Here at Backwoods Pursuit, we have done a lot of gear reviews on men’s clothing, and are excited to start looking for the best women’s hiking pants, starting with KUHL women’s pants. KUHL has a fabulous line of clothes for men AND women that can be worn on outdoor hikes and adventures, yet are stylish and comfortable enough to be worn as casual, every-day clothes making their apparel super versatile.
For this KUHL pants review we are looking at KUHL ladies pants where I was able to try out 3 different styles; the Splash Roll-Up, Strattus, and Treker pants.
Each of these styles of KUHL women’s pants can be worn literally anywhere, from hiking in the backwoods to walking a golf course and even in the workplace. All KUHL women’s pants are extremely comfortable making you even want to lounge around the house in them. They come in a variety of earth tone colors depending on the specific type of pants with many gray, blue and brown tone options. One sizing note on KUHL women’s pants is that they do run small. I am 5’6″, 135 pounds and normally wear a size 6 or 8 but had to go up to a size 10 in all three styles.
Best Womens Hiking Pants: KUHL Splash Roll-Up Pants Review
Of the three styles I tried out for this KUHL pants review, the Splash Roll-Up pants were my favorite. All of KUHL women’s pants are lightweight and provide increased range of motion, however, this style is the heaviest and most restrictive of the three I tried, but I actually preferred that. However, that doesn’t mean that they are heavy or difficult to be active in by any stretch.
Because of the thicker fabric they definitely feel more durable and you could actually wear them comfortably off trail if you wanted, as the brush and thistles, etc. don’t poke through. These pants are perfect for walking on a trail, but if you want to be more adventurous and go off into the thick, you totally can, making them some of the best women’s hiking pants.
As a woman, it is nice to feel like you look good in something too, no matter if you’re at home, on a trail or in the backwoods, and this fabric, being a bit thicker, was nice and slimming, hiding some unwanted rolls and curves without being restrictive, making these pants stylish and something you feel confident in. The cargo-style pockets on the rear are placed higher up which make these pants look great in the butt. An added bonus! They come in a variety of gray and blue colors.
These Splash Roll-Up KUHL pants are a cargo style hiking pant. I personally like having two snap pockets on the rear and two snap pockets down lower on the sides along with regular pockets that all pants have. This style also has the ability to easily roll up to about mid-shin with the use of a couple of snaps making them a longer capri. This makes these KUHL ladies pants nice to wear even in the spring and summer for a fun casual look even if you aren’t out hiking.
Out of three pairs of pants I tried for this KUHL pants review, the Splash Roll-Up pants were the only ones that feature their specialized “UBERKUHL” sun-protective fabric with a UPF of 50, which is another reason why this pair of KUHL women’s pants is my favorite and one of the best women’s hiking pants.
It is an added bonus to know you have added protection from the sun when out exploring. For this KUHL pants review, I wore this style hiking as well an in Montana walking an 18 hole golf course where the elevation is higher and the sun rays are intense. This sunproctetive fabric is an epic idea, and I wish all of KUHL ladies pants has this in them.
In doing this KUHL pants review to find some of the best women’s hiking pants, the only thing I found about this Splash Roll-Up style that I didn’t care for, or rather thought was unnecessary, was the drawstring on the inside to cinch the waist up more. This ribbon-type drawstring was in all three styles I tried. It doesn’t seem to do much and just seems to get in the way of zipping and snapping up the pants. If you get the size that fits you, these KUHL women’s pants should stay where they are and you shouldn’t need a drawstring.
Best Womens Hiking Pants: KUHL Trekr Pants
Next up in our search for some of the best women’s hiking pants, I tested the KUHL Trekr pants which are made out of their exclusive “Rekoil” fabric. They are a bit lighter weight with slightly thinner fabric, making them great for doing long hikes on the trail, but not the best option if you tend to go off into the trees and brush. While I didn’t have a problem with them, they seem more likely to snag in that type of setting.
These KUHL women’s pants are super flexible, yet they hold their shape. The Trekr pants have a slight stretchy feel to them making them extremely comfortable. With that being said, if you’re looking for something that is slimming, flattening out certain areas, they aren’t ideal, but since we’re reviewing pants to find the best hiking pants for women, that isn’t a huge concern.
These Trekr pants are super comfortable, flexible and breathable and could be worn practically anywhere. They would be great for any season with their ability to turn into capris. They come in many different gray/blue colors as well as a new antique rose color which is super fun. These KUHL ladies pants are amazing for just about any occasion in addition to being some of the best women’s hiking pants on the market.
