, given that I'm not normally a minimalist-shoe runner and I'm ~110kg (240lb).

Longevity is not their strong point - I've done 400km (250 miles) in my first pair, and the heel was noticeably compressed (which I believe is a sign that the midsole is collapsing). My second pair have done 200km (120m) and the heels are starting to go the same way. Having said that, I'm obviously not the lightest person around, and I do go through shoes rapidly - I only get 5-600km out of my road shoes.

Icebug now have the Zeal in two versions. I've used the version without spikes in a couple of races now and liked them so much that I also got the spike version. I initially got the shoes to have something with similar agility as the Xtalon 190 but with a more durable upper and they are just that.
The fit is comparable to the inov8 precision fit, so a little wider than the Spirit or Acceleritas, but not as blunt and wide as Inov8s Standard fit. I really like the upper as it is not a mesh that let's dirt in and can eventually rip - it's a tightly woven fabric, that doesn't hold much water or let in the muck. Padding in the upper is generally less than the Xtalons, but the flexible rubber heel counter also accommodates my somewhat pointy heel bone without causing blisters. Ground feel/control and grip are pretty good, but you can feel the spaced out studs through the sole on hardpack paths. That might not make them the first choice on hard ground long distance challenges (rogaines).

Juffy--
* is the sole strong enough? Spirit OLX feels like it takes a gun to penetrate it and you can just put your foot down on whatever. But got a sharp piece of wood through trail shoes of unknown brand in forest once...

* what about the upper part? How strong is that? I have never had problems with heels but the upper parts just do not last for me. I guess here trail running and off-trail orienteering differ a lot.

frichte--
how do zeals feel in hot weather? I know, studs do not feel right on hard surface, spirits felt like floating a little bit. But on ice... ;-)

Ott> to your point on the strength of the soles on the X-talon 212s, I did get a sharp stick right through the soft part of the middle of the sole and a cm or so right into my foot on one of my pairs, so it can definitely happen. I'm nevertheless on my 3rd pair now and see little reason to use any other shoe.

I've never had a stick through mine, but obviously it can happen. My uppers have never torn - the only fault I've had is that the last 5mm of the bit of rubber that comes up in front of the toes comes unstuck and sticks up.

+1 for the x- talon 212's. Uppers were much tougher than I expected. Grip and comfort excellent. My all time favourite orienteering and trail shoes. Also happy with them for urban sprints (pavement) but woukdn't do long road runs in them.

212's for me all the way Give me polished granite City squares and rain, 212 it is, need grip, 212, need light shoes, 212

If there was, say, a zombie apocalypse or something, and I had to put on one pair of shoes before bolting out the door, I'd probably pick my 212's.

Wow, a lot of 212 love. For some balance, I'll say I absolutely hated my pair.

Love the 212s for sprints & XC races. Not enough underfoot protection for rockier or longer stuff for me. Not that I've done much of either lately. Definitely not a shoe for roads...

My x-talon 212s were my favorite until I bought a pair of x-talon 190s, now those are my favorite :) The soles are thin enough that you can feel a twinge if you are running on very sharp gravel for example, but I've not had any trouble with anything actually penetrating through to damage my foot.

My main gripe with the 190's was that the uppers weren't as tough. They certainly fill up with grass seeds a lot more than the 212's (but that may have been rectified in more recent models than mine??)

Cool, so much love for 212. Got those as well, will write about my experience when there will be some experience...

Thank you all :-)