Australian Hiker

Rating

Kuhl Freeflex Roll-Up Women's Pants Review

I have been on the hunt for a new pair of pants for a long time. The backside of my old pants have been darned so many times now, the darning is starting to look like a bunch of flies I’m carting around!

I had heard so much about Kuhl pants that when I spied the Freeflex Roll-Up pants on sale I grabbed them with both hands. And a great choice they have turned out to be. Kuhl is a private company established in Utah that prides itself in sourcing responsibly, providing a higher quality of living for all involved, and making the ‘best damn product’ with the least amount of environmental impact. Not only is the name cool (pun intended) but so are their designs – Kuhl clothing is hardworking, functional and looks good.

The Freeflex Roll-Ups didn’t disappoint. They are promoted as being soft – actually ‘luxuriously soft’ and they are. They are super stretchy to the point that you forget you have them on. I have been clambouring over a lot of boulders and rock ledges and never felt that my movement was constrained by these pants. Recently I needed to slide down rocks in a few different places and despite the ‘softness’ of the fabric there was no impact on the seat of these pants.

Getting the right size helps and this is where it gets tricky. If you have a stick figure no problems but if you have larger hips or muscular thighs you will be pushed up a size as I was. Not such a problem because, in addition to the press stud closure at the waist there is a draw string which means you can pull in the waist if you’ve had to accommodate your hips.

These pants are ‘moisture wicking’ and UPF50 – not sure I agree with the ‘moisture wicking’ but then I was doing a deal of hard work on some very hot days. The SPF50 is a good feature but again I wonder if it contributed to my feeling very warm when the temperature is up.

Freeflex Roll-Up pants have lots of pockets – two on each leg and two back pockets all with press stud closures. They also have two front slant pockets. More than enough pockets and more than I ever need!

In Australia the only colour choices I have seen are Koal and Flint but the full colour range includes Bordeaux and Rainstorm. My pants are Koal which is a great colour for dusty dirty trails but it would’ve been nice to see the other colours.

The other limitation for those of us in Australia is inseam length. While there are three lengths – 30, 32 and 34 inches – the preferred import into Oz is the 32 inch inseam and occasionally 30 inches. My pants are 32 inches and being 165 cm in height, this creates a roll-up problem which is that the roll-up is very low and almost ankle length! I get around this by adding a couple more rolls – its bulkier but workable.

I have worn these pants non-stop for a week at a time and really, really like them! They are a great fit, really durable and look good.

Khul Freeflex Roll-Up pants – front view. I’ve added some extra rolls to position the bottom of pants higher

Kuhl Freeflex Roll-Up Women’s pants – side view

Khul Freeflex Roll-Up pants – rear view showing the two rear pockets

Kuhl Freeflex Roll-Up Women’s pants showing leg pocket

Kuhl Freeflex Roll-Up Women’s pants showing double closure system that adds to the comfort on these pants and allows a degree of adjustment

Kuhl Freeflex Roll-Up Women’s pants showing one leg rolled up to press stud level with the other pushed up further

We Like

• Super soft fabric that is super stretchy
• Plenty of gussets and panels to give extra movement
• Lots of pockets – six in fact!
• Great fit
• They look good and don’t get dirty easily
• They stand up to tough punishment

We Don't Like

• Sourcing the right inseam length can be a challenge
• Two most common colours are Koal and Flint but Bordeaux and Rainstorm are less common

Best Uses

Great for any outdoor activity and dressy enough for casual lounging with friends

Buy One

You can purchase the Kuhl Freeflex Roll-Up Women’s Pants from Wild Earth or from Wildfire Sports

Disclosure:  We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

Investment

AUD$139.99 RRP

Other Versions

Khul provides a huge range of outdoor adventure wear including a number of different pant models although not all the range is available in Australia

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by Australian Hiker

Last updated

17 March 2024

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