ProView – Brooks Running Women’s Cascadia 18 Trail Runner

We had four Outdoor Prolink Pros test the Brooks Women’s Cascadia 18 Trail Runner. See below for the review and check out the men’s version!

Quality

Dani Reese

This summer I spent most of my waking hours outside of work training for the IMTUF 100 mile race in McCall, Idaho. This will be my fourth time racing this distance and I’m always searching for the best new gear – from shoes to packs to socks and everything in between. This summer, I spent upwards of 20+ hours a week training on the trails during my peak training weeks so I’ve had a lot of time to put these shoes to the test! I live at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains so most of my training is done in the Sawtooth Wilderness area, which is characterized by steep, rocky terrain. I also got to sneak in some testing while visiting my parents in Southern Oregon,  which gave me an opportunity to seek out smoother, less rocky terrain and move a bit faster than a more normal power hiking pace. Overall, from Idaho to Oregon these shoes consistently impressed me with their durability, comfort and grip. 

Cori Bucherl

The first thing I noticed pulling the Cascadia 18 out of the box was how light it felt. At 301 grams (women’s size 10) it was only 7 grams lighter than my other trail shoes, but felt inexplicably weightless. The thoughtfulness of the design immediately stood out. From the separated mesh guards at the toe, to the flared heel for stability, to the shoelace holder on the tongue, the shoe feels well-made.

Grace Williams

The overall quality of the shoe is right where it should be for a do-it-all trail runner. The upper mesh is super breathable! I would say the shoe may have enough stiffness to even be a good hiking shoe. The only downside to that is they are on the heavier side compared to other trail runners on the market with similar features. 

Danielle Taylor

With a little dusting off these shoes look brand new even though I put about 70 miles on them already. The tread is nice and grippy and seems like it will be able to last a long time. The overall quality of the shoe is excellent and feels very durable in all conditions. The updated mesh features overlays in high-wear areas are definitely worth it. I accidentally stepped into a lake and the breathable mesh allowed the shoe to dry quickly. 

Fit/Comfort

Dani Reese

Out of the box the shoes fit really well with little-to-no adjustments needed or break in period. They were quite stiff (and still continue to be) but that can definitely be a benefit in most cases. I ordered my usual running shoe size (8) which is a full size up from my regular street shoe size (7) and as someone with more narrow feet. I was impressed with how snug these felt without being overly tight.    

Cori Bucherl

I tend toward high-volume toe box shoes, so I was pleasantly surprised that slipping into the Cascadia 18 yielded instant comfort. Even the added width of toe socks didn’t feel restricted in the toe box. The first 50ish miles in this shoe were blissful, leaving my only concern to be whether my sprained ankle was going to tolerate the return to running (it did, yay). 

Then the problems started – on a particularly off-camber stretch of “where’d the trail go?” on a 16 mile loop, I started feeling a pressure point underneath my outside ankle bone that rapidly turned into distracting pain. I discovered that if I landed exclusively on my toes the pain dissipated, but it’s hard for me to exclusively toe strike on sustained descents. I hoped that the issue was a freak occurrence, but subsequent long runs yielded the same problem. I hypothesized that the heel foam had compressed enough to let my ankle bone hit the rim of the shoe opening, but even with a slightly thicker insole the pain only increased. Sadly for me, I think this shoe is better for someone with slightly higher or less pronounced ankle bones.

Grace Williams

One of the first things I noticed when I tried on this shoe was that it hugged my heel perfectly. I struggle to find shoes that keep my heel in place so it was great to have a secured heel without having to re-lace the shoes. The toe box was pretty snug in my opinion. Throughout the duration of my runs I could feel the toe cap of the shoe even though my toe did not hit the end. This could be an easy fix by getting the wide option. 

Danielle Taylor

In my opinion, the most surprising aspect of the Cascadia 18 is the comfort. Initially, I didn’t notice anything special, but when I spent a long day off trail, the shoe started to make sense. There weren’t any pressure points, hot spots, or any issues of note. I remember telling someone in the group I was with, “these might be the most comfortable trail shoes I have ever worn”. I feel it is important to share that I have a fairly standard foot with a regular width and I haven’t had many issues with foot pain or shoe fit in the past. However, after a full day of very uneven scree and shale travel, I couldn’t believe how great my feet felt.

Durability

Dani Reese

I especially loved these shoes on steep rocky terrain for both ascending and descending. They gave me tons of confidence with the tread underfoot and overall stability of the shoe. I did notice that as I climbed in miles, I would often get sore knees afterwards due to how firm they are. The shoes are stiff enough that I would often opt not to do my longer back to back runs in them, instead sticking to my mid-week 10-15 milers. I had zero issues with durability and after putting over 250 miles on them this summer, I think they will easily last me another 250. 

