Brooks - Caldera 7
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 17, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
2
0
"Brooks Caldera 6 is the ultimate max stack trail tank IMO. ... and I always got 600-700+ miles out of a pair."
"Caldera 6 is one of my all time favorite shoes. ... Absolute trail tank. ... Beast of a shoe, I put well over 600 miles on one pair."
"That shoe is an absolute tank."
16
6
"The calderas are thick enough not to bottom out under a heavy person"
"The trails here are too hilly and rocky/rooty to be comfy in road shoes"
"Awesome stability/ cushion mixture IMO."
7
3
"wear them for road and trail!"
"The trails here are too hilly and rocky/rooty to be comfy in road shoes"
"the rural roads are rocky/tree debris covered and hilly, so trail shoes are better 3/4 of the year here in the valley towns which I run!"
7
2
"the new V8 is actually a very wide shoe, pretty comparable with a Topo I'd say."
"they feel great on my wide/chubby feet."
"I have a broad forefoot and a narrow heel. Brooks has been good to me ... Caldera 8 is what I am working with now."
11
3
"I appreciate the tread/grip for the hills which are often looser/rocky."
"I took mine out for their maiden voyage on moderately technical steep terrain and had no issues with stability"
"no issue on the technical terrain"
Disliked most:
4
3
"Calderas are super comfortable and I wanted to love them after trying them on but they have ZERO lateral support on anything remotely technical. ... The grip was great but the constant tipping/twisting of my ankles/feet on super rocky/rooty terrain was not fun."
"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."
"I find that I collapse inwardly. ... If you don’t over pronate, this is the shoe for you."
1
4
"found them slippy on the downhills (when wet and muddy in the UK)."
"the Caldera feels too soft and bulky for the rocky technical trails that I mostly run on."
"I have struggled with them on technical trails"
0
1
"The current model of Calderas (which I also have) feel pretty cheap to me. ... Almost like they’re made out of cardboard or something. ... just the upper sucks imo"
0
4
"there’s something inside that rubs and gives me brutal blisters"
"they hurt my feet and caused blood blisters on the outside of my big toes"
"caused blood blisters on the outside of my big toes"
0
2
"they hurt my feet and caused blood blisters on the outside of my big toes"
"caused blood blisters on the outside of my big toes"
"I've gotten pinched at the toes with past Caldera's at true-to-size"
724to412to916 1.03 in rotation. Brooks Caldera for most of my trail runs; a pair of Timp 4’s hybrid road/trail (bumped down from 1st string once the tread started to wear) and Solomon Speed Cross for extra traction when it’s wet (rare, since I’m running in the Sierra foothills mostly).
Anona-Mouse87 1.0I bought a pair of Calderas for trail running because Im a fan of Brooks Ghosts so thought they'd be a great 'sister' trainer. Boy, was I wrong. I cant even place what's wrong with them, they just dont feel right so they've gone to the back of the cupboard and I bought some Solomons instead.
Away-Evening-6547 1.0Came 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.
baggers90 1.0I 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.
BatSniper 1.0For padding do the brooks calderas or Nike zegamas. I really like my Nikes.
booksnblizzxrds 1.0Just got a pair of brooks caldera 7’s, they feel great on my wide/chubby feet.
brandon-alvarez-03 1.0People keep saying this but that’s really a Manhattan thing. I live/run in the North Bronx/Westchester and was most definitely grateful I decided to whip out trail shoes this morning as there was no shortage of ice and snow for ~70% of my run
Note I already happened to have Brooks Caldera trail shoes* I wouldn’t have purchased them just for the weather though
I live in the north Bronx/Westchester where every other home/driveway didn’t care to shovel or salt. I have a pair of Brooks Calderas (trail shoe) They were AWESOME for the snow/ice/pavement nonsense 🤣
cdubya0628 1.0Don't overlook the Caldera line, the 8's are nice for both hiking and less technical trails.
I have a broad forefoot and a narrow heel. Brooks has been good to me as well as La Sportiva. Prodigo Pros and Caldera 8 is what I am working with now. For faster nimbler shoe I have been using the Catamount. Not sure about this latest version, haven't tried it.
chickenlegs6288 1.0It 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.
codespinneker 1.0If you like the glycerins I have run with them on non technical (and TBH technical) trail and they were fine. If you want something more "trail" the Brooks Caldera have a similar fit to the glycerins and the same DNA foam which is so comfortable but with a more aggressive lug pattern giving you more traction on the trails. Oth my partner and I have them and while we have very different size feet and needs we both love them.