Brooks Caldera 6

CATEGORY: Trail

MEN’S: 312 g (11 oz.) WOMEN’S: 281 g (9.9 oz.) DROP: 6 mm

STACK HEIGHT: 26 mm LUG DEPTH: 4 mm

$190

The Caldera 6’s super-wide midsole is made of Brooks’s nitrogen-infused DNA LOFT v3 cushioning material (the brand’s softest foam), and your foot sits deep in the shoe’s raised sidewalls, for a plush, protected and stable, yet still highly responsive, ride. The 6 has been given a new, quick-drying mesh upper, and has an internal wrap system in the midfoot to keep you locked in—a plus when the footing is tricky. (For serious trail runners, there are gaiter tabs on the tongue and at the front of the laces, a Velcro tab at the back of the heel, and even a place to write your crew’s names on the medial heel.) The redesigned outsole has multidirectional lugs and a split along the centre of the rearfoot, for stable landings and excellent traction in a variety of conditions. Our tester found the toebox height a bit confining, but overall gave this update high marks. Note: a Gore-Tex version will be available soon.