The Brooks Cascadia 17 ($140) guarantees versatility on “any path,” a worthy aspiration for a path working shoe.
My entryway is presently the house of my excessively foamy path footwear, my path footwear with spikes, my luggy path footwear, my mud-specific path footwear, my path footwear that dry quick, and extra. Whether or not my ft really feel beat up, are headed to snow, sliding down shale, or dancing with excessive tide, I’ve a go-to shoe — nevertheless it’s hardly ever the identical shoe.
So, can the Brooks Cascadia 17, which affords 8 millimeters of drop and has an precise weight of 11.5 ounces (325 grams) in U.S. males’s measurement 9, stay as much as its declare? Up to date stabilizing know-how and enhanced traction on this mannequin are certain giving it the school strive.
We love the Brooks Cascadia 17 a lot that it’s a high decide in our Greatest Path Working Footwear information.
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The Brooks Cascadia 17. All pictures: iRunFar/Bryon Powell
Brooks Cascadia 17 Higher
The composition of the Brooks Cascadia 17 higher seems just like its predecessor. Single-layer resilient mesh is encompassed by a TPU toe cap and dust guard, which each present safety and sturdiness.
The mesh on this mannequin is PrintDyed, a course of that apparently saves a major quantity of vitality and water in comparison with the normal dye course of.
I ran a number of miles in these footwear on the Northern California Misplaced Coast Path this spring; whereas it wasn’t truly raining, the coastal drip and relentless foliage had us saturated. In distinction to the footwear I had worn the day prior by way of these distinctive coastal components, the Cascadia 17 drained properly, awarded me zero blisters, and dried utterly in a single day below the vestibule of my tent.
The footwear lace up simply over a gusseted tongue and stay tied. Whereas slippy laces was a difficulty I skilled with the Cascadia 15 — right here’s our Brooks Cascadia 15 assessment for reference — this appears resolved now. A stretchy lace keeper is located two thirds of the way in which down the tongue should you want some additional safety in that regard.
The footwear have housed my slender midfoot properly whereas the toebox continues to comfortably accommodate my ever-prominent bunions. Nevertheless, fellow testers on the iRunFar group have reported a barely sloppier match by way of the midfoot in comparison with the previous two renditions. I run most of my miles with customized orthotics, which the footwear accommodate very properly, however might also fill the additional roominess famous by others.
The Cascadia 17 just isn’t made with a built-in gaiter, nevertheless it does have back and front attachment factors to safe gaiters to should you want to use them.
After roughly 100 miles of testing, by way of a formidable quantity of moisture and aggressive vegetation, the uppers are trying nearly as good as new.
A lateral view of the Brooks Cascadia 17.
Brooks Cascadia 17 Midsole
Brooks’s DNA LOFT v2 foam was added to the Cascadia 16 — look again at our Brooks Cascadia 16 assessment — for improved consolation and stays on this present mannequin, the Brooks Cascadia 17.
What’s new is the Path Adapt System, which makes use of an built-in midsole, rock plate, and outsole for enhanced management and stability. The rock plate is housed between two layers of the DNA LOFT v2 foam in an effort to offer the required safety whereas additionally preserving flexibility within the shoe.
If I examine my capability to manually flex the shoe subsequent to a street shoe, there’s definitely much less flex. Nevertheless, as has virtually at all times been my expertise with Brooks, the Cascadia 17 continues to show cozy proper out of the field, requiring no break-in time.
As talked about, a drop of 8 millimeters has been maintained over the previous few fashions of the Cascadia.
A medial view of the Brooks Cascadia 17.
Brooks Cascadia 17 Outsole
The Brooks Cascadia 17 TrailTack outsole has been up to date to what’s now referred to as TrailTack Inexperienced Rubber, made with 25% recycled content material and designed to offer versatile traction on moist and dry surfaces.
Whereas testing these footwear, I used to be delighted to find that the 4.5-millimeter lugs are oriented to imitate the anatomy of mountain-goat hooves for traction. Whereas I did not persuade my favourite yard goat to take them for a spin, seems the lugs and her hooves do in reality look rather a lot alike. I plan to race her up our native peak erelong to additional check simply how properly Brooks executed this marvelous little supply of inspiration.
The Brooks Cascadia 17 is goat permitted. Picture: iRunFar/Annie Behrend
The forefoot outsole is break up with the intention to present higher grip on uneven surfaces. I’ve had the pleasure of working on most surfaces within the Cascadia 17 with none slip and slide of be aware. Their snow publicity has been fairly restricted to the upper elevation residual June drifts and nothing intensive; I’d seemingly return to my quiver for one thing a bit extra aggressive if planning to run for a protracted interval on snow.
Circling again to Brooks’s efforts to create a shoe appropriate for “any path,” I’d additionally argue that the Cascadia 17 is loads comfy to tackle and off street in case your commute to the path requires a little bit of pavement.
The outsole of the Brooks Cascadia 17.
Brooks Cascadia 17 General Impressions
Any model of the Brooks Cascadia — together with the Brooks Cascadia 17 — will little question at all times be a fairly secure choice; the corporate’s efforts to ship versatility and luxury by way of this shoe’s many iterations have persistently meshed with my working type.
I’ve traditionally valued the Cascadia like a reliable commuter automobile, reliably match for many terrain and a worth level that almost all are prepared to pay for. The hassle of precisely predicting situations and selecting the right path shoe has certainly one of my working buddies merely throwing up her palms and reverting again to her favourite cushioned street footwear to run all of the issues. Whereas they’re not as fluffy as my marshmallow footwear, as stealthy or aggressive on the outsole as my technical path and dust footwear, as nice on snow as my studded footwear, or as versatile as my street footwear, they’re one pair of footwear that may run on most surfaces properly.
For those who’re out there for simplicity, these could also be price your whereas.
Do try our Greatest Path Working Footwear information, to see why we’ve named this one of many high path trainers and see how we examine the Brooks Cascadia 17 to different high footwear available on the market.
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- Brooks Cascadia afficionados, weigh in along with your ideas on the Brooks Cascadia 17!
- How do you examine the Cascadia 17 with prior variations?
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A high view of the Brooks Cascadia 17.
