One pair of pants that you can wear while travelling, both for a beer in the pub in the evening and during your 1-day hike in the vast forests? Such a multifunctional pair of pants… it sounds almost too good to be true! The Freeflex™ Pants were created by Kühl with that goal in mind: multi-functional use.
The active traveler/life styler who likes to walk around town sporting casual and doesn’t want to compromise on the comfort and functionality of trekking pants. And for those who don’t know Kühl yet: Kühl is a large and reputable American outdoor brand that has been making quality outdoor clothing for years!
A pair of pants that is suitable for both outdoor activities and everyday travel must obviously meet a number of criteria. For example, a pair of pants must be sufficiently “breathable”, compact and light, not too sporty in appearance, …
We got our hands on a pair of Kühl Freeflex™ men’s pants and did the test for you! The Freeflex™ Pants traveled with us. We went hiking in the woods and also wore them at home during daily activities.
Looks of the Kühl Freeflex™ Pants
Types of Freeflex™ Pants
Kühl makes the Freeflex pants in 3 different versions:
The Freeflex Short is obviously the short version of the series. The Freeflex Pants has the most casual look of the 3. The Jogger has more of a training pants look with its tight legs. The pockets also differ between the Freeflex Pants versus Jogger.
For this test, the Freeflex Pants was used in size M (body length 179 cm). Although there are different versions, all models are similar in fabric and quality.
Casual chino look
The Freeflex™ Pants has a sporty casual look which makes it not noticeable that you are wearing a sports pant. At first glance, it has the cut of a chino pants. This makes it perfect to wear when traveling, during a visit to the city with a sneaker, without it looking like you just got back from your mountain hike. The Freeflex™ Pants is also a great option for on the plane to experience maximum comfort of a jogging pants with the looks of a casual chino pants.
The fit
Slim fit
The Freeflex™ Pants is a “slim fit” model. This means that the legs are not straight but taper towards the end. Of course, this is personal and a matter of taste but, to be suitable for other activities outside of outdoor activities, a “slim fit” model is just a bit more appropriate.
Stretch and comfort
One thing is certain. Freeflex™ pants are ultra comfortable. The fabric is very stretchy so you are not hampered during your activities and can travel in comfort.
The pants have a great fit and by means of an elastic waistband and string, the pants can be tightened perfectly around the waist.
A minus point of the pants is that after the first use we had the impression that they were a bit loose around the legs compared to the beginning. So there is definitely some stretch in the fabric that no longer fully assumes the original shape. It’s not like the pants will get much roomier or change shape after use. Just keep in mind that depending on how you like to wear the pants (very tight) it’s best to go down a size.
Fabric of the pants
Kühl developed the advanced and patented Freeflex™ fabric for these pants. The fabric consists of 50% polyester and 50% “new” polyester with a fabric density of 152 GSM.
This ensures that the fabric can take a beating but at the same time is light and very breathable. The breathability of the pants is a nice feature that came in handy during our hikes or in warm weather.
Does your Freeflex™ Pants get wet or does it need a wash during your trip? The fabric dries very quickly!
A nice extra is the UPF +50 sun protection factor of the fabric. So you are well protected against harmful UV rays during sunny days.
Extra features of the Kühl Freeflex pants
It’s always handy when a travel or trekking pants has enough pockets. The Freeflex™ Pants has a left and right pocket, a right back pocket and a “hidden” pocket on the right side for your smartphone.
What is very convenient are the zippers on both pants pockets. This allows you to safely store your belongings while traveling without the risk of losing them or someone else stealing them.
Also, the smartphone pocket on the side proved very useful during our test. This way your smartphone is not in the way when you sit down, for example. Although in the city we would rather store the smartphone in the zippered pocket to avoid theft.
Use
All features of the Freeflex™ Pants makes sure they can be used for many different travel conditions. Here are a few examples of what we think these pants are suitable for:
- Before or after mountain biking in colder weather.
- On a camping trip (around the campfire 😉 )
- For backpacking as extra pants at night
- To travel by plane
- On road trips to drive the car
- While visiting a city on a trip
- …
Conclusion
Our decision is clear. The Kühl Freeflex™ Pants is definitely a multi functional pant, which can be used both for (outdoor) activities but equally as lifestyle pants in the city. Whether you go backpacking with the tent or you rather go on a city trip, this is a pant you want to take with you on your trips.
We have also tested the Renegade™ Cargo Convertible pants from Kühl. Read the review here.
The advantages at a glance:
- Light and compact
- Quick-drying
- Very breathable
- Comfortable and stretch fabric
- Lockable trouser pockets
- Chino look
The disadvantages at a glance:
- Gets a little loose around the legs after use
