Inov8 - Mudclaw 300
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
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"They also have the best sole material I’ve found for slippery mud and rocks."
"I maintain that it was a crime to replace the Mudclaw and Xtalon with that shoe. They replaced their fell shoes with a trail shoe that's good in mud."
"First pair was fantastic, grip"
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3
"Absolutely love their shoes. ... One of my pairs is 5 years old and is in desperate need of repair but somehow still get me round semi mudi trails."
"They’re outsoles are supposed to be tough. ... The ones I’ve used fell apart before the sole showed any wear."
"Bonus points for being indestructible."
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"Very lightweight"
"Light"
"lightweight"
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"They had a good toe box and heal support ... First pair was fantastic, grip, fit, lacing."
"Even the older models I use have a lot of room for my toes."
"decently wide fitting"
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"Love the inov8 fit"
Disliked most:
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"The ones I’ve used fell apart before the sole showed any wear."
"i've had 2 pairs both fall apart in less than 400km on the same trails i run with the Decathlons ... their trainers fell apart quicker than we would have liked too."
"i've had 2 pairs both fall apart in less than 400km on the same trails i run with the Decathlons ... i've worked with some athletes on FKT and races and their trainers fell apart quicker than we would have liked too."
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"But far too narrow. ... I’d get pain running on side hills from the tendons in my ankle resisting the torque because my forefoot wasn’t spread wide enough to give it support."
"But far too narrow. ... I’d get pain running on side hills from the tendons in my ankle resisting the torque because my forefoot wasn’t spread wide enough to give it support."
"Xodus Ultras were also a bit too narrow in the toebox for me for anything over 50k."
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"Far better than my previous pair of inov8s which I think had involvement from Torville and/or Dean in the design"
"Shoes that are really great in mud are not going to be great on slippery wet rock - those are two different lug designs that are kind of opposite tbh. ... Deep, widely spaced lugs like you find on mud shoes don't provide much surface area for the rubber compound to contact the surface, so you don't get much of the benefit of the outsole material's grippiness. ... Compare the inov-8 Mudclaw lug pattern to an approach shoe like the LS TX4 which is designed for rock."
"Shoes that are really great in mud are not going to be great on slippery wet rock - those are two different lug designs that are kind of opposite tbh. ... Deep, widely spaced lugs like you find on mud shoes don't provide much surface area for the rubber compound to contact the surface, so you don't get much of the benefit of the outsole material's grippiness. ... Compare the inov-8 Mudclaw lug pattern to an approach shoe like the LS TX4 which is designed for rock."
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"hate the lack of energy return. ... Feel like I've got bricks on my feet after 50 miles!"
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"hate the lack of energy return. ... Feel like I've got bricks on my feet after 50 miles!"
Denning76 1.0Mudclaw 300. Inov-8 replacing them with the Mudtalon was a crime. Honourable mentions to the VJ iRocks and XTRMs.
Worth noting that G270s are very passive lug-wise for inov-8, have stopped being made, and inov-8 have gone massively downhill in the past few years, including but not limited to using a new factory with massive QC issues and replacing the excellent mudclaw with the mudtalon, which falls apart and much worse on rough terrain. The classic mud shoe of theirs was the mudclaw, which is coming back for sale this winter, however it is being made by their new shitty factory, so it remains to be seen if they will survive a week of running.
fattyfoggon 1.0They are making the mudclaw 300 again got a new pair recently perfect for muddy fells and UK mountains far superior to the Mudtalons
running_a_riot 1.0Mudclaw 300 was the peak fell running shoe for me. Light, durable, great lugs for muddy terrain, well priced etc. A couple of years ago everything went to shit. They started releasing hybrid shoes that feel like the worst of both worlds and invariably split. Inov8 are great at replacing faulty shoes but they all fail in the same way. The new stuff just feels plasticy, cheap and the re-branded logo looks a bit naff too. A lot of fell runners appear to be switching to other brands and it’s a common topic of discussion during races!
Separate-Specialist5 1.0I'm in two minds. Most people commenting have not even tried out any of their new shoes and just go by "I heard that they're now shit" My experience: Used to be a big fan of the Roclite 275, a little long and could've done with more toe box, but otherwise superb. Same for the Mudclaw, Xtalon 200 and Xtalon 260. The new TrailTalon feels a little clumsy, and a bit of heel rub. The Mudtalon was too high stack, not comfy and I had to stop using them.gril was great but rubbish otherwise.
So... I have a pair of VJ Maxx2 for normal local trails, it's already quite worn down so just a basic shoe. Then I have another pair of Maxx2 for technical trails on specific terrain. A pair of Brooka ghost for regular road miles, pair of brooks glycerin for easy road miles, pair of hyperion for road races or parkruns here in the UK. Pair of inov8 mudclaw for short muddy races (up to about 15mile) Pair of inov8 xtalon 260 v2 for longer all day winter mountain runs in UK, and a pair of xtalon 200 for short muddy races.
Good to know about the new Mudclaw! I have a pair of Mudclaw 300 and they're incredible on the darkest of days, grip gives you amazing confidence. The new stuff, not a fan of.
Dangerous_Limes 0.4I had an older version of the mudclaws. Low rise, awesome grip, lightweight. But far too narrow. I’d get pain running on side hills from the tendons in my ankle resisting the torque because my forefoot wasn’t spread wide enough to give it support. If they are wider now that would be incredible.
doom_mountain 0.4I feel the 'new' range is just uninspiring and feels old fashioned. I tried the Trailfly Speed which was heavy with a dull foam. Standard Trailfly was heavier with more dull foam! They just aren't competitive with other shoes out there. La Sportiva Prodigio shows how a modern all round trail shoe should be (and it's been a massive success). It's a shameas they used to be one of my favourite shoe brands, I went through 4 pairs of the G270's loved that shoe. Numerous Roclite, Mudclaw, X-Talon. I just don't consider them as an option any more. I live in the Lake District and not many of my friends wear them either any more. Mudclaws used to be the go to. See a lot of VJ, Terrex, Nnormal, La Sportiva and Hoka now.
endeesr3alm 0.4okay, one brand no one has mentioned - Inov8. The mudclaw and mudtalon are great, althought rubber on the X-Talon Ultra wasnt great for wet obstacles or rocks in my experience. but if you want the best grip on the planet, buy some VJ Ultra / iRock / MAXx shoes. they are epic.
flibbble 0.4Find if I ask what you didn't like about them? I love my mudclaws except the heel has never quite fitted me, so was considering looking at the new mudtalons to see if they might work for my feet better. What's different about them?
_Hauptstufe_ 0.4Altra MT King or Inov8 mudclaw. Big cleats and fast draining are what you want. Wool based socks like Hilly merino work fine when your feet are soaked. If you have the right footwear just go route one through the middle of everything with a big smile 😃
madrockyoutcrop 0.4First and last time I ran in mud like that in a pair of lone peaks I fell on my ass at least 3 times. Mudclaws are the way forward.
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