AHHHH! The Cascadia has returned and to the relief of the devoted it is better than before. There seems to be a lot of debate surrounding the Cascadia over the years from the lack of traction, questionable durability, and floating eyelets. One thing is clear with the new Cascadia 7 is that many of those issues have been put to bed and this all-purpose shoe is back to reclaim its place as one of the best trail shoes of all time.
Brooks Cascadia 7 First impressions:
The Cascadia 7 has a nice feel right out of the Box with no awkward rubbing created by overlays. The mesh upper is nice and flexible with a mossy like appearance that is different from the typical honeycomb or basket weave that one would expect. The first steps reveal a nice smooth roll and my foot felt nice and locked in.
Brooks Cascadia 7 Upper:
The first notable change to the upper of the Cascadia 7 is the lacing system. Gone are the floating eyelets that were found in the 6 that many blamed for the shoes sloppy loose upper. Replacing it is an asymmetric lacing system that does a superb job of reducing pressure and pain to the top of the foot.
Brooks has also changed the overlays in the Cascadia 7 by doubling the amount than they had before. Now the thinner microfiber overlays extend back into the heel and forward to the ball of the foot. I found the overlays locked my foot down really well while keeping it centered in the shoe and provided nice protection overall.
On a personal note I did experience some pressure in my right lateral toes while making step ascents causing them to go numb. The only theory that I could come up with is that it may be due to the position of the overlays.
The open mesh of the upper was nice a breathable, but also bodes well in cooler weather. I found it to be flexible and also drained fairly well when I pushed it through some wetter days.
Brooks Cascadia 7 Midsole:
The midsole of the 7 begins with Brooks BioMogo EVA enhanced with DNA technology in the forefoot and heel. This unification gives the shoe a nice smooth roll that is plush but not overdone. It’s like riding your grandma’s bicycle only you won’t be embarrassed to be seen in public with these.
As with previous versions Brooks has again returned with the four point pivot suspension system. The suspension helped to keep me in excellent contact with the ground while providing solid footing over all types of terrain.
A ballistic rock plate provides ample protection without compromising flexibility.
Brooks Cascadia 7 Outsole:
Gone are the circular lugs that degraded traction with the 6, and the multidirectional triangular lugs have returned. This triangular lug provided abundant traction no matter what I seemed to throw at it. The shoe also transitioned well between road and trail keeping the ride and transition smooth and comfortable.
The outsole is one piece and free of any cut outs, plastic widgets or other superfluous additions that can create issues. The outsole appears to be constructed of a carbon rubber that after 200+ miles seems to be holding up well so durability I don’t think will be an issue with this version.
Brooks Cascadia 7 Opinion:
Winston Churchill once said “All men make mistakes, but only wise men learn from their mistakes.” It seems to me that the R&D folks at Brooks have wised up. The evolution of the Cascadia from the 6 to the 7 is a vast improvement once again making the Cascadia a great all around trail shoe.
It might not be my first choice for a race shoe, but for everything else the Cascadia 7 does what I want it to do. The Cascadia will definitely be one of my go to daily trail shoes capable of handling long hauls for many many miles to come.
price comparison
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Brooks Cascadia 7 Men Woodbine/sulphurspring/speedgrn/anthracite/silvr Holabird Sports Free shipping over 69.95$ |
$62.95
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Brooks - Cascadia 7 (woodbine/sulphur Spring/speed Green/anthracite/silver) - Footwear Zappos Free shipping both ways (free return shipping), 365 days returns |
$89.95
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Mens Brooks Cascadia 7 Trail Running Shoe RoadRunnerSports Free shipping, 60-day perfect fit guarantee: possible to exchange shoes after using them for two months. |
$89.95
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Brooks - Cascadia 7 (men's) - Woodbine/sulphur Spring/speed Green/anthracite Shoebuy Free shipping, free return shipping, price guarantee and no sales tax |
$109.95
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Written by Jim Coulson
Jim Coulson is a career firefighter, husband, and father of two children hailing from the foothills of Colorado. Jim has been an avid road and trail runner since the age of 12, and loves to race locally and around the state a much as possible. A native Coloradoan Jim enjoys its trails, mountains, and outdoors taking advantage of all they have to offer as much as possible.
I just bought a pair of cascadia 7s and after a 6.5 mile run, I found them to be just ok. The traction is horrible in loose rocks,an overlay about rubbed my pinky toe raw and I had to stop and tighten them every couple of miles and that’s with double tying them as well. IMO the characteristics that allow upper to be flexible enough to hug your foot also causes it to feel loose and sloppy at times. It fails to give you that true locked in feeling and for what they are, they are a bit heavy which you wouldn’t expect. To me, it appears to be more of a minimalist shoe but it is defintely not. That being said,after my first run out of the box, I had no knee, hip, foot arch pain associated with cheaper shoes that lack support and are much bulkier. So in conclusion, there are trade offs, I suppose, with any shoe and it depends on what you’re looking for and what you need.
Thanks for the good review and comparison with the Cascadia 6. After years of brand loyalty I was about to step away from the Cascadia line due to the multiple failures woven in the 6th gen. Glad to hear that they may have worked out some of the flaws.
Loving my Cascadia 7′s. From the first day I hit the trail I knew these shoes would do me well. I have a high arch foot, strange bending toes and I have never felt more comfort in a trail shoe. The terrain I frequent ranges from loose rocks, to moss overgrown boulders, steep inclines and descends with forest single tracks (Cape Town) – all of which the cascadia dominated.
Only thing is I found the laces too long (nothing that I can’t rectify myself) and also wish I had a pocket on the tongue to tuck the tied lace bow into.
Otherwise a winner shoes that handles wet conditions well
I too have tried the Cascadia 7′s and am both impressed and disappointed due to the hype behind this brand/model. First of all the colors of choice are horrible. The sizing seems at least a half size too small and the laces seem to manage their way loose constantly. With that said, if you can find your size, the shoe is a monster on the trail. The lug design seems to work great, the upper is super durable and they have the perfect cushion for the long haul.
The best trail shoe by Brooks. Tried the Pure Grit also and while I like the trail “feel” of that model, I do not like the way it wears out so quickly. The Cascadias will keep cash in you Camelback much longer! Give the Cascadia a try, I really think you will like it. However, by the time you do, the Cascadia 8 will out.
Sadly I bought these full priced before the 8′s came out but I can’t complain, these shoes are fantastic! I’m in the Air Force and recently stationed in Arizona. I try to take care of my shoes so I purchased these to run the awesome AZ mountains with. These shoes are amazingly comfortable, and have a really good grip on steep surfaces which is exactly what I was looking for. They also feel pretty light on your feet. I have only used these to hike, I have yet to do serious running in them but I can tell they will do fine. I want to point out that on wet concrete these shoes are very slippery, and also after a lot of hiking I developed some blisters, however I had a 50 pound ruck sack. If you want to get your feet dirty and feel good doing it then these are the shoes for you!
Please help! I do fitness walks high milage and half of my distance is usually trail and half paved roads… Can I use this shoe? And as I can not buy this over here I need to order online, all my other shoes are size 12. 5 so can I order that size as people say they are a little different size…
Thank you!