Brooks Cascadia 11?

[ridehard]

Anyone that has the men's Cascadia 11, I'd really appreciate any insights please.

My opinion only...

I've used various Keen boots and Columbia boots; shoes, various Merrel Moab Ventilators, very brief Asics encounter, then moved to Cascadia.

After clear outs dried up for Cascadia 8's, I walked a few hundred miles in the Cascadia 10. I wanted to like them, but really didn't that much. I need more to box room, and ended up with hot spots that don't happen with other shoes.

Currently my go-to-shoe is the La Sportiva Ultra Raptor. I like the fit. It has a wide toe box as I remember the Cascadia 8's (vs NOT on the 10's). The sole is not the Cascadia feel. In my opinion the La Sportiva cold weather traction isn't as good as some when the shoe is cold. The sole is a harder material on the La Sportiva it seems, and the grip pattern for snow/frozen ground isn't as good. I do like the Cascadia for traction.

I am considering the Cascadia 11, but I'd like to get some feedback before leaping into Brooks again.

[cmoulder]

They really bombed with the 10's. Lots of negatives in Brooks' own comment section here (http://www.brooksrunning.com/en_us/mens-cascadia-10-trail-running-shoes/110187.html?dwvar_110187_color=413&dwvar_110187_width=D#q=cascadia%2B11&mkwid=sXqKX8HB6_dc&pcrid=85422604826&pmt=e&pkw=brooks+cascadia+11&gclid=CjwKEAiAkb-zBRC2upezwuyguQ4SJADZG08vPoTAA88PUx2F1xpz6p7tXQDci k8NnTeWECEC1VBqjRoC89Hw_wcB&start=2).

8 & 9 I've found to be great, but I also didn't get the 10's because of the numerous reported problems, and I also hope they return to sanity with the 11's. Thankfully I managed to snag an extra pair of 9s this time last year, which are still unused and my 'emergency reserve'.:o

[ridehard]

Not a great review here on next gen Brooks. http://www.gearinstitute.com/forum/trail-running-shoe-reviews/3423-brooks-cascadia-11-spring-2016 It sounds like a narrow shoe again. So on to other alternatives as backup options.

I've tried on a few I like other than the La Sportiva shoes I currently use. I'm attempting to have options if one brand or size isn't available when I need a new pair. The trouble is that one year's shoe isn't necessarily the same as the previous years', and stock might not be available in the older shoe.

I spent some time with all these shoes on (in my house). In order of preference so far: Pearl Izumi EM N2 v2 pay attention to their sizing chart & order at least 1/2 to 1 size up, Saucony Peregrine 5, heavy but ok Salomon XA PRO 3D would likely order backup laces if I used those, New Balance Leadville MT1210 good forefoot room, Salomon SpeedCross meh? ok but not for me, and back to the old staple Merrell Moab Ventilator like coming home.

Didn't try Topos. Didn't try Altras.

Looking for basically an Ultra marathon type trail runner, <10mm drop to min 4mm, not too minimalist, not heavy, wide toe box, forefoot cushion, rock protection, good traction, but not too luggy to load up with crap, durable (500+), zero to very short "break in", neutral to mild pronation, breathable, drainable, stable, comfort mesh that keeps out grit, would prefer some version of toe guard.

Lots of returns to do now. Thank goodness for the "free shipping" season. Now I'll keep an eye on availability that could ship to me on the trail.

I have found that using the Euro sizing system to compare sizes gives me the best fit most of the time as the translations to US sizing varies more widely. For wide-ish forefoot anyway, then arch drop, heat, general swelling and expansion purposes I order 45.5. That can range from 11.5 to 12.5 US depending on the shoe brand.

[Trail Ponderer]

Picking out shoes not always easy and what works for me doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you. Trial and error is the best method but can be costly and painful. I haven't tried the Cascadia 11. The Cascadia 10 seemed to break down quickly for me. Before that I tried the NB Leadville 1210 and didn't like the tongue on the shoe. There wasn't enough padding on tongue and the laces cut into the top of my foot on a couple hundred mile section hike. I started putting duct tape across the top of my foot to make it more bearable. I am currently using the Salamon XA Pro 3D. Good room in toebox and I am currently happy with the shoe. I haven't had any problem with the laces breaking so far and I have put quite a few miles on them. Looking for a sale in the near future to prepare for upcoming hiking season. Hoping to finish the AT this year. Good luck in your search.

[slbirdnerd]

I love my 8's so much I bought a very gently used pair on Ebay to keep in the closet until my current pair wear out, might be worth a shot. I hope Brooks listened to all the feedback.

[cmoulder]

I got some Merrell All-Out Peaks... literally, just put them on a few minutes ago.

The toe box seems good — sliding the foot forward seems to spread out pressure evenly over the forefoot. The arches seem a tad high, but then my feet are FLAT, the left one flat as the proverbial pancake and the right one even flatter, though with the right shoes they've never given me a problem. Cascadias never caused a single problem.

I hope to do a short local hike tomorrow to at least get some idea how these Merrells feel on an easy trail.

[ridehard]

Picking out shoes not always easy and what works for me doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you. Trial and error is the best method but can be costly and painful. I haven't tried the Cascadia 11. The Cascadia 10 seemed to break down quickly for me. Before that I tried the NB Leadville 1210 and didn't like the tongue on the shoe. There wasn't enough padding on tongue and the laces cut into the top of my foot on a couple hundred mile section hike. I started putting duct tape across the top of my foot to make it more bearable. I am currently using the Salamon XA Pro 3D. Good room in toebox and I am currently happy with the shoe. I haven't had any problem with the laces breaking so far and I have put quite a few miles on them. Looking for a sale in the near future to prepare for upcoming hiking season. Hoping to finish the AT this year. Good luck in your search.

Agreed on "can be painful". Generally now, as part of my learning curve experience, if the shoe or boot of any sort isn't comfortable in the house after 45 minutes, it probably won't get much better. Walking a 20, 50 or a few hundred miles to break in a shoe isn't going to be great for an on-trail replacement shoe. A hotspot, chaffe annoyance, or pressure point is likely to stick around. I've had custom work done at times in the past to alleviate that sort of thing, but the point is to attempt find shoes that work right out of the box...imo.

I read up on the Leadville, and your experience seems to be a complaint with others too. Even the new Leadville (without the numeric attached to the name) has tongue issues it appears, largely complaining about the lack of a gusseted tongue.

The new Saucony Peregrine 6 will be out soon. Even now the availability of the Peregrine 5 is no where near that of the Salomon shoes.

The attractive aspect of the Salomon XA PRO 3D is that they are readily available. It's not the lightest nor as sweet on my feet as the Pearl Izumi and Sauconcy. The insole of the Salomon's actually felt good to me, and I generally change out almost everything from hiking boots (yes, I do have some around still), hiking shoes, cycling shoes, to snowboard boots with some version of Superfeet because I have a fairly high, long arch...I use a "G" Superfeet to fit my arch. For the Salomon line, when it comes time to change out gear finding a replacement supplier shouldn't be a problem. They've been around for some time, priced more or less competitively in that category of shoe, seem popular with lots of logged miles across the board, haven't changed much year to year...that's gotta be a plus for them when weighing the pros n cons.