The kind folks at Kuhl reached out to us shortly before, back in May, I headed to Tanzania on safari while Mark headed to Ecuador for some high-altitude trekking. They offered to provide us with some gear in return for an honest review of their products. As we were already aware of the quality of Kuhl gear, we considered it for about 0.0003 seconds before agreeing.
The timing was especially perfect since I needed one more pair of neutral safari-colored pants for my trip. Dark and bright colors attract the super-annoying tsetse fly and I was committed to doing everything I could to avoid serving myself up as a hot lunch.
Kuhl sent me their Freeflex Roll-up Pant in the color Sage (and an awesome pair of shorts that I’ll review separately.)
I’m in that annoying between-sizes stage right now, but went with the larger size since I knew I’d be sitting in the safari jeep and didn’t want to be uncomfortable if they were a little snug around the waist. Besides, I don’t want my pants to fit like leggings unless they are, in fact, leggings.
Let me be totally clear about the fit: These pants fit like they were custom-made for me. I ordered the 34” inseam because I’m tall and most of my pants are too short on me, especially after being washed. These Kuhl ones, though? Absolutely perfect the first time and still absolutely perfect after each washing!
I’m not being dramatic. The fit was PERFECT. It’s hard to find pants that fit so well when ordering online, but these pants were actually true to size. The long inseam is the exact amount of long that I need; the pants hit my shoes the right way – not just when I’m standing, but they don’t drag the floor, either. I felt like a normal-heighted girl wearing a perfectly-fitting pair of pants. (Tall girls know how rare this is.)
Sorry this picture isn’t better, but I’m terrible at selfies.
I wore my Kuhl pants several days on the safari, and every time I had them on, they felt clean and fresh. When you’re in a hot and humid environment and have to rewear clothing, it can start to feel (and smell) kinda gross. But not these. Plus, I didn’t have those permanent creases in my pants where my hips and knees bend.
Although the pants do roll up, I never felt so hot in them that I needed that extra air flow. But had I wanted to roll them up, the process is simple and secure. I had plenty of pockets for my phone, a couple dollars, and whatever else I wanted to carry around between stops. The pockets were deep enough and I love the backside pockets because they make everything look better back there.
I own several pairs of hiking pants from different manufacturers, but my Kuhl Freeflexes are now the clear favorite. I know that sounds commercial-y, but it’s true. Hope this helps! Here’s a LINK directly to the Freeflex web page, if you want to check them out.
Also, related but unrelated, read this revealing article from Kuhl about melanoma in men.
Recent Comments