In order to properly access the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants, I wore the pants during a recent hiking and climbing trip to Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin. Before writing my KÜHL Konfidant Air pants review, I stress tested these pants the best way that I know how, which is to wear them on some of the most difficult hiking trails and climbing pitches in my area.

When I was asked by KÜHL to try out and review some of their outdoor adventure clothing, I was very excited. I had heard a lot about their well-designed and stylish outdoor wear, but I had yet to try any of their clothing myself. If you follow my blog closely, you know that I like to push my adventures to the extreme when I travel. I love to hike, run, kayak, and climb at every opportunity that I get. That is why having comfortable, durable, and tactically well-designed outdoor adventure wear is so important to me. If you don’t have clothes that are comfortable, durable, and designed to function in rough elements, then it puts you at a real disadvantage when you are out on the trail, on rough waters, or on a difficult climbing pitch.

In this KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review, I am going to give you my feedback on how well these pants performed for me during one of my most recent outdoor adventures. I took these pants on a 6-mile hike on one of Wisconsin’s most difficult hiking trails that required a great deal of rock scrambling and even some rock climbing. I will discuss my thoughts on the comfort, durability, performance, fit, and cost of these pants. Using these metrics, I will explain what I really liked about these pants, as well as where I think the pants fell a bit short of my expectations. In case you would like to see these pants in action, I have also included a video of my hike at Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin in my KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review below.

KÜHL Konfidant Air Specs

Before I get into my thoughts on the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants, let me tell you a little bit about why I chose these pants to review. While I hadn’t tried any of KÜHL’s outdoor wear before testing out these pants, I had heard quite a bit about the comfort and quality of their clothing from friends and family who love the brand. I am a fairly picky shopper when it comes to my outdoor gear, so I did quite a bit of research on KÜHL’s different pant models before deciding on a pair of pants that I wanted to try out. I was immediately drawn to the Konfidant Air Pants because of their versatility. I enjoy a variety of outdoor adventure activities and I need outdoor wear that is versatile enough to keep up with me. As you can see in the diagram from the KÜHL website, the Konfidant Air Pants have a variety of features that make them ideal for a variety of different outdoor adventures.

• 11 innovated vents – including vents on the knees and crotch area to increase air flow and keep you cool.
• 9 pockets – zippered pockets with mesh lining. Includes a great cell phone pocket to keep your phone safe.
• UPF 50 Protection.
• The fabric is lightweight and stretchy to allow ease of movement when needed (such as when rock scrambling).
• Rapid drying ENDURO™ fabric is very lightweight and quick drying, which is great when you are hiking in the elements.
• The knees are articulated to allow added venting and to increase the range of movement.

Features I Loved in the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants

When I look for outdoor adventure pants, the fit and the comfort of the pants are important, but so are the features that the pants include. I love to hike in a variety of different weather conditions and temperatures, so the pants I wear when I am on my outdoor adventures must have the features to accommodate this. The pants I buy must be well vented, be moisture-wicking, offer sun protection, and have plenty of pockets for my hiking and photography gear. I have included some of the features of the pants that I enjoyed the most for you in my KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review below.

CROTCH AND KNEE VENTING

One of my favorite features of the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants is the excellent vents that the pants have. Strategically placed, these vents allow your body heat to escape the pants as your exertion level rises. This means that you won’t have to deal with hot, sweaty legs on tough, grueling hikes or difficult climbs. I own quite a few pairs of highly rated hiking pants and I can say with certainty that the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants have the best ventilation of any pair of hiking pants that I have tried. In my opinion, this alone makes these pants a must-add piece of gear in your outdoor wear wardrobe.

COMFORTABLE BUT DURABLE FABRIC

Another feature of the KÜHL Konfidant Air pants that I absolutely love is the fabric that the pants are made of. Not only is the fabric moisture-wicking, thus keeping you dry when you perspire or when you run into rain on the trail, but the fabric also has quite a bit of stretch to it. This allows you to have a much larger range of motion than many of the hiking pants that I have used in the past. When you are bouldering or rock climbing, this can mean the difference between being able to reach that next foothold or not, so it is important. If you are looking for a pair of hiking or climbing pants that will keep you dry and allow you a lot of freedom of motion, I cannot recommend these pants strongly enough.

THIGH AND CELL PHONE POCKETS

The final feature of the pants that I would like to highlight in my KÜHL Konfidant Air pants review is the very useful collection of pockets that the pants include . There are a variety of pockets along the pants line, as well as on the front and the back, that gives the wearer an invaluable amount of storage for gear. When I hiked with these pants in the Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin, I had a lot of photography and hiking gear that I stored in these mesh-lined pockets. This included my iPhone, which I kept in the incredible 3D phone pocket that is designed to safely store your smartphone. For outdoor adventurers who are looking for ample pockets to store gear in their hiking pants, the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants are certain to impress.

KÜHL Konfidant Air Field Test Video

If you are wondering what I did to test out these pants, I have included a video of my test hike within the famed Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin for you to watch in my KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review below. As you will see in the video, the hike along the bluffs includes a lot of rock scrambling and steep accents and descents that really helped me put the pants to the test. If you haven’t been to Devil’s Lake State Park to hike and climb, you are really missing out on a fantastic day of adventure!

