Advice for Trail Runners: Looking for a highly cushioned trail running shoe for long distances? The Brooks Men's Caldera 6 in the Navy/Firecracker/Sharp Green colourway is a great option. It's Brooks' softest trail running shoe.
Underfoot Feel
The thick midsole in the Brooks Men's Caldera 6 is a giveaway that it's very cushioned. It's made with Brooks' nitrogen infused DNA LOFT v3 cushioning. You'll feel like you've got a lot of padding and protection under your feet.
As this needs to function on uneven terrain, it has the following features:
- Midsole rises up to form walls around your feet.
- Wide base and split-heel outsole stabilises your feet at landing.
If you're running long distances on trails, you'll probably be covering a range of terrain. A TrailTack rubber outsole grips wet and dry surfaces. The lugs perform on hard packed and loose terrain.
Upper Fit
In our experience, the Brooks Caldera 6 fits broad in the forefoot. This means your feet should stay comfortable if they swell in long distance events. At the same time, a midfoot saddle keeps your foot secure and in position on uneven terrain.
Don't worry about your feet getting hot. That's because a light and quick-drying air mesh upper lets excess heat escape. You'll notice the hexagonal pattern around the toe box. This is a TPU toe cap that protects your feet from hard objects.
Ideal Run Type
The Brooks Caldera 6 is a very protective, highly cushioned and supportive trail running shoe. As a result, we recommend using these for long distance trail runs, such as ultra events. However, we're aware the Caldera 6 is as cushioned as some road shoes and has a durable outsole. For this reason, you could use them as a door-to-trail running shoe.
Your running shoes should have enough width to allow you to spread your toes and should have some space at the front (we recommend having a half to one thumb's width of space from the end of your longest toe to the front of your running shoes).
This usually means that your running shoe will be at least a half size bigger than your regular shoe size though this can vary from brand to brand.
Brooks Run Happy Promise: Take your Brooks gear for a 90-day trial run. Put it through its paces and sweat in it as much as you want. If you are not 100% satisfied, return it to us for free.
Technical Features
- Drop: 6 mm
- Forefoot stack height: 20 mm
- Rearfoot stack height: 26 mm
- Approximate weight: 320 grams
- Front and back attachment points make it easy to secure gaiters
