These are a snug fitting shoe, and by now they fit really well. At the start I had to really crank them down to keep them from loosening up on me, but now it's not as pronounced. I still start them off more snug than I would another shoe. 58 miles logged so far in dry conditions. Longest trek was ~12mi with 2500' gain. I stood knee deep in a lake for a few minutes with them to test water retention and they were empty of water in ~2mins. Very good at keeping debris out. Allows the foot to move normally. Adapterweb seems to kick in after feet swell, so initial discomfort in the toes as feet swell followed by comfort as the shoes adapt.FIT: snug and slipper-like. Just because they feel tight, don't worry. They wrap the foot nicely and don't squish anything. It's a very soft shoe, so there's a lot of give. I ordered 10.5 (typical Nike/Adidas/Newton size) and they're about perfect. Where I notice them being a little small is on the toebox. The toe of the shoe tapers a little earlier than some shoes so it's a little squishy up there. No blisters / discomfort though, and initial try-on was concerning. Almost sprung for 1/2 size up, but due to length at big toe I stayed put. That worked out well.FEEL: I read many reviews saying they were firm underfoot and I strongly disagree. They're squishy, soft, kind of like those yoga-mat flip flops. No issues with padding, and the padding looks very durable. No creasing or anything so far. Super flexible and very easy to run in. I really enjoy running in these and kind of forget about them sometimes because they're a natural feeling platform to run on. Underfoot protection is not what I'm used to, but my feet seem to have adapted fine. Early runs over rocky terrain left my feet feeling kind of beat up. Now the same terrain, even more miles of it doesn't bother me. These aren't built up like some shoes that allow you to mindlessly run over everything in sight without a care. Toe cap is fine. Kicked some good rocks and my toes were fully protected. They're hot. They're not miserable, but they are pretty warm. Good news is I've had zero debris come into them, so they're warm because they're securely sealing off my feet from dirt, rocks, pebbles, etc. So the comments about not having the tongue sewn into the body of the shoe allowing debris in? Not impacting performance.PERFORMANCE: Grip is very good. The sole unit is soft/firm, giving very good grip in pretty much everything dry so far. Looser surfaces with deeper dirt and small, loose rock and steep grade pose a bit of a challenge for climbing and that's pretty typical. A smaller-block tread performs better in this type of condition. No wet, no snow so far. It's July after all. I'm going to get into longer distances with these over the coming weeks and see how they do. The one fault I have encountered is on hard surfaces (hard-pack or rocky) with a steep grade and made worse with off-camber. The tread will grip the surface hard, giving great confidence in sticking your landing...then the shoe will shift on top of the sole unit (squishy shoe, I blame the adapterweb) causing a nice firm landing to become kind of awkward. I heard someone say they got blisters on the bottoms of their feet from Inov-8 shoes, and now I know exactly how that happened. A long, steep, hard downhill would kill your feet. Definition: firm surface (hard-pack or rock), grade in excess of 15% made worse by off-camber, distance of more than 0.5 miles continuously. If it's broken up at all, no worries. Your feet can cool down and be fine. I think my feet will get used to this type of condition over time. It highlights that the shoe is more of a jack of all trades than a dedicated to technical, gnarly terrain kind of shoe. If you don't spend a lot of time on that stuff, you'll be fine and the shoe will be great. If you do, get something a little firmer and more built. It's not a "mountain" shoe. It's a trail shoe.OVERALL: Super comfortable. I really enjoy running in these shoes and appreciate that they can handle a lot of variety. They work well for where I spend most of my running time, and they work well for road to trail. I do 1 - 2 miles to the trail, and none on the return trip. Terrain is desert: limited road (10-20%), rocky, loose rock, gravel, sand, dirt, hard-pack, off-camber stuff and everything in between. I think these will do OK in the snow. Initially I was concerned, but the shoes are performing well and protect the foot well from debris getting in (i.e. snow in winter). I will run the Tahoe Beast in these after having satisfactory (not good, but tolerable) performance when soaked completely through. They were honestly more comfortable when wet temp wise but I noticed the weight some. I'm really glad I bought these and my next pair will probably be a pair of Inov-8's.Sizing: This is my 5th pair of Inov-8 shoes and the sizing is consistent across them, although I do have to size up one full US size every time. For some people it seems like half a size is enough.Fit: Good arch support and heel cup. The upper is also not too high so if hugs the foot well: although there is room around the toes, I didn't notice fore/aft motion of the foot inside the shoe. That point is important personally as otherwise blisters are more frequent as a result of running downhill.Traction: Really impressed by the cleats/studs. It has handled everything on that run: rocks, mud, roots, all of that on steep sections, and I've more confident than with any other shoe before. I did slip on a couple slick roots, but it was more of a footing mistake than due to the shoe.Protection: I was concerned about the mid-sole because it seemed on the thinner side (13.5mm in the front) but it did amazingly well. My feet were not sore at all after the run (cant say the same about the quads!). Stepped on quite a few rocks and didn't feel a thing, or rather, I felt that the shoe handled them well.Durability: I rinsed the shoes and let them dry after use, and they