Welcome to the first shoe review on trailflow! I’ve been wanting to get the Tarkine Bandicoot on my feet for a while. They are an Australian brand that genuinely cares about the environment and the trail running community, two things that matter a lot to me.
Tarkine sent these shoes for testing, I’ve done my best to leave any bias at the door, what follows is my honest opinion on their lightest and fastest shoe to date.
Quick Verdict
Here’s a quick TLDR summary of my verdict:
- Overall Score: 8.5/10
- Reasons to Buy: A great all round shoe, good for fast races or training runs, support an Australian brand, smaller lugs make them suitable for running on roads
- Reasons to Avoid: 3mm lugs will struggle in deep mud, white shoes will always look dirty
- Bottom Line: A versatile and agile shoe that feels super light and nimble on the trails. A good everyday training shoe as well as one to wear on race day.
Specs at a Glance
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | $240 AUD buy from Tarkine *above is an affiliate link that will give you 20% off and help support this blog |
| Weight | 236g (Men’s US 9) / 204g (Women’s US 8.5) |
| Drop | 6mm |
| Stack Height | 32mm heel / 26mm forefoot |
| Midsole | ETPU Super Foam |
| Outsole | 3mm Lugs on fully rubberised sole |
First Impressions
Tarkine are an Australian shoe brand that have been around for a few years now, but I only recently started to consider them as option to add to my arsenal.
My partner, Lauren, wears the Tarkine Giants and loves them. Then earlier this year when I was out on the Western Arthurs with Piotr Babis and Simon Duke assisting them with their FKT attempt, Simon was wearing Giants. He told me they were now his go-to shoe for big missions in gnarly terrain. He covered a lot on kms of Tassie’s toughest mountains, a great testimonial to a shoe. This made me realise I needed to get a pair of my own.
Moving forward, I got myself a pair of Giants, but that’s a review for another day. When I heard about the lighter / faster Tarkine Bandicoot being released, I was intrigued and wanted to test them out. Sam from Tarkine sent me a pair to test and review.
They arrived the Wednesday before Diverge. I was sent the white pair. Out of the box they almost blind you with the brightness of the white, but don’t worry, they won’t stay that white for long. They also do a midnight blue colourway, which I think looks the better of the two.
I took them for a test spin around Knocklofty. My first impressions were that they felt great. Comfortable out of the box, super lightweight and nimble. I even considered wearing them for Diverge but I’ve learned the hard way not to race in new untested shoes, and they were too squeaky clean and white to desecrate with South West mud.
Upper, Fit and Sizing
The upper is made from GRS (Global Recycled Standard) recycled mesh with a TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) overlay. The laces are textured to help keep them done up tight; I still revert to double knots just in case. There is also a lace pocket at the top of the tongue to hide the tails. I like that a shoe named after a marsupial aptly has a pouch.
I ordered the same size I do for most shoes and the same as I wear in the Giants. I would say they fit true to size.
Their fit is snug around the midfoot with a spacious enough feeling toe box. Probably not quite spacious enough for the lovers of big toe boxes.
Performance Breakdown
Before I even got to test these shoes properly I saw them in action. Within the first 30 minutes of Diverge Skyruns 50k race I had spotted three pairs of Bandicoots in the wild. The feet wearing them were out the front of the race too. I spent the early race climb behind Alice McGushin, then later a long stint running alongside Bryce Turvey, both of them rocking the Bandicoots and seeming to thrive in the hectic terrain.
🏔️ On The Trails
These shoes have relatively small lugs at 3mm, but they have a feature I love, the entire out-sole is rubber coated. Many shoes expose the foam through the sole and it always causes trouble. The rubber coated sole and small lugs make them a great at gripping on rock, even wet rock. Smaller lugs can compress then allow the additional rubber on the sole to contact the rock, more surface area = more grip. They don’t specify what type of rubber the sole is made of, but if it works it doesn’t really matter whether it’s a special trademarked formula.
These shoes are light while providing a great amount of foot protection and maintaining nimble ground feel on technical trails. The rubber is super grippy, the reinforced rubberised rock guard protects the feet from sharp rocks and the ETPU foam midsole is soft and bouncy. They would be a great race shoe for short fast trail races.
When it comes to shoes for moving fast on trails, I am neither a minimalist nor maximalist. I believe there needs to be a good balance between foot protection, cushion and stack height. Enough to protect feet whilst maintaining stability and adequate ground feel. These shoes strike the balance quite nicely.
I have not held back with testing these ones out. Anyone who’s done a long run with me knows how much I love to attack a technical downhill. These shoes have safely taken me down some hectic descents without faltering. Now that I am used to them I feel like I can trust them to grip and I know when they are going to slide (usually in mud due the smaller lugs). Without even thinking about it I clocked my second fastest descent down Old Hobartians trail, it fast but controlled.
