Women’s Brooks Cascadia 13
When a running shoe reaches its 13th edition, it must be good. The Brooks Cascadia 13 women’s are the first pair of Brooks trail running shoes I have run in, despite there having been 12 Cascadias before this model – although I’ve run through their excellent road running shoes, the Ghost 10s, and am now running roads in the Ghost 11s, too.
RELATED: Best Women’s Trail Running Shoes of 2019
Looking for our Brooks Cascadia 13 Men’s review?
Brooks Cascadia 13 2019 Review: A Cushioned & Responsive Trail Shoe
Related Reading:
Cushioning
The trails around where I live are varied – from dirt singletrack and gravel fire roads to root-strewn forest trails – but generally, dry. I therefore like to have a go-to pair of trail running shoes that can handle the range of trails I may experience in any given run – and that have enough cushioning to protect my feet for hours of hard, rocky terrain.
The Cascadia 13 shoe boasts a good amount of cushioning, so much so that I hardly notice hard rocks underfoot. I love putting these on knowing that I can be out for hours and my feet won’t be sore from the thousands of steps they’ll take on dry, rocky terrain.
Fit & Design
The Brooks Cascadia 13s fit true to size, consistent with other trail running shoe brands such as On, Inov-8 and Salomon. The cushioning means they offer a snug, but not too tight fit, and the laces do not need to be tied very tight for them to stay on comfortably.
Waterproof version
The standard Brooks Cascadia 13s are not waterproof – and for the type of running and terrain I am using them for, I do not need waterproof running shoes. However, Brooks make a GTX (Gore-Tex) version of the same shoes, which would be great if you do a lot of your Fall/Winter running in wet conditions – see zappos.com: Brooks Cascadia 13 GTX Women’s
Warmth and breathability
Due to the amount of cushioning, the Brooks Cascadia 13 are at the warmer end of the scale when it comes to trail running shoes. This, I like, as I tend to get cold feet even when running in summer, yet they don’t get noticeably hot in these shoes even when worn running in 30C/85F temperature. I’ve worn these for 3+ hours (including a 30k trail race) at a time and my feet felt comfortable throughout, with no excessive sweating or rubbing anywhere.
Rugged outsole
The Cascadia 13 shoes are designed to be tough. They’re named after the Pacific Northwest’s Cascadia mountains, after all! The outsole looks like it means business, with chunky grip underfoot, which wraps up over the toe box, to give grip on steep climbs. I haven’t slipped (yet) in these, even when climbing steep, rocky terrain.
Heel-to-toe drop
With a 10mm drop, the Cascadia 13s are not particularly close to being zero-drop. However, I really like this. I’m famously bad at getting down steep gravel tracks without spending half the time on my ass as a result of my feet slipping out from under me. During the aforementioned 30k, I found that having a little more of a heel-to-toe drop meant that my weight was naturally leaning further forward than I would be when wearing, say, shoes with a 4mm drop.
For more technical details…
Alastair also reviewed the men’s version of the Cascadia 13s. Visit his review to read more about some of the technical features of these trail shoes.
Available Colors
The Brooks Cascadia 13 comes in two different colors for both the men’s and women’s so be sure to check them out at zappos.com. Pictured to the left is one of the colors for the Cascadia 13 Men’s version. Here are some links to the waterproof versions:
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Find the best price for Brooks Cascadia 13 Women’s
Rei.com
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$64.83
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Roadrunnersports.com
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$90.87
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Holabirdsports.com
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$79.95
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Amazon.com
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In Summary
Brooks Cascadia 13 women’s are great trail companions for all types of terrain, and particularly where you need a pair of trail running shoes that will go the distance on rocky terrain for hours.
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If you have any questions about the shoes or anything relating to them then please leave a comment below and I will reply as soon as possible. Happy Trails!
Hi Helen,
Do you think the Cascadia 13’s would give a good grip in muddy conditions?
I’m currently rocking some Ghost 10’s which are great but I would like to head out on the hills and find the Ghost’s a bit too slippy (no surprise considering they are mainly designed for road use!).
I had been running in some Salamon XA Pro 3Ds but they were a bit hard on my feet. Could you recommend a shoe with good grip in the mud that is well cushioned too?
Thank you for sharing your ace website! I’m really enjoying all your content!
Jo
Hi Jo, thanks for your feedback, glad you’re enjoying the blog! I’ve been wearing the Cascadia 13s through winter and in some sloppy mud conditions (including a half marathon a few weeks ago) and they have been great, the grip was excellent. So I don’t think you’d go wrong with them (as the cushioning means I think they’re also ideal for harder trails, so are pretty versatile). Alastair has also been using the La Sportiva Bushido 2s in the mud and loving them (he reviewed them recently here: https://www.trailandkale.com/gear/la-sportiva-bushido-2-review/ ).
Hi Jo, thanks for your feedback, glad you’re enjoying the blog! I’ve been wearing the Cascadia 13s through winter and in some sloppy mud conditions (including a half marathon a few weeks ago) and they have been great, the grip was excellent. So I don’t think you’d go wrong with them (as the cushioning means I think they’re also ideal for harder trails, so are pretty versatile). Alastair has also been using the La Sportiva Bushido 2s in the mud and loving them (he reviewed them recently here: https://www.trailandkale.com/gear/la-sportiva-bushido-2-review/ ). I hope this helps!