Comfort Rating

One of the things that I enjoyed the most about the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants was the comfort of the pants, even when doing extreme activities that require a wide range of motion like rock scrambling and rock climbing. I really put these pants to the test on the trail and I never felt uncomfortable or like I was constricted when scrambling over rocks or reaching for the next foothold. The comfort level of outdoor wear is extremely important to me because I am often doing activities that are strenuous and require a great deal of my attention. There is nothing worse than being distracted on a difficult trail because the clothes you are wearing are uncomfortable. I was so impressed by the comfort level of these pants that I gave them a 5 out of 5 for comfort in my KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review.

My Rating: 5/5

Durability Rating

Another aspect of the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants that I came away from my hike very impressed with was the rugged durability of the pants. I did a lot of very difficult rock scrambling and bouldering when I visited Devil’s Lake State Park in Wisconsin to test out the pants. This included having to climb over large boulders and fit thru tight spaces between rocks. When doing this type of difficult hiking, the last thing that you want to be worried about is ripping or damaging your gear.

I have owned hiking pants in the past that have been made by popular brands that have really failed in the durability department. Simple snags on rocks or branches have left me with ripped pants that really left a sour taste in my mouth. I really stretched these pants to the max and even got snagged up on rocks a few times while hiking with them, but never once did I feel like I was in danger of ripping them. The fabric has some give to it, which not only helps with your range of motion, but it allows the pants to give a lot without ripping as well. I was so thoroughly impressed with the durability of these pants that I gave them a 5 out of 5 for durability in my KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review.

My Rating: 5/5

Fit Rating

The one area that I think that the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants fell a little bit short for me is the fit of the pants. It is not that the pants are uncomfortable, because that is definitely not the case. When I picked out these pants to test, I assumed that the fit would be the same as the other pants that I have used previously. However, the pants seem to fit a little bit tighter in the waist than most of the slim-fit pants of other brands that I have bought in the past. If you like a little room in your outdoor adventure pants, I would recommend going up one size from the size you typically wear to give yourself a little more room. Other than that, I was very happy with the fit of the pants around the legs and at my ankles. I didn’t feel like the pants were too restrictive in any way other than being a little tighter around my waist than I am used to. However, because of the tightness around my waist, I decided to give the pants a 3 out of 5 for fit in my KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review.

My Rating: 3/5

Performance Rating

Another area where I think the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants really excelled during my trial was their performance on the trail. When you are tackling a tough trail or a tough series of climbing pitches, you must have gear with you that can help you perform at an optimal level. Pants that do not have proper venting to keep you cool and moisture-wicking to stop you from getting cold when you sweat can really impede your ability to perform. When I tested out the Konfidant Air Pants on a very tough trail in Wisconsin’s Devil’s Lake State Park, the pants performed at a level that exceeded my expectations.

I didn’t expect the pants to perform poorly, but they went above and beyond what I would consider good performance from my activewear. Not once did I feel like my legs were hot, cold, wet, or uncomfortable during my hike, and I really exerted myself. The numerous vents along the legs allowed my body heat to escape and kept my legs nice and cool when they normally would have been very hot. Further, the excellent moisture-wicking fabric kept the pants nice and dry when it started to rain, which really helped keep me warm when the temperature dropped. I was so thoroughly impressed with the performance of these pants that I gave them a 5 out of 5 for performance in my KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review.

My Rating: 5/5

Cost Rating

The final aspect in which I am rating the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants that I recently tested is their price. I think the pants are very fairly priced and are in line with the price that you will find for other high-quality outdoor wear brands on the market. The KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants currently retail for USD 89 and can be found in a wide variety of sporting goods stores and other merchants that sell outdoor wear. Based on the features, quality, and performance of these pants, I think that the price of the pants is very much in-line with what I would expect to pay. I decided to give them a 4 out of 5 on price in my KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants review because the price is very fair, but not a tremendous bargain. Like with all quality outdoor wear, you get what you pay for, and you are getting a tremendously solid pair of pants when you purchase the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants.

My Rating: 4/5

Overall Thoughts

After thoroughly testing the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants, I am very thoroughly impressed with them overall. Not only are the pants very rugged and durable, but they are also very comfortable to wear on the trail. Not only will these pants make your tough hikes and climbs more enjoyable because of their well-designed features and construction, but they also have plenty of useful pockets for storing your gear when you are out on the trail or on a pitch. While I do think the sizing of the pants was different than I expected, this is something that can easily be compensated for by buying a size larger than you typically do if you like to have a little bit more room on your waistline. And even though I don’t think the pants are a steal at their current price, I do think the price of the pants is very fair considering the quality and performance of the pants and the cost of similar hiking pants on the market by other brands. Overall, I was so extremely impressed by the KÜHL Konfidant Air Pants that I have made the KÜHL brand one of my go-to brands for my outdoor wear needs. I will definitely be purchasing more KÜHL gear in the future.

My Rating: 4.5/5

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