Brooks Cascadia 7 Trail Running Shoes (Pacific crest Trail thru-hike)
These are the most frequently seen shoes on the PCT. I saw more pairs of these than any other single style by any other manufacturer. Why? Let's find out below.
LIKES:
DISLIKES:
These are the shoes recommended in a number of hiking books, and though they work great, by no means are they the only pair that will work, or that you should consider. Those with very narrow feet may have trouble fitting into these without sliding around. Those with very wide feet may need to move to a shoe that actually comes in E or EE widths. Overall I used these for about 400 miles of hiking, and had already used them for around 150 miles of running at home. I found that for me to be comfortable with the width - I had to go a full size larger than I'd normally be. I used size 13 shoes in the Altra Lone Peaks for this trip, and used a size 14 in the Brooks. I found the Altra to have more room in the toe-box and the Brooks to have more cushion throughout the shoe, but especially in the heel.
A solid shoe that gets full marks as a well designed and comfortable hiking shoe.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SHOE HERE
LIKES:
- Cushioned heel and excellent traction
- Wide toe box for extra room and reduced blisters
- Durable design that frequently lasted up to 700 miles a pair
- Strong mesh uppers that breath well and don't tear easily
DISLIKES:
- My only dislike of these shoes, is that they are not Zero-drop. I find that the elevated heel causes me a bit more strain on my muscles than I was used to in the no-elevation shoes. Other than that I had no issues.
These are the shoes recommended in a number of hiking books, and though they work great, by no means are they the only pair that will work, or that you should consider. Those with very narrow feet may have trouble fitting into these without sliding around. Those with very wide feet may need to move to a shoe that actually comes in E or EE widths. Overall I used these for about 400 miles of hiking, and had already used them for around 150 miles of running at home. I found that for me to be comfortable with the width - I had to go a full size larger than I'd normally be. I used size 13 shoes in the Altra Lone Peaks for this trip, and used a size 14 in the Brooks. I found the Altra to have more room in the toe-box and the Brooks to have more cushion throughout the shoe, but especially in the heel.
A solid shoe that gets full marks as a well designed and comfortable hiking shoe.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SHOE HERE