Brooks Caldera 7 Review
This week it’s a launch day review of the Brooks Caldera 7, a highly cushioned trail running shoe designed to be used for longer distances. It does this with a midsole made from Brook’s nitrogen infused ‘DNA loft v3’, which offers a smooth and cushioned ride. This is the same midsole material as their most cushioned road running shoe, the Brooks Glycerin.
When the midsole is nitrogen-infused it seals the midsole. This means that the air within the midsole can’t escape, and water and grit can’t get in. As the air can’t escape, the midsole acts a bit like a balloon and when compressed it quickly rebounds back into its original shape. This gives a bouncy feel to the midsole. As water and grit can’t get into the midsole it also means that it will last longer.
A lot of shoes that have nitrogen infused midsoles have a very soft feel and a lot of air within the midsole. This gives a very bouncy ride and takes away any feel for the ground. In a trail shoe it is useful to have some awareness of what you are standing on! That way your feet can react and reduce the chance of a twisted ankle or knee and allow you to be nimbler on more broken ground. The Brooks Caldera 7 has managed to retain some ground feel in the forefoot. It is still cushioned enough that you won’t get bruising from stones etc but the sole does flex so you can feel what you are standing on. This is an improvement on the previous version that was much stiffer in the forefoot with very little feel for the ground. This has made the Caldera 7 a much more versatile shoe than the previous version. The Caldera 6 was a highly cushioned trail shoe that was best used on hard packed trails. The Caldera 7 is designed for the same terrain but also copes with some more broken ground.
The base of the Caldera 7 is broad, giving it a stable ride. Designed to keep you moving forward in the closing miles of an ultra race when all your stabilising ligaments are tired and could do with some help. However, the Caldera 7 doesn’t feel bulky on your feet. On a few root-covered single tracks I was aware of the size of the shoes foot print but on most other terrain the shoes didn’t feel any larger than any other shoe I have run in, and a lot more nimble compared to the Brooks Caldera 6. Your foot still sits inside the midsole as in the Caldera 6 and most shoes with this level of stack height. This adds to the stability and stops you ‘falling off’ the top of the shoe. Often this ‘bucket seat’ type midsole loses some forefoot flexion and shoes of this type rely on the midsole to be curved, giving it a rocker-like shape to roll the foot forward. The Caldera 7 has a lot more flex than I was expecting and although it still has a curve to the midsole at the front, it doesn’t have an excessive rocker. This made the shoes feel a lot more natural to run in. I found that the flex in the forefoot and the bit of feel for the ground made the Caldera 7 a nice shoe to run uphill in. Instead of fighting the rocker and stiff forefoot which often happens with other shoes with this stack height the Caldera 7 felt like a much less cushioned more nimble shoe.
When descending I expected to be aware of the heel of the shoe. I expected the width of the base and the thickness of the sole to force me to heel strike. This wasn’t the case and I could easily midfoot strike and run naturally downhill. The Midsole is 26mm in the heel and 20mm in the forefoot, giving the Caldera 7 a 6mm heel to forefoot drop. This doesn’t sound very thick compared to some trail shoes out there, but it’s not just the thickness of the midsole that gives you the shock absorption, it’s what the midsole is made from. In my experience the cushioning in the Brooks Caldera 7 is ample.
For such a bulky shoe, the Caldera 7 feels very light. The men’s UK8 weighs 301g and the women’s UK5 is 265g. The slight flex in the forefoot and general ride of the shoes made them feel light on your feet too, even towards the end of long runs.
The 4mm lugs provide a good level of grip on a variety of terrain as intended, but aren’t designed for deep, sloppy mud. The lugs are shaped to bite into the ground and well spaced-out to reduce the chance of clogging. The outsole is made from Brook’s TrailTack, which is a soft rubber designed to grip well on wet and dry surfaces.
The review pair of Brooks Caldera 7’s arrived just as the snow did, which gave me the chance to test run the shoes in a variety of conditions. Road routes became a mix of compact snow, icy patches and short sections of tarmac. The grip on all surfaces was very reassuring. It made the Caldera 7 the shoe of choice as at this time of year as a lot of my runs are in the dark, so it’s hard to see if the road or puddle on the disused railway line is frozen or not. The cushioning also meant that if I got to a section where the snow had melted away revealing the tarmac I didn’t have to worry. The ride of the shoes was as smooth and cushioned as a lot of road shoes.
The fields became very wet and sloppy at the time and I didn’t expect them to bite into deep mud, so I had some slipping about. On more compact or gravel covered trails the grip and ride of the shoes was great.
No trail running shoe will be able to cope with all under-foot conditions, from tarmac to muddy fields. A long lugged trail running shoe gives less traction on hard surfaces and a much less smooth ride.
I think the traction of the Brooks Caldera 7 is as good as it could be for a large variety of terrain.