Cori Bucherl

I ran 101 miles in this shoe on a variety of trail surfaces (and some cross country adventures when the trail petered out) – loam, hard pack, gravel, volcanic pumice, downed trees, slippery logs (yay river crossings), granite boulders, and deep moon dust. The sole held up really well. Despite multiple scratches and puncture wounds from unfortunate foot placement, as well as trying my best to wear down the knobs, I experienced no loss of traction at mile 100. The fabric of the opening fared a little less well, rubbing away at my inner ankles and heels, exposing the foam underneath. 

Grace Williams

There is no noticeable damage from taking these shoes on multiple runs over very dry and rocky terrain. The shoe stayed nice and tight around my foot for the duration of my runs. It is hard to tell how durable they really are with only a month of wear under their belt. 

Danielle Taylor

I am excited to see how the Cascadia continues to hold up to wear from the rocky terrain around Northwest Montana. One big issue I’ve had in the past is the midsole getting shredded by scree, but after a month of testing in rough conditions, I am surprised by how well the foam has held up. Weighing in at 1 lb. 6.2 oz. or 628 grams per pair, the Cascadia 18 is one of the heavier “all-terrain” trail shoes on the market. It will run you $140 USD, and in my opinion, that’s a fair price for a shoe this well built and comfortable. With most carbon plated trail shoes well over the $300 mark, I am always on the lookout for a balance of price and quality, and I feel like the Cascadia is a great example of this.

Performance

Dani Reese

The Brooks Cascadia 18 has an updated breathable mesh upper that dries quickly with reinforced overlays in high-wear areas (such as around the toe box) to enhance durability. There is some cushioning to protect your feet while the outsole is made with 25% recycled material rubber for enhanced traction on both wet and dry surfaces. The most technical aspect of this shoe is the Brooks ‘Trail Adapt System’ which includes three elements: light, responsive cushioning, a protective, adaptable plate, and outsole pods that respond to uneven ground. This system is what makes this shoe so trail-specific and ensures that you are getting the most out of every adventure. This combination helps keep your foot stable while propelling you forward at the same time. The midsole drop is 8mm, which I would say is pretty standard and the entire weight is 9.9oz which is slightly on the heavier side, but you get  more bells and whistles with the extra weight. 

Cori Bucherl

I was immediately comfortable on all manner of terrain in this shoe. The traction made me feel like a gecko. The flared heel made every heel strike feel incredibly stable and buoyed my confidence as I came back from a sprained ankle. The shoelace holder should be on every trail shoe, ever. Not once did my laces get pulled apart, even while bushwhacking through a solid mile of manzanita. While I wished for more padding underneath the toe by the end of a 28 mile run, it could be argued that the balls of my feet would benefit from a little toughening. 

Grace Williams

The Brooks Cascadia 18 is a very stable shoe – it’s not very cushy but it will get you exactly where you need to go.  I was confident over technical rock sections and running downhill. The TrailTack Green outsole was super grippy and I feel like I could trust it over a variety of terrain. This is not a “fast” shoe by any means. I found it hard to accelerate off the front of my foot during my runs. It’s performance would be great for easy days on the trail and for someone new to trail running.

Danielle Taylor

I wasn’t shocked or blown away by the overall performance of the Cascadia, but I was pleased with how well it matched Brooks’ claims. As advertised, it truly does have “All-Terrain Stability”, “Soft Cushioning”, and “Secure Traction”. On every terrain, it performed exactly how I expected to. On the more technical terrain, I aired on the cautious side as it didn’t feel incredibly locked down in comparison to some of my other trail runners that are advertised as “technical”. Other than that, I wouldn’t hesitate to take the Cascadia 18 on any of my long training runs.

Style/Look

Dani Reese

The look and style of running shoes is definitely a personal opinion so take this with a grain of salt when I say that these colors weren’t for me. I’m not sure if the dark upper reminded me too much of my restaurant days or if I’m just not a dark shoe girlie, but these just weren’t my cup of tea. Again, to each their own and the benefit of having a darker shoe is that it shows less dirt, so that is a plus for some folks! 

Cori Bucherl

Pops of pink are not for everyone, but I love a neon accent. The navy blue base color is the perfect contrast and the light gray sidewalls of the sole didn’t make me want to run and hide from another clashing color. The soles especially made me imagine that with every stride I was throwing a little visual confetti for the person behind me. In a world of thick trail shoes, the Cascadia 18 strikes me a bit more streamlined and elegant (not that I hold anything against a preference for running on cloudlike soles).

Grace Williams

I loved the look of the Cascadia 18! The colorway I reviewed was subtle yet still had some fun color to it. Sometimes I put on trail runners and they do not compliment my ankles/big feet, but I really liked the compact look of the Cascadia 18. 

Danielle Taylor

Welcome to another installment of “In My Opinion”. I have never really enjoyed the look and style of Brooks Running shoes. I don’t like the color choices very much and the styles are a bit bland. Keep in mind, I am always one to pick the more vibrant and abnormal designs and colors when it comes to clothes and shoes. I do feel that they are starting to branch out with designs, and shoes like the Catamount Agil and the Hyperion series have since caught my eye.

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