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A place to share systematic reviews of bushwalking equipment, services and idea.

Forum rules

Forum rules
This is a place to share fair and systematic reviews of gear. Share the good, bad and ugly as well as including how you tested it and reviewed the gear. This is not the place to carry on about a bit of gear that failed, sometimes good gear has a lemon - this is more about systematic reviews. Although this can be a way to help gear manufactures with feedback, this is not the place to hassle them or ask for money back.

Start each thread with
[tag]Brand, product, RRP in AUD. The tags have two parts the type of gear and type of testing/review. eg
[Sleeping bag | Unboxing] Kmart Summit Hooded $29
[Stove | Field test]Jetboil, flash $150

Suggested review types. Unboxing, field test, 1 year on, stress test, teardown.
If someone else has already reviewed the same product in a similar method then please use the initial thread to include your review. Please note if the gear was provide to you for free, loan, discount or if you paid full RRP.
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Dunlop KT26 review

Sat 15 Jan, 2022 5:57 pm

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.

kt26 upper.jpg
kt26 upper.jpg (148.75 KiB) Viewed 12808 times


kt26 sole.jpg
kt26 sole.jpg (142.95 KiB) Viewed 12808 times
Last edited by crollsurf on Sat 15 Jan, 2022 7:30 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Re: Dunlop KT26 review

Sat 15 Jan, 2022 6:47 pm

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.

Re: Dunlop KT26 review

Wed 16 Feb, 2022 9:04 am

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.

Re: Dunlop KT26 review

Sat 19 Feb, 2022 7:00 pm

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

Re: Dunlop KT26 review

Wed 24 Aug, 2022 10:33 am

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.
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