Brooks Caldera 8 Review: Can Brooks run it Back?

Introduction to the Brooks Caldera 8

SAM: Last year, Brooks pulled an Anora on our year-end Best in Gear awards for the trail, taking four of the nineteen spots, more than any other company. While Brooks only got runner-up in the coveted shoe of the year category, it won “best do it all trail shoe” with the Catamount 3, an award that’s basically our shoe version of Best Director. This is a big deal, seeing as Brooks has only recently begun to make waves — or, um, undulating singletrack — in the trail space.

To see the erstwhile “everyone’s running shoe” company turn out some frankly excellent trail products, I think, excited everyone here in the Dirt Division. We wanted more. So, when we got word of the next iterations of both the Catamount and the Caldera, we were all anxious to try them out. I even specifically asked Robbe if I could get my feet in the Caldera 8.

The Caldera 7 pulled down the runner-up title for “best max cushion trail shoe,” and it was by all accounts a stunner. Brooks wisely decided to stay the course with this iteration, and the updates are minimal and mostly focused on the upper. The Brooks Caldera 8 keeps the chunky DNA Loft V3 midsole and TrailTack Green outsole from the Caldera 7, with a total stack of 38.5mm in the heel and 32.5mm in the forefoot. The old upper has been swapped for a blend of engineered quick-dry air mesh with integrated TPEE in the outer layer with a new offset lacing chain that angles towards the medial sides of each foot — kind of like what you see in the Nike Vaporfly 3, just flipped.

And while the Caldera 8 is almost as far as you can get from an ultralight plated road racing shoe, these upper changes were designed by Brooks to elevate the comfort and technical prowess of what they had already proven was a sturdy, fun, long-distance trail crusher. Will they come back to grab another statue at the 2025 Best in Gear Awards?

JOHN: 2025 has been a rough one for me. I’ve been injured, really sick, and recently single. My only race this year was a DNF, and I’m moving and starting a new job. It’s a lot. So I got this shoe at a strange time in my life. Unfortunately, it’s also been bitterly cold here on the East Coast, and we’ve been getting constantly hit with snow. My Caldera 7 review was much happier than this one is going to be, but I ran over 20 miles in snow and cold weather, and I’ve got a lot to say about the Caldera 8.

ALLISON: While my 2025 hasn’t been quite like John’s, I still have had to deal with life changes like RTO, snow in the South (!!!), and sickness. That being said, when the Brooks Caldera 8 came to my door I was excited to try it after hearing rave reviews about the previous version. I had only tried the Cascadia prior, so it was nice to see what Brooks had in its toolbox of trail shoes.

What we like about the Brooks Caldera 8

SAM: Look, the truth is that the Brooks Caldera 8 isn’t hugely different from the Caldera 7. As I said above, this is a good thing! What we’re mostly concerned with here in the review is how the small changes that Brooks made this year help or hurt the shoe. And, to just get it out of the way up front, the new upper (where we find most of the changes) is just great.

The new air mesh is very breathable, it breaks in and flexes very well, and the TPEE in the outer layer helps with durability and enhances the hydrophobic properties of the mesh. I have 35 or so miles in this shoe and the mesh looks as good as when I pulled it out of the box. Well, except for all the dirt, which actually brushes off pretty easily once it’s had the time to dry. Any water intake cleared immediately, and the mesh of the upper dried out surprisingly quickly.

We all know, however, that durability, breathability, and drainage can only take a trail-ready upper so far. Fit is king on the trail, and the Caldera 8 makes a few improvements over the last iteration. The material itself is very comfortable, and it molds well to the flex of your foot. As I said above, the lacing chain is now offset, running along the top ridge of your foot towards your big toe. I like this configuration — it offers a secure and aggressive fit while eliminating some pinch points. Adjusting this offset lacing chain is a breeze, which is a good thing, as we’ll see later.

The Caldera 8 runs with unexpected technical prowess. The upper material and lacing configuration, together with the bathtub construction of the midsole, offer a secure, highly technical fit that still has plenty of room in the toebox. This shoe packs a nimble, speedy, very technical trail grinder on top of that thick slab of DNA Loft V3, and I found myself practically whooping for joy on several technical downhills during my test miles. The cushioning is protective, stable, and responsive, but the fit and grip encourage plenty of confidence to open up and send. As John says below, picking up the pace in this shoe is unexpectedly easy. The whole package is just a blast on any surface.

Speaking of that great DNA Loft V3 midsole, you can count me as a huge fan of this as well. The durometer of the foam is as close to my ideal as possible: Soft enough to be forgiving and supremely comfortable but firm and responsive enough to always feel fun. It reminds me of the foams we’ve loved in shoes like the Topo Athletic Ultraventure 4 and the Salomon S/lab Ultra Glide. I might even go as far as to say that this DNA Loft V3 is the most responsive of all three of those.

At the risk of going full fanboy (you never go full fanboy), TrailTack Green is as good as ever, too. I only ever had grip issues in the muddiest of frozen trail melt, and everything else was beyond what I’d hoped for. Even with the gap down the middle of the heel, any mud I picked up was shed quickly. Durability holds, too, as the rubber looks largely untouched after 35 miles.

