Brooks - Caldera 7

Came here to comment exactly this. I'm 6'2", 190lb (188cm/87kg). Daily trail runner in Switzerland, running 70-80km/week. I have the Trabuco Max 2 and Max 3. Version 4 is the most recent launch. By far the most comfortable trail shoes I've ever owned. They just work perfectly for me. Have over 1000km in the 3's, so super durable too. Also own Hoka Stinson 6 (bit soft), Brooks Caldera 6 (too firm, never softened up), Altra Olympus 6 (midsole felt dead from the start) and Nike Wildhorse 7 (most comfortable upper of any shoe but midsole a bit thin) but none are as good for me as the Trabuco Max.

I have the Glycerine and Caldera combination. The Caldera are super comfy, but I have struggled with them on technical trails and found them slippy on the downhills (when wet and muddy in the UK). I really like them as all rounder though and wear them when I am off road on a more easy run/trail. I have some Saucony Peregrine's for more technical/faster runs but having various blister problems with them so bought some Inov8 trailfly to test this weekend.

Years of Altra-Topo… just went Zegama 2 and love it… will also keep Speedgoat in the rotation… tried on Caldera and liked it…

Just got a pair of brooks caldera 7’s, they feel great on my wide/chubby feet.

Nike alpha flys for my short loops! Kidding kidding I’m a brooks guy, caldera is what I use and keep in rotation. I need something soft to avoid fatigue. Hoka zinal for speed sessions. Hoka torrent for race day, they do wreck my legs though but in fastest in those. Ohh I use to use a lot of inov-8 but they don’t last for me at all, terrible for me and Altra don’t last either My next venture is asics. I did get Nike Pegasus trail this year as a gift, so we’ll see

I’ve been enjoying the brooks caldera 7s, great shoes and they seem to get better the more miles I put on them. NB fresh foam more v3 are also great and have epic response on tech trails which maintaining grip, if you like vibram they could be down your alley. The V4 are coming out soon so you might be able to get the V3s on sale I have more foam for road and trail just love them. I’m a cushion junky

Don't overlook the Caldera line, the 8's are nice for both hiking and less technical trails.

It quite as heavy as you but I’m a lot heavier than most people writing shoe reviews. Big fan of the Brooks Caldera. I found Hoka Challengers too squishy and Peregrines too firm to if that helps frame my opinion. The calderas are thick enough not to bottom out under a heavy person but firm enough to not feel like you’re running in oofos.

I didn’t really like the speedgoats when I tried them, but have recently tried the Brooks Calderas which definitely have similarities to the speedgoats, and I am really impressed by their “trail track” outsoles.

The Speedgoats do a better job when cornering, or on uneven and/or technical terrain. The Calderas make you fight a little bit with the side walls in those situations. However, I actually find the Calderas better when running faster, because they have some nice flexibility in the forefoot.

I'd give the caldera 8 a chance. They feel lighter than they look or are, well protected and have surprising amount of response in them.

I have just bought the Brooks caldera 6, they look very good for ultras, I encourage you to take them into account

I have the Brooks caldera 6 for long distance, very cushioned

I'm having issues with the caldera7s, hard as fuck toe box and the inserts bunch up when they're sweaty. Any other suggestions? ☺️

If you run happily in Brooks, Brooks would make sense. Divides are the least traily of the trail shoes but have a good amount of grip. Arguably avoid GTX though as you’ll get sweaty feet and they won’t dry. Catamount are at the faster end of the Brooks trail range and then there’s Cascadia and the very bouncy Caldera. The North Downs can be quite chalky and quite muddy in parts in winter. Tbh I would say Cascadias are the best suited Brooks shoes for running there, lugs are bigger than on the others. Can’t speak to the other brands as not run in them.

I’ve worn Cascadias and Calderas and loved them both. Great hiking shoes too.

I just bought a pair of Zegamas and I’m absolutely loving them. Brooks Calder 6 is one of my favorite trail shoes of all time. It was everything I wanted the speedlands GS to be

I have had the same issue and have had a good experience with Brooks Caldera 7s. Haven’t used them much yet but was also pleasantly surprised by La Sportiva Bushido III in a wide and half sized up

I recently bought the Brooks Caldera 6 and love it.

I use the Glycerine Max for the road, and currently love the Trabuco Max 3s. The current model of Calderas (which I also have) feel pretty cheap to me. Almost like they’re made out of cardboard or something. But I do like the feel of them underfoot (just the upper sucks imo). Good luck!