These KUHL Trekr pants feature flat pockets in the back and standard flat pockets on the sides. They also have a unique feature that I was really excited about. On the outer sides of each pant leg there is a slit-like pocket that unzips to access a small drawstring that can cinch up the legs, making them more of a capri with a gathered look around the leg.
I absolutely LOVE this idea, and the pictures on their website when they are cinched up make them look super feminine yet sporty, however, because the pants only cinch up on the outside pant leg, the inside portion of the pant leg wants to stay straight and hang lower so the legs end up being uneven. An easy fix for this problem would be for them cinch up on the outside and inside of each leg.
Again, as with all of the pants I tested for this KUHL pants review, there is that unnecessary drawstring that just gets in the way and doesn’t seem to do much. Maybe other women may love it, I personally wasn’t a huge fan.
Best Womens Hiking Pants: KUHL Strattus Pants
Finally in our search for some of the best women’s hiking pants I tested out the KUHL Strattus pants. These were by far the most unique option I tried of the three. These KUHL Strattus pants look like pants you would wear to the office, but are actually fabulous for hiking in too making them amazingly versatile.
When I first pulled these pants out of the package I was amazed at how light weight they were and how thin the material felt. In holding them up to the light you can actually see right through them, seeing super tiny holes all over which explains how they are so incredibly breathable. At first I was worried you could see right through them (no joke), however, once you put them on you can’t even see a panty line. Pretty impressive!
Because they are super breathable, these are some of the best women’s hiking pants I tested for warmer or even hot summer days when you want to protect your legs while outdoors but still want to feel cool. The breeze literally goes right through these and it feels as though you are wearing shorts. To do this KUHL pants review, I wore these Strattus pants on a summer day in Montana and walked 7 miles in them and didn’t find a thing to complain about. For colder temperatures, you would want to wear a different style pant from KUHL pants though.
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These KUHL women’s pants are extremely stretchy as well. They have an elastic band around the waist so you might not even need to unzip them pull them on and off, and the fabric of the rest of the pants is fairly stretchy as well. While they feel like a light weight sweat-pant comfort wise, believe it or not, the fabric actually has a dressy look and could be worn at the office as well as on a trail. Pretty impressive!
The only thing I didn’t love about these pants is that, because the material is thinner and stretchy, they don’t hide much so aren’t exceptionally slimming. Currently they only come in a stone color as well, so it would be nice if they came in some of KUHL’s other fun, earthy colors.
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One thing to note, KUHL claims that this unique fabric has “superior abrasion resistance,” and while I didn’t snag them on anything I also didn’t do any significant off-trail hiking as the thistles, brush, etc. did poke through to my legs and I hate that feeling.
With that being said, they are some of the best women’s hiking pants if you aren’t walking through brush and are one who keeps to the trail, especially if you are in need of a pant for the summer. You could literally go straight from the office to a trail and not even have to change. There aren’t many pants where you can do that, but with these Strattus pants, you can!
Best Women’s Hiking Pants: What I Liked
Although each style of KUHL women’s pants are different, they all did have some general things I liked and didn’t like about them. Here is what I liked about all of them:
- Super comfortable
- Generally all light weight and breathable
- Extremely versatile
- Earth-tone colors to choose from
- Stylish for hiking pants
- Price point, especially given you can wear KUHL pants for many occasions
- Unique features for each style of pants
Best Women’s Hiking Pants: What I Didn’t Like
- Unique features need tweaked a bit
- Unnecessary drawstring inside that gets in the way
- They run 1-2 sizes too small
Best Women’s Hiking Pants by KUHL: Conclusion
Having the opportunity to try three different types of KUHL ladies pants to do this KUHL pants review left me wanting to try every style they make! KUHL specializes in such a unique variety of pants for women, each having their own distinct features so there is something for everyone.
Although KUHL makes some of the best women’s hiking pants on the market, they could really be marketed to just about any lady out there because of their incredible comfort and versatility. They are affordable and worth every penny, especially when considering KUHL women’s pants can be worn in so many different settings. I’m excited to try some more of their pants, along with some of the other clothes they offer. You can’t go wrong as KUHL ladies pants are fabulous for the outdoor enthusiast to the professional woman in the office. They are stylish and practical and great for hiking.
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