KÜHL Review: Honest Thoughts After Years of Wearing Their Gear

At this point, Garrett and I have accidentally built ourselves a pretty solid KÜHL wardrobe.

We first started wearing KÜHL gear several years ago, and since then we’ve accumulated everything from hiking pants and shorts to lightweight travel jackets, winter coats, and shells. Some pieces have traveled all over the world with us, others have been put through plenty of hiking and road-tripping around the West Coast, and a few have basically become part of our everyday uniforms.

So this isn’t one of those reviews where we wore a pair of pants twice and decided they were amazing.

We’ve actually had time to beat this stuff up.

And overall? We’re both pretty big fans. Garrett, admittedly, is bordering on KÜHL fanboy status.

There are a couple of caveats, particularly when it comes to price and my eternal hunt for properly high-waisted pants, but after several years of use, the quality and thoughtful design have impressed us.

Is KÜHL Worth It? Our Quick Verdict

Short answer: yes, if you actually use your outdoor gear hard.

KÜHL is definitely on the pricey side, but after wearing their clothing for years, we’ve found the quality and durability make the cost easier to justify.

What we like

• Excellent durability over several years of use
• Thoughtful features and functional design
• Great fit for Garrett
• Plenty of pieces that work for both outdoors and everyday travel
• No major issues with pilling, broken zippers, stretched waistbands, etc.

What we don’t love

• The price is high
• I wish there were more genuinely high-waisted women’s bottoms

We don’t baby this stuff either. It gets washed normally, packed into bags, worn on flights, hiked in, and generally used like regular clothing.

Garrett is especially rough on his gear, so the fact that his KÜHL pieces are still going strong says a lot.

What We Like Most About KÜHL Clothing

The Durability Has Been Really Good

This is probably the biggest thing that has changed how I look at the price.

It’s easy to say something feels well-made when it’s brand new. It’s more meaningful when you’ve owned it for several years.

We’ve treated our KÜHL clothes like normal clothes rather than precious technical gear, and they’ve held up remarkably well.

No special washing rituals. No carefully preserving them for outdoor trips. They get shoved into bags, worn on long travel days, hiked in, washed, reworn, and generally put through normal life.

Garrett is especially good at testing durability because he can be pretty rough on his gear.

And yet his older KÜHL pants are still the pants he reaches for most.

KÜHL Puts a Lot of Thought Into the Details

This is probably Garrett’s favorite thing about the brand.

A lot of outdoor clothing technically works, but then there are annoying little things you only notice once you’re actually outside in it.

A hood makes so much noise against your ears that you can’t hear someone talking. Pants breathe everywhere except where you desperately want ventilation. Pockets are placed somewhere useless. A technical fabric moves terribly.

KÜHL seems unusually good at thinking about those little problems.

Garrett likes that he can have plenty of pockets, ventilation, movement, and functionality without feeling like those features are getting in his way.

His older Resistor Air pants are probably the best example.

They have zip vents that make a huge difference when he’s wearing pants in hot weather, while still giving him the option of closing everything up when the temperature drops.

He’s worn those things everywhere—including on long flights and regular everyday travel days.

Their Outdoor Clothes Don’t Always Look Like “Hiking Clothes”

This is another thing I appreciate.

I want hiking clothes to perform like hiking clothes.

I don’t necessarily want to look like I’m about to summit Everest every time I leave the trailhead.

A lot of KÜHL’s pieces cross over surprisingly well between outdoor use, travel, and normal life.

Garrett regularly wears his technical pants while traveling or just walking around town.

And my newest hiking pants are a perfect example: I can hike in them all day and then walk into a café afterward without looking like I’ve wandered directly out of a backcountry expedition.

No, I’m probably not wearing them to a fancy dinner.

But I’m also not changing clothes simply because the hike ended.

Fit Has Been Fantastic for Garrett

KÜHL just seems to fit Garrett’s body particularly well.

He gets enough room to move without things feeling baggy, enough structure without feeling restricted, and the pockets and technical features don’t interfere with that mobility.

That’s one of the main reasons he’s become such a fan of the brand.

For me, the story has been a little more complicated.

My One KÜHL Fit Complaint: Please Give Me More High-Waisted Pants

This isn’t really a quality complaint.

It’s a my-body-and-my-preferences complaint.

I have a long torso and strongly prefer pants and shorts that sit properly high on my waist.

Several of my older KÜHL bottoms have been more mid-rise, and while there’s technically nothing wrong with them, I just don’t reach for them as much.

For example, I still like my older Seaboard pants and can comfortably wear them, but some of the other shorts and bottoms have ended up sitting in Oregon rather than traveling with me because the rise isn’t quite right for what I prefer.

If you love mid-rise pants, this may be completely irrelevant to you.

But if you’re another long-torso, high-waisted girl: I see you.

Thankfully, KÜHL finally gave me a pair that absolutely nailed it… wait for it…

Our Long-Term KÜHL Favorites

Garrett: Resistor Air Pants

If Garrett had to choose his most-used KÜHL piece, it would probably be these.

He’s had his khaki Resistor Air pants for years and wears them constantly.

They’re breathable enough for hot climates, have zip vents for extra airflow, move well, have useful pockets, and are comfortable enough for flights and long travel days.

They’re technical without looking ridiculous outside of the outdoors, which is exactly why they’ve gotten so much use.