The Brooks Caldera 7 doesn’t fit like the typical Brooks running shoe in my experience. As the shoes are designed to be on your feet for a long time they have a bit more width to them than other Brooks shoes. This gives them a more relaxed, comfortable plod-along-all-day type of feel. The big toe line is also much straighter than in other Brooks models and the toe box is more rounded at the end. The fact that the big toe can sit straighter in the toe box of the shoes means that you can get a much better push off. This is another reason why the Caldera 7 feels good when running uphill. As the big toe isn’t under tension the other toes are able to wiggle, which means that they can function better inside the shoes. This gives you better stability, cushioning and spring from your feet than you get in a narrower more pointed toe box.
The drawback to a comfortable and slightly roomier fit is your feet can move more inside the shoes when running on a camber or descending down steep hills. I did find that my feet slipped forward while descending steep and turned a bit on steep cambers. The broader base simply won’t bend to accommodate the terrain as well. Saying that, most of our customers will not be tackling the steepest extreme terrain and will be well-suited to the Caldera 7 for their mixed trail running (plus bits on the road).
The heel cup is well-padded like you would expect in a shoe designed to be on your feet for a long time. The tongue is lightly padded. Enough so you don’t feel the laces but not excessive. The upper is mainly made from a durable mesh. It’s designed to let water flow in and out of the shoes so they don’t gain weight on wet days. There is an overlay that runs around the base of the upper and over the toes to further protect the upper from abrasion caused by grit and rocks. The toe cap is semi-stiffened to provide some protection from roots and rocks but pliable enough not to cause your toes any issues. There is an additional lace hole should you feel the need to tighten up the heel fit of the Caldera 7, with a butterfly lace loop or just by threading the laces through the extra hole.
At the back of the heel cup there is a Velcro attachment to allow you to fit gaiters. Gaiters can help bridge the gap between your leggings and the shoes to keep your feet warm on colder days and they help stop grit and other trail debris from getting into the shoes.
In summary the Brooks Caldera 7 is a very versatile and well-cushioned trail running shoe. Although it is designed for the long haul, it is light enough and nimble enough for shorter runs to and would be suitable as a road to trail training shoe. They don’t feel slow and allow you to run freely and naturally. A real improvement and a shoe I didn’t expect to add to my rotation, but did. Namely due to the extra space compared with other Brooks running shoes.
Other Considerations
Hoka Mafate Speed 4: A longer lug gives this better traction on really soft ground. However, the midsole of the Mafate Speed 4 gives you next to no ground feel which reduces how nimble you can be in the shoes. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/hoka-mafate-speed-4-review/
Karhu Ikoni Trail: Not quite the same level of plush cushioning but a similar versatile shoe. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/karhu-ikoni-trail-review/
Topo Ultraventure 3: A more rounded toe box gives these an even more roomy fit. The cushioning is nice but not quite as plush. The outsole of the Ultraventure 3 is best used only on firmer tracks and trails. It doesn’t bite into soft ground as effectively as he Caldera 7 outsole. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/topo-athletic-ultraventure-3-review/
Altra Olympus 5: A broad rounded toe box offers more room than the Caldera 7 toe box. The lugging is similar but the shoe does feel a little bulkier and is best kept for the long plods. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/altra-olympus-5-review/
New Balance Hierro v7: A much softer cushioning gives the Hierro a slower feel. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/new-balance-hierro-v7-review/
Icebug Arcus: The traction of the rubber on the Arcus is even better than the Caldera 7. The midsole isn’t as cushioned and doesn’t have the same plush smooth ride. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/icebug-arcus-rb9x-gtx-review/
NNormal Tomir: 5mm lugs made from Vibram mega grip that are well spaced out gives the NNormal Tomir a good versatile level of grip. The cushioning isn’t as nice on tarmac as the Caldera 7. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/nnormal-tomir-review/
La Sportiva Jackal 2: A narrower fit with a slightly more pointed toe box. These feel nimbler. The rubber offers a similar level of great traction and despite the lack of cushioning they feel smooth on tarmac. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/la-sportiva-jackal-ii-boa-review/
Scarpa Spin Planet: A similar level of traction but not as flexible or as smooth. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/scarpa-spin-planet-review/
Inov-8 Trailfly Ultra G 280: The rubber isn’t quite as sticky. The midsole has a bit more bounce which makes the G280 feel nice on hard packed terrain but takes away the feel on more broken trail. The narrower base to the shoe does make them feel a bit nimbler. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/inov8-trailfly-ultra-g-280-review/
VJ Sport Ultra: The grip of the rubber is excellent. On wet tarmac you can feel the rubber sticking to the ground which hinders the forward progression. On more trail type terrain this isn’t an issue. The midsole isn’t as bouncy. https://www.northernrunner.com/blog/vj-sport-ultra-review/
Comments are closed here.