I have wide feet and high arches. Have been really happy with my Brooks Caldera 7s over the summer months including running a 100k with no significant foot issues (one purple big toenail but kept the nail). I size up by half a size. I use Brooks Cascadia in the autumn/winter as well that are a bit stiffer. Because of my high arches I also use a Sidas insole whatever the shoe.

Have you thought about Asics Trabuco Max or Brooks Caldera 8? Those are good high stack options and also stable with good grip. Seems to check some of your boxes. Another shoe you may want to keep an eye out for releasing later this summer is the La Sportiva Prodigio MAX. Prodigio Pro is great, but I'm sure the MAX will be really good, more specifically for bigger runners.

Brooks caldera have been good to me. The toe box is stiff and can lead to rubbing however.  I think there is just no perfect shoe. 

There is give/softness on these trails, but maybe not as much as you are used to. Do some long runs on pavement to maybe get some experience with the pounding. I used to run in the area on Lone Peaks and then I realized I really wanted/needed more cushioning so I switch to Brooks Calderas.

I recently picked up a pair of Topo Ultraventure 4's for my upcoming 50k race. I have put 250 miles on a pair of Zegama 2's and just under 100 miles on a pair of Brooks Caldera 7's. So far, after 25 miles, the Topo's are really great. They are cushioned, wide, have very comfortable laces and no heel slip. I have some conerns about the stability of the shoe running downhill. The heel is narrower than both the Zegama and Caldera. I also find the outsole heel is much more rounded, and less flat. But I plan to run the race in these Topo's. My other caution would be that the lugs and grip are fairly mild compared to those other 2 shoes. If your race will be technical, muddy, etc. then the Ultraventure 4 isn't for you.

I’m 275lbs so take this advice as my own personal experience. I own 3 pairs of trail shoes: 1. Nike Zegama 2: great shoe, moderate stack, wide toe box, and great grip. ZoomX foam is really fun. My lowest stack shoe. 2. Brooks Caldera 7: very cushioned, wide toe box as well, but I find that I collapse inwardly. If you don’t over pronate, this is the shoe for you. The foam is fairly bouncy and the rocker is aggressive enough to keep you moving forward. 3. Topo Athletic Ultraventure 4: my newest shoe for trails. Ergonomic toe box, great cushion, aggressive insole and support, and ok grip. This is my favorite shoe right now and I plan to use it for my 50k race.

I’ve got about 180 miles in a pair of Nike Zegama 2 and just picked up a pair of Brooks Caldera 7.

I have a really narrow midfoot and heel. Like a really narrow heel and brooks has the best heel lock down, better than everything else. Even the brands known for having narrow shoes like Salomon and La Sportiva. If brooks road shoes fit you really good I’d try the caldera and catamount. Both last years models can be had for about $100. Caldera for long slow days, catamount for faster. Could be catamount for everything if you like a little bit lower to the ground shoe.

Along the same lines of the shoes you mentioned I would add the brooks caldera 7, it’s on sale right now for $99 because the 8’s just came out. Big wide plush midsole for comfort with raised sidewalls sitting you down in the foam, not just on top of it. Very stable for such a high stack shoe.

I am a similar size runner. 6’2” and 185. A bit of a heal striker. I really like Brooks Caldera and Cascadias. The Caldera have a bit more cushion. 100s of miles on a pair of Cascadia 11s that I wore until they disintegrated last year. Just bought the Calderas and I really like them. I find the Cascadias a little more narrow in the toes than the Caldera. Both work well in a number of different conditions.

Just started logging some miles on my Brooks Caldera shoes, so far I love them. I’ve had great success with any pairs of Brooks running shoes I’ve had, but there’s obviously quite a difference. I’m not ultra specific about what I wear, just tend to find something I like and stick with them. In this case, it’s the brand Brooks in general, as my wife usually buys me my running shoes as a gift, so whatever she picks, I try. But the Caldera shoe definitely has a wider toe box than I’m used to, but love them so far.

This may just be a personal anecdote, but when I started trail running I was using max cushion shoes (Brooks Caldera) because I thought that’s what I needed as an older, injury prone person. I soon started battling with rolling my ankles left and right. Went back to a lower-stack shoe (Brooks Cascadia) and started seeking softer-terrain trails and everything got better. To this day I struggle with the impact of hard surfaces, but my ankles have stabilized dramatically and can now use higher stack shoes on trails. So my advice would be to perhaps work on building up mileage and strength on gentler terrain with a lower stack shoe, as you’ll get natural cushioning from the ground and stability from being closer to the earth. Beyond this, traditional strength training did wonders to stabilize my whole stride.

