Cascadia 19 Trail Running Shoe (Women)

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] I took these on a four-day backpacking trip through subtropical terrain with a lot of mud, rock scrambling, steep descents, and multiple torrential downpours. The tread performed exactly how I hoped it would, traction was excellent even in very difficult terrain and slippery conditions. I felt stable the entire trip. I liked that they gave me the freedom to comfortably switch between hiking and running whenever I wanted to pick up the pace on trail. As expected, since this is not the GTX version of the Cascadia, the shoes soaked through almost immediately at the first hint of rain. I did have to deal with wet shoes the following day, but I was pleasantly surprised that they dried on the 3rd day after despite the high humidity where I was traveling. I might consider the GTX version if you are expecting to hike in wet conditions. The shoes were incredibly comfortable overall. I did notice some heel slippage initially, but using the last lace loop completely fixed the issue and locked my heel in place. Most importantly: no blisters, even after four demanding days on trail.

Agree with others that the shoe is too tight in the middle with a smaller toe box. I tried wearing them around the house for 2 days with the laces loose so there was no pressure from them, but still more than uncomfortable verging on painful. They’re so tight, going up a half-size wouldn’t be enough, and I can’t imagine going up a full size but I’ll try it, as it looks like Brooks doesn’t make these in wide. I’ve worn Brooks Glycerins, regular width, same size, for over 10 years and they’ve always fit perfectly and I’ve never needed to break them in. I’d hoped the Cascadia 19 would be the same experience. Now I’m wondering if the Glycerin 23s will have similar issues. I hope not. Another reviewer here said Brooks was switching to foam like Hoka. I hope that’s not true.