Bushwalk Australia

After clocking up 400klm+ on these shoes I thought I'd write a review

They lasted 400klm which surprised me! How do I know? I walked and recorded every track in the Kur-ring-gai and then some during Covid lockdown.
- Uppers had no tears.
- Toe guards where still glued to the toes!
- Still had some tread.
- Grip was average/good.
- Laces went the distance.
- Comfortable.
- Cheap.

Cons:
- Zero support.
- Zero rebound.
- Tongues slip to the side.
- Looks best paired with a walking frame.

- Inner lining except for one spot survived the 400klm. I'd rate that as a pro rather than con

It was an interesting experiment and I can see why they have a bit of a cult following. I have pronation so they were like walking in thongs with an upper. I would never buy another pair but I'm still using them to mow the lawn.
Problem is you can pay good money for a bad shoe, so if you want a comfortable bad shoe that will last, you can get these for $40.

That's a fair review. I did the Larapinta Trail with a new pair of KT26s and they lasted the distance. 250km including side trips. By the end, the tread had worn down in various places but the rest was in good condition.

I was a bit put out when someone said to me "Do you know they're prison shoes? Prisoners get issued with KT26s."

Further research suggests that prisoners get the dark blue ones which you can also buy on eBay, not the two-tone ones that you get from Big W.

I've some other runners as well from about the same price point as these KT ones. Pretty good. No padding left underfoot but still useable.

I just wish they were wider up front. May be worth trying to customise, snip snip!

Good to know they have improved again.

I use to wear them religiously through the 90's and early 2000's before trail runners became a thing.

I gave up around 2010-ish when i had 3 pairs in a row fall apart at the first sight of moisture.
Gave them another go 2018-ish with the same delamination issues. So had written them off totally.