Check out the brooks caldera 7 or 8! They are awesome

Brooks caldera fits pretty wide, it's a cushier shoe than the LP for sure

Haven't done the high route but generally wear a wide shoe and have some some off trail bushwhacking (alpine scree, tundra, and a pretty fresh wildland fire burn) with the brooks caldera (standard width). Might be worth checking out.

I like Divide, Cascadia, and Caldera and rotate between them, plus have a couple pairs of Glycerins and Ghosts floating around!

I wear Cascadia, Divide, and Caldera daily (one pair of the same shoes on each foot, haha) and rotate between them. I 50f live in rural King County, WA and it’s hilly everywhere except most of the rail trail. I love all three pairs, Caldera being my personal favorite, but my trails aren’t super technical (soil, rocks, pebbles and not really even true foothills or mountains, just big hills). They work well for my use in almost all weather (I add nano or micro spikes for snow and ice)!

I’m super biased, but I vote Brooks based on my own Brooks brand loyalty! I wear Cascadias, Divides, and Calderas and love them all!

Since I’m about to hit the rural road and then trail and then road, I’m literally wearing Brooks Cascadia as I type! I also have Caldera and Divide and rotate between the three!

If you like brooks and the glycerin, I can’t recommend the brooks caldera enough

I used brooks caldera but there’s something inside that rubs and gives me brutal blisters I now use ASICS Trabuco max 4 They are good and comfy Not a fast shoe Very grippy on everything apart from wet mud, where they are dangerous

I feel like my Glycerin's fit similarly to the Caldera, but the Caldera feels too soft and bulky for the rocky technical trails that I mostly run on. If you are on smoother graded paths, it might be excellent. I'll probably end up with a pair next year just to have them. The Catamount is a much sleeker shoe than the glycerin, but the upper fits me about the same. The foam seems similar, but it's not a plush shoe. It will be a great shoe for a shorter race like a 10k, but for a lot of longer slower runs, maybe you want something else. Watch some YouTube reviews and see what you think. I just got the version 3 on clearance for $50 and I like it a lot. I'll probably wear it for my next half marathon. I don't like the Cascadia, so no advice there. Both the catamount and caldera are 6mm drop, which will feel different from the 10mm drop of the glycerin, if that matters. As for other brands, the options are endless so I'm just talking Brooks here. Nike Pegasus Trail is a soft shoe with 10mm drop, so that's just a start for something more similar.

Something I’ve noticed is that you lose the wide widths in the GTX option. If you don’t absolutely need the waterproof, I’d skip it. Just use wool socks and Vaseline your toes for warmth in winter. Hoka Challenger or Speedgoat could be a good option from the brand. Brooks Caldera is another one I love for mileage & comfort on a mix of paved & trail.

Buy from somewhere with a no questions asked return policy, it’s not easy to find the right shoe on the first attempt. I similarly prefer wider toe boxes and have been running in Brooks Calderas, but have also tried Topos and just got some Lowas to try out. Especially for trails, get in a variety of terrain and distances before you judge the shoe…assuming it’s comfortable to start.

I have the Caldera 6 and I prefer it to my Altra Lone Peaks

Brooks fan here. I run trails in catamounts (my favorite) and calderas, road in Hyperion max2. Cascadias are my hiking shoe, very stable and comfortable but seem a little heavy to me for running. Catamount 4 have a 6mm drop. You might check them out if you want a lighter running shoe. All 3 have great grip on trails.

Northeast trail runner here as well, and am all too familiar with the hunt for the perfect shoe. I’m presently in Brooks Calderas. They’re tanks, and I love them because of it. Tons of protection underfoot and toe for all those pointy rocks and roots we deal with. They’re great for eating up high mileage days, and feel light enough for shorter midweek runs. For shorter, 25k or less, races I’m using the Brooks Catamount Agil. Love those as well, they’re like a beefed up XC spike; and just make you want to go fast! Super confident footing and good toe protection as well.

Brooks Caldera 6 has been online for 60e, if you are lucky you will find the caldera 7 for a similar price. All you need for everything

Brooks Caldera 6 has been online for 60e, if you are lucky you will find the caldera 7 for a similar price. All you need for everything