KUHL Konfidant Air Men’s Pants

This is my first pair of KUHL pants, the Konfidant Air Klassik Fit. Being primarily a boulderer, and occasionally a sport climber, I always steered away from KUHL pants because they looked too heavy and rugged. When the team at KUHL reached out and asked if I would review their pants I was surprised to see the versatility of the Men’s Outdoor Pants line.

I’ve been a hardcore Prana fan ever since I started climbing. I love the breathability, comfort, and lightweight feel of the Stretch Zion model. Now when I agreed to write this review I didn’t think the KUHL Konfidant Air would come close to the Prana’s in any of those categories. Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised.

Breathability

Air and breathability go hand and hand. The Konfidant pants take it one step further with the KühlAir™ Vent System. These pants have more vents than a desert dirtbags Astro van, 11 to be exact. If you can break a sweat in these pants you deserve an award.

I hate when it gets too hot to wear (other) pants and I end up switching to shorts. Don’t get me wrong, shorts are great, just not for protecting your legs from rocks, bushes, and other pointy, sharp things you might run across on the approach to the crag.

Back to the vents, all 11 of them. They are located behind the knees, in the thigh area, the pockets, and even in the crotch. KUHL has put a lot of thought and detail into the design of these pants. You might be thinking the Konfidant Air pants are nothing but Swiss cheese, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Each vent is covered and stitched uptight. Nothing but Air has made it though on my pair so far!

Comfort (Komfort)

The KUHL Konfidant Air is made out of ENDURO^™ fabric. This consists of 68% Cotton, 29% Nylon, 3% Spandex. It has a slight stretch and a nice, textured feeling. The fabric is quick-drying and abrasion-resistant (aka can withstand a gnarly kneebar).

KUHL’s Klassik Fit is advertised as ” not too tight, not too loose” and I have to agree. It’s what you would expect. It fits well and leaves enough room to get that crazy hand-foot match on your latest project, but doesn’t feel baggy or uncomfortable. KUHL makes a few different fits in various models if the Klassik isn’t your style.

Lightweight

So my first thought, when I was browsing through KUHL’s website, was the “Air” pants would be the lightweight variations of their standard pants. Turns out it was only referring to the above-mentioned breathability vents. That being said, the ENDURO^™ fabric is extremely lightweight.

I going to compare the KUHL’s to my old standard Prana’s one more time (as if you are reading this there is a good chance you have/had a pair). Kid you not, I am standing holding the KUHL Konfidant Air in one hand and the Prana Stretch Zions in the other. Same size and all. The KUHL pants are noticeably lighter. I’m not sure how KUHL made such a lightweight, breathable material that is also so durable. Kudos to the R&D team!

Gripes

So I have to say I am very impressed with pants that KUHL is making. Here are a few things I’m not totally in love with.

• Lots of exposed metal buttons. This includes a large metal branding patch on the right front pocket. Not a deal-breaker, it just adds some bulk and makes that scratchy metal noise when you beach whale on the top-out of the project.
• Just like Leslie Knope from the TV series Parks and Rec, I think all pockets need to be bigger. The pockets on the KUHL pants are quite small. I can barely fit my phone into the front pocket, however, KUHL makes up for this by added multiple other pockets of various sizes (9 in total).
• I’m not a fan of belts and really like stretchy or adjustable waistbands. The KUHL pants work fine without a belt for myself, I would just prefer the feature.

I had to be super picky to come up with some things I didn’t like about these pants. Overall, nothing would prevent me from getting another pair in the future.

Conclusion

I think KUHL pants could become a staple brand we see at the crags and boulder fields in the future. I am very impressed with the quality and versatility of the KUHL Konfidant Air Men’s Pants.