🛣️ On The Road
While these shoes aren’t a road running shoe they are marketed as a hybrid. The cushion and less aggressive lugs make them suitable for the occasional road run. I would still avoid pounding too much pavement in them as it will wear the lugs down faster and reduce their lifespan.
I’ve taken them on a few spins on the road and inevitably run on roads to get to trails. They are fine and feel similar to any decently cushioned road running shoe. I wouldn’t buy these shoes if you intend on being a road runner. But this type of hybrid design is great for those just getting into running not wanting to buy multiple pairs of shoes. You could buy this one and take it on road an trail and save a lot of money.
The Durability Question
It’s hard to provide a solid review on durability till I’ve worn a shoe through to destruction. Tarkine claim that their tested lifespan is 900km plus. So far I have put about 130km on my pair and there are minimal signs of wear aside from the heavy discolouration of the white uppers.
The fully rubberised sole should wear well and protect the foam midsole. The point of failure of most shoes for me is generally the upper long before the sole. This might be due to my aggressive rock kicking tendencies and the rugged Tasmanian trails I insist upon running. For now we will have to take Tarkine’s word for it that they’ll last over 900km. I might come back later and add an update to this section once I have fully destroyed them and see how far I travelled.
Photos showing the condition of the shoes after 130km of hard pounding
Sustainability
Tarkine isn’t just another greenwashing corporate brand; they’re an Australian-owned outfit that actually cares. They actually do something with their profits, donating 1% of every sale to the Bob Brown Foundation (BBF) to help keep their namesake takayna/Tarkine Rainforest wild and protected. Sam Burke the founder ran the Takayna ultra this year and raised a huge amount of funds for BBF.
The Bandicoots themselves are wrapped in a GRS-certified recycled mesh upper that’s fully traceable, so you know exactly what you’re putting on your feet. Beyond the materials, they’re tackling the “throwaway” culture of running by using eTPU foam that resists breaking down over time. They also have a “Re-Run” program aimed at extending the life of their gear, it’s refreshing to see a brand focused as much on the environment as they are performance.
When you are done with the shoes / destroyed them you can send them back and they will sustainably recycle them. The whole product lifecycle has been thought through to reduce environmental impact. Not many other shoe companies go this far with their sustainability efforts.
Final Verdict
The Tarkine Bandicoot is a versatile and agile speedster that really hits the mark as a “all rounder” for the road-to-trail hybrid crowd. It strikes a rare balance, offering enough underfoot protection and “bouncy” ETPU foam to keep things explosive without killing that nimble ground feel required for technical descents. While the 3mm lugs will definitely find their limit in deep Tassie mud, they are magnets on wet rock and cushy enough for the pavement in between.
At just 236g, it is a featherlight, race-ready shoe that supports a local Aussie brand actually putting in the work for the environment.
If you are after a fast, sustainable all-rounder that is built to survive a 900km+ lifespan, the Bandicoot is a solid 8.5/10 and a worthy addition to your shoe collection.
*The link above is an affiliate link, if you use the code JOSEPH18594 it will give you a 20% discount and I will recieve a small commission. I pay to keep this blog alive, so I am hoping to generate some income to cover costs
FAQ
It can be used for road running due to the decent amount of cushion in the midsole. But it’s not designed as an exclusively road running shoe and is tailored more to trail runners who occasionally run on roads.
The shoe fits true to size, get it in your usual shoe size.
The bandicoots are a specialised fast and short running shoe whilst the Giants are more of a rugged mission shoe. The Giants have a far grippier sole with aggressive lugs. The Giants are more suited to a big Tassie South West mission whereas the Bandicoots are better suited to a race or shorter training run.
At $240 it’s one of the cheaper shoes on the market. For this price it is quite good value especially when many other high end shoes are now well into the $300s.
If you use my discount code JOSEPH18594 you will get 20% off bringing the price down to $192 which is an absolute bargain.
If you can’t afford to pay full price and are willing to take a slightly used shoe then look into their Re-Run range, where they sell returned or demo-model shoes that have been slightly used for a significantly reduced price.
Then if you use my discount code JOSEPH18594 you will get 20% off again making them super affordable.
Joseph Nunn: An avid trail runner based in Hobart, Tasmania. He loves getting out for big days on the trails with mates or racing against them.
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I’m thrilled to learn about good aussie brand just when I’m looking for a pair of runners for bushwalking/backpacking! I’d just like to know as well how hot they get/what their breathability is like?
Cheers!
Hey thanks for asking. I didn’t even think to add this in the review. I’ve had no issues with hot feet and I’m a person that runs very hot. The upper is super breathable mesh. Good for keeping feet cool but higher chances of getting wet socks from splashes or wet grass.
The bandicoot would be a good day hiking shoe but I’d consider looking at the giant for multi day trips.