JOHN: I enjoyed the Caldera 7 a lot, but at times, my feet took a beating on technical sections of the trail. I mentioned this in my previous review (it was my biggest complaint). Brooks corrected this by “improv[ing] fit, materialization and comfort based on Caldera 7 feedback and testing.” Brooks, for the most part, does a tremendous job improving shoes and listening to customer feedback.

Not much has really changed on this shoe, but that’s good because the previous model was an excellent shoe; my biggest fear was they would tinker just to tinker, do too much, and tank the shoe. Brooks also updated the quick dry mesh, which came in handy with the constant snows and melts here. We had lots of water here, and the shoe worked well. My feet never got cold, and they drained water well. All around, this shoe was an absolute joy to review. It helped get me through some tough runs, and I hit some surprisingly fast paces!

ALLISON: Just like the Brooks Glycerin is a plushy (yes, that’s a technical term) version of the Ghost, I feel like the Caldera is a plush version of the Cascadia. What the Cascasdia lacked in comfort and cushion, the Caldera more than makes up for, and my feet certainly appreciate it. As John mentioned below (spoiler alert), the shoes did feel bulky at times, but they still didn’t bother me picking up the pace in smoother sections of trails, which I definitely didn’t feel in the Cascadia.

Lastly, the mesh upper was refreshing. In my runs, I dealt with all kinds of weather and terrain and never felt like the moisture I took on added weight to the shoe. This feature will definitely come in handy for spring/summer weather, which, given the winter we’ve had, I’m looking forward to!

What we don’t like about the Brooks Caldera 8

SAM: Ok, now that I’ve mostly recovered from going full fanboy at the end of the “good” section, let’s get to the downsides. As much as I love this shoe, it’s not without its drawbacks. For one, there’s just a little too much fabric over the toebox. Sure, this is easily taken in by the laces, but it leaves creases at the bottom of the lacing chain and heightens another small issue: It can be difficult to achieve a perfectly locked-in fit in the Caldera 8. Some of this could be because it seems like the upper stretched over my first few runs, so what worked at first didn’t work as well after 15 miles.

Whatever the cause, I’d take off thinking I was set and realize that one heel felt a little loose or that just the top laces were a little too tight. “But Sam,” you say, “it just sounds like you suck at tying your shoes.” I hear you (and chances are you’re right), but it was too common and took a fair bit of adjustment up and down the lacing chain each time to get things right. Luckily, everything is easy to adjust.

I also got some hints of rubbing on the ends and edges of my toes from the toe guard like Allison did, but nothing ever fully developed. And, on just my right foot, the very medial end of the inner part of the toe guard has started to delaminate slightly. I think it’s a fluke with this pair, but it causes a little irritation.

JOHN: Make no mistake, I love this shoe. The only thing I don’t like is how bulky it is. That said, somehow, it’s still extremely nimble. I got in some sub-8 miles in it in the snow, wet, icy, and generally disgusting conditions we had going on here in Virginia.

ALLISON: Brooks, you there? I have lots of questions about the Caldera. First of all, why does Brooks insist on making white trail shoes? Maybe it’s just me, but I hate getting white shoes dirty, and they look all brown and disgusting. It didn’t take long to get these shoes dirty, given all the rain and slush we have been getting in Georgia this winter.

Also, the lacing was mind-boggling to me. It had a Nike Vaporfly feel to it with it off to the side, which I didn’t mind, but the laces were too short! I tried to tighten them up, but it ended up making my foot uncomfortable and I feared the shoe would get untied the whole run. Lastly, just like the Cascadia, why does Brooks insist on the toe cap on the front of the shoe along the toe box? It rubbed my toe the whole time and made me feel like the shoe was too small, even though it was the perfect size otherwise.

Final thoughts on the Brooks Caldera 8

SAM: Two winners in a row for Brooks in the Caldera line. The Brooks Caldera 8 takes what was already a great shoe and tunes the fit in just the right way to nudge itself into a contender as a technical trail shoe. Although what’s underfoot stayed largely the same, you won’t find any of us complaining. At a comparatively affordable $150, the Caldera 8 is practically a steal and is a great option for all trail surfaces at any mileage. We’ll see if it goes for the award season repeat this year.

JOHN: I love this shoe. I really enjoyed the last version, too, but Brooks made the Caldera 8 even better with some easy fixes to the fit. This is my favorite shoe I’ve reviewed so far this year, and there’s a good chance that status will stick all year. Congrats to Brooks for making a great shoe even better! Somehow, as crazy as my life is right now, this shoe helped make it better, so thanks, Brooks. And as far as I go, I’ll be okay. Right now, I’m like the Caldera 5 before it got upgraded to the Caldera 6 — I’m coming back with Caldera 6 energy.

ALLISON: While I enjoyed adding some variety to my Brooks trail shoe lineup, Brooks needs to make some improvements for me to fully endorse the Caldera. However, it is definitely a step up from the Cascadia.

You can pick up the Brooks Caldera 8 for $150 from Brooks by using the buttons below.