Kuhl Women’s Hiking Pants Review: The Freeflex Move
Add a pair of Kuhl women’s hiking pants to your outdoor wardrobe if you’re looking for pants that are easy to move in, easy to clean, and versatile enough for 3 season hiking.
The Freeflex Move style of pants from Kuhl include multiple deep pockets, adjustable leg length and a fabric that’s lightweight, incredibly comfortable and water resistant.
While Kuhl has several women’s hiking pant styles available, the Freeflex Move has a looser fit for more range of motion than the other pant styles.
That looser fit combined with a mid-rise, 6 colors, a rollable leg, and 4 inseams means that you can expect to get the most comfortable pair of hiking pants you’ve ever owned.
In the review below, I’m sharing all of the things I love about the Kuhl Freeflex Move hiking pants for women, and why you should consider adding these to your hiking wardrobe, too.
The author in her Kühl Freeflex Move pants
This post contains affiliates. If you purchase through the links below, I will receive a commission at no charge to you.
I was provided a pair of pants by Kuhl for the purpose of this review. As always, all opinions are my own.
Kuhl Hiking Pants: An Introduction
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When you hiking pants and other gear made by Kuhl, you’re supporting an independently owned outdoor company that’s been producing high quality products since 1986.
This Salt Lake City based company started off as a hat company, until owner Kevin Boyle added a fleece jacket to the line up at the end of the 1980s. At that point, he also changed the name to Kühl, which is the German word for “cool” (they’re pronounced the same, though).
Since then, it’s grown to one of the largest privately owned outdoor companies in the U.S., and owner Kevin Boyle still works with employees to create more than 300 pieces each season.
Mr. Boyle, who ended up in Utah as a teenager for the incredible winter sports available, knows outdoor gear. Before starting the company, he famously couldn’t make rent and decided to live in a snow cave with some buddies to save money!
4 decades later, the company is still that committed to getting people outside (though there aren’t any official snow cave products!), and their pants, hats, bags, coats, base layers, and more are made to last.
Plus, the clothes are made to fair trade standards as laid out by the International Labor Organization, so you know that each person involved in making the pieces is treated fairly for their work.
The company has an ongoing commitment to the environment as well, which is why they carefully estimate how many new styles to produce and how many older styles to restock. They want to encourage careful consumption instead of cyclical buying, so Kuhl products do not go on sale.
Ultimately, all of this adds up to a company that you can feel good about before you even try the pants on!
Freeflex Move Pants Review and Photos
Unboxing of the Pants
My Kühl pants right out of the package
When I saw that my Kuhl Freeflex Move hiking pants had arrived, I was so excited to try them on.
I’ve had many different kinds of hiking pants over the years, and many of the them were too tight, had an uncomfortable waistband or were just unflattering.
I don’t know how many of my readers lived through the ‘90s trend of parachute pants, but the material on a lot of hiking pants today still reminds me of those parachute pants, sound and all. (Swish swish swish!)
So, I was eager to see how these new pants compared to everything that had come before.
I’d chosen the Freeflex Move pants over the other styles on the website because it had a looser fit, a wide leg opening, a large elastic band and a drawstring. I wanted something sporty but also something easy to wear. I also hate overly constricting pants, especially while I’m hiking, so the looser fit seemed like it would be a winner.
Inside the packaging were the pants, of course, but also a few other things. The company sends a bar of 70% German dark chocolate with every order, and it was hard not to dive into that first.
There are also instructions on what to do if you need to return the products—but you get to keep the chocolate bar regardless.
Initial Thoughts
After pulling on the pants, the first thing that I noticed was how soft the fabric was. Usually, outdoor pants have that parachute pant feeling because the fabrics used are weather resistant—and that process makes the fabrics stiff and noisy.
However, the Kuhl pants felt durable but almost silky.
The Freeflex move pants are a looser fit, but I like them precisely for that reason.
I’ve never worn my outdoor pants around my house as loungewear until these pants because they are truly that comfortable.
I am 5’7” and around 140 pounds. Typically, I wear a medium in pants, but I bought the large size in the Freeflex Move pants because I do not like my outdoor pants to cling to me or feel restrictive.
That being said, now that I’ve tried the pants on and worn them around, I could’ve gone with my usual size and still not been overly restricted. I don’t mind the slightly baggier fit of the larges, but keep that in mind as you pick your own size.
The Freeflex Move design is built to be a looser fit in general, so you can keep your normal size, and it will still have some give.
You can also pick from 3 different inseams and 6 colors. I love the different inseam options as what will fit me won’t fit someone who is petite or truly tall.
I did end up getting the 30” inseam as I wanted a pant leg that wouldn’t bunch up too much around my ankles. I could’ve also gone with the 32” inseam as well, but the 30” ensures that the bottoms of my hiking pants won’t get splashed a lot if I’m hiking on a wetter trail.