Both of Us: REACTIV Grid FZ Hoody

We both have a version of the REACTIV Grid FZ Hoody, and this might be one of the easiest KÜHL pieces for me to recommend.

Mine is purplish, Garrett’s is brown, and we’re both obsessed with them.

This has basically become my default travel jacket.

Airport freezing? I’m wearing it.

Cool morning? Wearing it.

Temperature dropped unexpectedly? Wearing it.

It’s light, easy to pack, comfortable, and warm enough to be useful without taking up half my luggage.

It’s one of those completely unglamorous travel items that ends up going everywhere because it simply works.

Nina: SPYFIRE Parka

On the opposite end of the temperature spectrum is my KÜHL SPYFIRE Parka.

Mine is a beautiful darker purple color and hits below my butt, which I LOVE when it’s actually cold.

I’ve worn it through winter weather in Oregon, and it’s the jacket I’m bringing with me to Japan as well.

It’s genuinely warm and one of my favorite proper cold-weather jackets.

I wouldn’t treat it as my rain shell—that’s not what I use it for—but when I want actual warmth, it’s excellent.

The Newest KÜHL Gear We’ve Been Testing

Our most recent batch gave us four new pieces to put through their paces: two for me and two for Garrett. Those were the TREKR Straight Pull-On pants and THE ONE Hoody for me, plus the Resistor Lite Chino Tapered pants and The One Shell for Garrett.

TREKR Straight Pull-On Pants — Nina

FINALLY.

These are the KÜHL pants I’ve been waiting for.

They sit high enough on my waist, they’re stretchy where I actually want stretch, and yet they don’t have that obvious elastic-waist, maternity-pants thing happening.

I’ve properly hiked in these now, and they’re officially becoming my go-to hiking pants.

They’re comfortable, they move well, and they look nice enough that I can finish a hike and continue walking around town without desperately wanting to change.

For years I’ve struggled to find hiking pants that I actually like wearing.

These are the ones.

KÜHL: please make more women’s pants with this kind of rise.

THE ONE Series — Nina & Garrett

We both tested pieces from KÜHL’s THE ONE series, and they’ve been great for lightweight weather protection without feeling bulky.

I have THE ONE Hoody, which gives me just enough warmth for cool mountain weather while still being breathable and easy to move in.

Garrett has The One Shell, and his favorite detail is how quiet the fabric is. Some shells are so noisy around the hood that every head turn is distracting, but this one avoids that annoying rustling.

It’s a small detail, but a good example of the thoughtful design we keep noticing with KÜHL.

Resistor Lite Chino Tapered — Garrett

These are another good example of KÜHL doing the outdoors-meets-everyday thing well.

They’re comfortable, easy to move in, and functional, but they have a cleaner look than a traditional technical hiking pant.

That makes them especially useful for travel when you don’t want to pack completely separate wardrobes for outdoorsy days and normal ones.

What We Don’t Love About KÜHL

There really aren’t ten secret complaints I’m hiding here.

We have two.

1. I Want More High-Rise Women’s Options

You may have gathered this by now.

I don’t think KÜHL’s existing mid-rise pants are inherently bad.

They just aren’t my preferred fit.

And because I know now how much I like their clothing when the waist actually works for me—the TREKR pants being the perfect example—I would LOVE to see more legitimately high-rise options throughout the women’s range.

2. It’s Expensive

There’s no getting around this one.

KÜHL sits firmly in premium outdoor-clothing territory.

That means it simply won’t fit everyone’s budget, and I wouldn’t argue that everyone needs expensive technical clothing.

But longevity matters.

After years of wearing these clothes, we’re not replacing busted zippers, stretched-out pants, or jackets that started pilling after six months.

That’s where the price makes more sense to us.

I’d rather buy something I genuinely like wearing and keep using it than repeatedly replace cheaper gear that isn’t performing as well.

Who Is KÜHL Best For?

KÜHL makes the most sense to me for people who genuinely spend a lot of time outdoors or travel frequently.

Hikers, campers, road-trippers, adventure travelers, and people who generally ask more of their clothing are going to appreciate the technical details the most.

But I also think that’s selling them slightly short.

Several of our favorite KÜHL pieces work perfectly well in everyday life too.

Garrett doesn’t reserve his Resistor Air pants for hiking.

My REACTIV jacket certainly isn’t sitting around waiting for an adventure.

The better pieces are simply useful clothing that also happens to perform when you take it outdoors.

Would We Spend Our Own Money on KÜHL?

Yes.

And I think that’s probably the simplest way to end this review.

We’ve been fortunate enough to receive quite a few KÜHL pieces over the years, but after seeing how well they’ve held up, we’d both spend our own money on the brand.

Garrett continues to wear the hell out of his pants.

My REACTIV jacket has become one of those things I instinctively grab whenever I’m packing.

My SPYFIRE Parka has proven itself through actual winters.

And now I’ve finally found hiking pants in the TREKR that fit the way I’ve wanted hiking pants to fit for years.

KÜHL isn’t inexpensive, and I’d personally love to see a lot more high-waisted options in the women’s collection.

But the clothes we’ve owned have lasted, the designs genuinely feel thoughtful, and—most importantly—we’re still wearing them years later.

For us, that’s a much better endorsement than anything I could give a five-star rating to after wearing twice!

Disclosure: KÜHL has gifted us several of the pieces mentioned in this review over the years, including our newest gear. As always, these are our actual opinions based on wearing the clothing ourselves.

Sharing is caring!