This is our review of the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 Chill, the best shoe for hiking Hong Kong’s hard trails, and by hard, I mean hard underfoot, not difficult. I’ve done about 100km in these, not a lot, but enough to have some initial thoughts. In the search for the best shoes for hiking Hong Kong’s hard trails, I’ve tried a number of Salomon shoes but now finally found the perfect pair (that is until they wear out in a few months and I decide something else is better!). For running/hiking up and down the Peak, I usually wear the Adidas UltraBoost 3.0, they’re the most comfortable sneaker in the entire universe. If you haven’t tried them, buy them. As of today they’re sold out pretty much everywhere in Hong Kong and they’re sold out for a reason – they’re the most comfortable. There’s no need for anything with grip when you’re running up Peel Rise, down Luggard Road and Hong Kong Trail Section 1. About 80% of the run/hike I’m on concrete, the rest is hard packed mud/rock trails or stairs – no need for anything more than a normal running sneaker for this, unless it’s wet.
For something like Lantau and Sunset Peak, Sharp Peak, Tai Mo Shan or anything similar, the best shoe I’ve come across is the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 Chill. The Chill is the silver version and has a lighter upper that’s supposed to be more breathable and lighter for hot conditions. I haven’t tried the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 normal version so can’t comment on those but probably there’s not much difference. You can’t buy the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 Chill in Hong Kong, only the normal blue version. These shoes in my opinion are hiking versions of the Adidas Ultraboost. They’re extremely comfortable and can be worn on roads as well as technical hard rock trails. I reckon they fit a bit small, I’m usually a 7.5 but they were pretty tight so went for the 8. Honestly these are probably 1/4 size big but that’s fine for hiking/running.
The last pair of shoes I had was the Salomon Wings Pro 2. I was never a fan, the little strip up the middle under the laces tore off after a week, and the lining around the top edges of the shoes also tore after a few weeks. The sole wore out in a few months and I never really liked the colour. They were reasonably comfortable but the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 Chill absolutely blows them away in fit, comfort and actual performance. The Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 Chill are very well cushioned and there is no discomfort even after longer (4-5 hour hikes/runs).
The one negative about the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 Chill is that’s not good in the wet. To be fair, it’s not really designed for soft or wet trails. It didn’t feel stable underfoot when running down stairs or hard trails after it had rained. Again, this is not really what the shoe was designed for, it was designed for hard trails and roads. For softer trails the Salomon Speedcross 3 or 4 (latest version) is a better bet but really, how many soft trails are there in Hong Kong? Basically none.
If you’re looking for a good shoe to wear on Hong Kong’s hard dry trails and on the roads, give the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 Chill a try. You can buy them online or Gunrunning.com stocks the regular version of the Inov-8 Trail Talon 275 Chill and the guys in there know their stuff and seem friendly enough.
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