look like I haven't worn them. It's only one run, but still encouraging.The only negative is that the front upper is padded mesh, which tends to absorb water. I suppose the mesh helps with breath-ability in hot/dry weather, but I wish the material was a bit more like the sides (water-repellent coating). The shoe did take some time to dry at home, and although it got wet during the run it didn't bother me at all.Like most Inov-8 shoes, the Rolite 290 is solid. The new 6mm tri-sticky traction is fantasic, and the upper feels very solid. HOWEVER, there are four things that killed the deal:1. NOT STANDARD FITEven thought they are listed as Inov-8's classic "standard" fit, the mid-foot is much more narrow than X-talon 200 or Race Ultra 270. In order to decrease the hot spots on the outsides of my feet, I had to size up. Normally I wear an 11 to 11.5, but in the Roc Lite 290's I had to go up to a size 12, and they still feel narrow. I am actually returning them because even in the larger size, they hurt the sides of my feet, and my heel slips more. I thought about a 12.5, but I am fairly certain my heel would then just pop out.From what Inov-8 tells me, the Roclite 290's are made on a new footbed last, that falls in between the "precision" and "standard" fits. It is definitely more roomy than precision, but not as wide comfortable as standard. Inov-8 really should call this a medium fit.2. DOES NOT QUICKLY DRAIN WATERInov-8 states this is a true multi-terrain shoe, which is the main reason I got them. BUT, due to the extra protection around the toe and along the sides, and the close knit fabric....all which do protect against rocks and moisture getting into shoe, water can not easily get out. I really wanted these to work for training and OCR's, especially on dry hard packed courses often found in the South East with swamps, bogs and streams. I have not tested this theory, my gut tells me these will become bricks when wet (let alone muddy), and keep water pooling in the shoe as there are no drain ports. To me, these are DRY terrain only, not Multi-Terrain.3. HOTNow, the upper is super solid, and would likely keep things out of the shoe and appears to be very durable. But due to added protection and the close knit fabric, they don't breathe very well. My feet get hot fast.4. NO GUSSETED TONGUEWhat really blows my mind, these do not have a gusseted tongue. They have a standard old-skool running shoe tongue that is NOT sewn into the shoe. This padded tongue 1) slides around as I run causing uncomfortable hot spots on top of feet... And 2) lets in debris.I love Inov-8s, and would love to have the RocLite 290 traction appear on low-drop model with true "standard" wide fit like the Terraclaw 220, Trailtalon 250, or even the X-talon 200 frame.Overall, if you have a narrower foot, are in cooler environments, avoid water and don't mind the non-trail tongue with stuff getting into your shoe, this is a great shoe. Just does not work for my needs, nor do I feel is properly described by Inov-8 as a "standard fit multi-terrain" shoe.Finally decided on buying the roc lites as the ‘go to shoe’ for an ultra marathon in the lakes. In brief they look great! And I would say light and well built! They are narrow, but I found slackening off the laces and taking time to fit your shoe properly, rather than ‘out of the box’ worked a treat! I spent a couple of days wearing them around the house and getting that fit spot on.What is insanely annoying is the cheap crappy cheese cutter laces that just slip and slacken constantly! It’s such a simple thing to mess up on! But for me is too important to let slide. I refastened my laces 6times whilst on a 17mile run in weather conditions I rather not have been stopping on! Also as a result my feet moved around too much giving me blisters and cuts.Bare this in mind when buying them, as they are not cheap, and you WILL need to buy a quality pair of laces!Delivery from the company I got them from was spot on and pretty prompt!I have been using Salomon Speedcross 3 for a while and decided to try a different pair. I have been having some trouble with pain in the sole of my left foot when running in rough gravel. From my first run in this new pair, it was clear that I would not have that problem anymore. The Roclite 290s provide a lot better protection in this type of terrain!I also tried getting my feet wet in these new shoes. I waded through a small river, completely soaking the shoes. After about 500m there was no shushing sound, and after about 750m I felt the shoes were dried out pretty well. This is comparable with the Salomon Speedcross 3.Overall, these shoes perform really wellI needed some good off road footwear for OCR's. As I have wide feet and bunions it's been hard finding a good fit but these are great, they actually resemble the shape of your foot! Instead of some pointy thing with only enough room for 1.5 toes in the box.With a wider than average toe box low heel and good grip I've found them comfortable and hard wearing so far (a lot of bootcamp and nuts winter challenge)I would definitely recommend them and will be buying another pair soon as a backup!I’m a female with rather wide feet so usually go for men’s shoes for the wider fit and more choice. Love these trail shoes. Very light and love the colour. Fantastic grip and quality made. Only minus is they are made a good size smaller. I’m almost always a size 7 but had to get the 8 in the Innov8 to achieve the same size. I could even have gone for the 8.5. I had the same issue with shoes from the women’s range too. I’d certainly recommend these trainers, but definitely size up, especially if you like to wear cushioned socks.I normally wear salomon a size bigger went for th 8 which is what I normally have I'd say that these come up bigger then the salomon shoes. I could probly manage the 7. 5 but to be honest I like the toe room. They are not too big just more roomy. They are very comfy and fast delivery.