Oddly, the 30” inseam is a short length, which I’ve never worn in my entire adult life, but they work well somehow. I’m usually in a regular or even long length in pants.
Finally, I ordered the pants in koal, which is a medium grey. The color looks much darker in the website photos than in person. I love how versatile a color the koal is as it matches all of my existing clothing in my hiking wardrobe.
As I walked around the house, the pants fit great and felt even better.
But how would they hold up to hiking?
On the Trail
The front pocket with side zipper
I took the Freeflex Move pants out on a chilly December morning as we hiked a section of the Palmetto Trail near Congaree National Park.
While there isn’t much elevation gain on this passage, there’s plenty of movement that comes with hiking with 2 kids for any amount of distance.
The first thing that I immediately noticed was how many pockets the pants had, and how deep they were.
My other go-to hiking pants by Outdoor Voices x REI didn’t have deep enough front pockets for my phone, so I had to put it on the side pocket near the knee which was awkward and uncomfortable.
The Kuhl Freeflex pants have generous pockets that let me place my phone deep enough that I’m not worried about it falling out on the trail. There is also a zipper on each to further secure the pockets.
I love that the pants blend in with the rest of the pants so that it almost doesn’t look as if there are these big pockets on the front of the pant.
There are also two back pockets which aren’t quite as deep, but would be good for putting a keycard, keys or energy gels into.
The ruching on the outside of the pant leg
The waistband is wide with fabric covered elastic and an adjustable tie to get the perfect fit.
I didn’t find myself adjusting the waistband once on our hike, which has to be some kind of record for me.
Since the waist is the loosest part of these pants on me, I appreciated the ability to customize the fit.
The 30” inseam ended up hitting me in the perfect place on my hiking boots.
The fabric covered the top of my boot completely, so I didn’t have to worry about any cold air rushing in while I walked.
But the leg length is short enough not to be baggy around my ankles.
The fabric works with my movements and not against it, and there aren’t any areas on the pants that are rough or overly textured.
Even after hiking for 6 miles with my kids, the pants remained incredibly comfortable through bending, twisting, sitting, and walking.
There is slight ruching down the sides of the pants, which provide visual interest and additional stretch in the pant.
When I knelt down to help my younger kid retie his hiking shoes, the pants do not pull at the knee area thanks to that extra bit of fabric in the ruching.
The pants have built in 50 SPF sun protection which is excellent for the many summer time adventures we have.
The pants are just as comfy when I’m sitting down at the end of the hike as they are at the beginning!
Additional Testing
I’ve worn these pants several times in various situations just to see how versatile they are.
Wearing my Kuhl hiking pants while my son and family friend get ready to get hauled around on a South Carolina-style snow sled (aka an old car hood with welded on handles!)
It’s very important to me to have clothing that works in multiple ways as this reduces what I need in my wardrobe and also helps me pack ultra light on our road trips.
(For example, I only packed 4 mix and match outfits for myself for our entire 2 month road trip from South Carolina to Utah, Idaho, and Montana!)
Because of the cut of these pants and the ruching detail, these don’t scream “hiking pant!” the way that other pairs I own do.
I’ve worn these pants around the house with a sweatshirt and Ugg boots, and I’ve worn them to teach with a cute t-shirt and sporty sneakers.
Recently, it snowed here in South Carolina (!!) and I layered this pants on top of my insulated wool leggings because I don’t own actual snow pants, and I stayed toasty and dry throughout all of our playing in the snow.
Because the pants are slightly relaxed, it’s easy to layer leggings underneath without feeling like you’re stuffed into them.
The pants do have water resistance, but if they do get wet, they dry quickly. This feature came in handy on our snow day, as the cuffs and knees of my pants got wet while we were sledding, but they dried before I went in for lunch.
Get more hiking gear suggestions for the family here:
Final Thoughts on the Kuhl Hiking Pants
Testing out the pants on a passage of South Carolina’s Palmetto Trail
I’ve found myself reaching for the Kuhl hiking pants over and over again lately, and I plan on getting a second pair for our trips to the Pacific Northwest, New England, and West Virginia later this year.
They are well fitting and so much more comfortable than any other pair of hiking pants that I’ve had before, mostly thanks to the lightweight, almost silky feeling fabric that is used.
I know they’re more expensive than the other hiking pants I’ve gotten (mostly from REI), but they look and feel incredibly well made. I’m hoping they last for many, many years—if they do, the cost per wear will be incredibly low because these are such versatile pants.
Plus, there are enough pockets to carry extra trail snacks and my phone while out hiking with my kids.
The company also has Freeflex Shorts available that are made out of the same fabric and from the same cut as the pants, and those are absolutely on my list of things to buy for my summer hiking, too!
