This is a gear review about the Kuhl Renegade Cargo Convertible Pants in 2023.
These are one of the most popular convertible pants on the market today. They are comfortable with well-hidden leg zips, big pockets, and a baggy cargo pant feel. But are they good enough to take on multi-day backpacking trips or extended traveling?
Kuhl Renegade Convertible Pants
Kuhl Renegade Convertible Pants – Men’s
Weight: Unknown
Stretch: Yes but not much
Weather Resistant: Yes with DWR
Pros:
> Baggy Cargo Pant fit
> Weather-resistant DWR coating on pants
> Good fit
Cons:
> Not very much stretch
> Front button can pop open if your pants are too tight. Could be a tighter fit to prevent this
When it comes to convertible pants the Kuhl Renegade does a great job. They are a very popular pair of zip-off pants for hiking, backpacking, and traveling. Made with weather-resistant fabric and coated with a DWR finish they are able to withstand mild drizzle for a short period of time. The Kuhl Renegade Convertible Cargo Pants have good pockets and are comfortable as either a pair of shorts or as long pants.
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How do the Kuhl Renegade Convertible Cargo Pants compare with the Best Hiking Pants in 2023.
Comfort and Design
Let’s take a look at the fit, fabric, stretch, colors, and sizes of the Kuhl Renegade Convertible pants.
Fit
The Kuhl Renegade Convertible men’s pants are true to size and have a full-fit baggy cargo style fit without being too baggy.
The shorts are 10 inches in length and the length and fit are both good. The zip-off legs have a nice hidden design where the zip slide can hide inside a small pouch, out of sight. The length of the zip-off pant legs on the pair I had seemed to be too long and not the correct size. this meant that the bottom of the pants didn’t fit too well. Not sure if they are meant to be like that or if the zip-off pants were incorrect. Either way, the zip-off leg length was a little too long.
Fabric
The Kuhl Renegade Convertible pants are made with their Duralux fabric. It is made with 95% nylon and 5% Spandex and coated with a DWR coating.
The fabric has a durable feel to it but is also quite soft to the touch and doesn’t rub any part of the legs or waist. Although they are made with 5% spandex there is not too much stretch but the cut of the pants is baggy enough that this is not too much of an issue.
They are UPF 50+ rated so good for use in strong sun.
Colors and Sizes
With a choice of 2 colors that are earthy and good enough to cover up any minor stains.
There are also 5 leg lengths from 28 to 36 so both short and tall people are well catered for. There are 11 waist sizes to choose from sizes 28 to 42 so most people will have a waist size to fit them.
The zip-off shorts are 10 inches in length and a good size that most people seem to like.
Stretch
As mentioned above there is 5% spandex in the fabric but they don’t seem to have much stretch. The 2-way stretch is not as good as other Kuhl Pants. When it comes to convertible pants it seems like there is not much in the way of stretch options from most brands so it seems Kuhl has gone with the popular choice as not given them too much stretch.
Overall, the lack of stretch is not too bad as they have a baggy fit that still allows a lot of freedom of movement.
Pockets
The Kuhl Renegade Convertible Pants have 6 pockets in total.
The two front hand pockets are quite large with an open weave mesh which will assist with ventilation. The two rear pockets also have a ventilated mesh inner fabric and are a nice size with velcro closure.
There are two large cargo pant pockets on the hips. The left cargo pocket has an internal zip pocket as well as the normal cargo pocket. The right cargo pocket has an internal phone pocket hidden within it. It will fit most large smartphones. The cargo pockets have internal stitching that attaches to the main leg so even when cycling in these pants the cargo pockets will not sag if you are carrying anything in them.
Belt and Loops
There is no belt supplied with the Kuhl Renegade pants. But there are large belt loops. Many people will want to use a belt with these pants as there is not a lot of stretch in the waist so if you lose a bit of weight the pants may want to fall down. Also, the front pop stud button will come undone if you put too much pressure on it. There is also a webbing loop on the rear belt loop. I can only assume that is there to hang the pants to dry them when traveling or backpacking!
Weather Resistance and Breathability
The fabric is lightweight and breathable. It has decent weather resistance and a good DWR coating but they are not as weather resistant as some other Kuhl Pants such as the Silencr and Deceptr pants. Water will definitely get into the mesh pockets and through the zip on the zip-off pant legs but that is to be expected.
Shorts and Zip-Off Leg
The shorts have a 10-inch length which is normal for most zip-off pants and the length feels just about right. The zip for the legs is well hidden and overall it is a much better design than almost all the convertible pants on the market. They are easy to take on and off but I would love to see an easy way to distinguish between which zip-off pants and zip belongs to which side. Maybe a colors zip or something.
There is a zip and press studs at the bottom of the legs. I was able to take take the zip-off pants off without needing to remove my hiking boots. However, it appears that the leg length of the pants was not correct and was 2 inches longer than it should be. Not sure if this was a production issue and all pants are like that or I just received a pair with the wrong sized leg length. So this made the leg length of the pants too long for me.
Value
The Kuhl Renegade Convertible Cargo pants are just over $100 at the retailers below and represent decent value for a pair of shorts and a pair of pants combined into one.
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Kuhl Renegade Convertible Men’s Pants vs The Rest
How do the Kuhl Renegade Convertible Cargo Men’s pants compare to other hiking pants on the market?
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Conclusion
Overall, the Kuhl Renegade Convertible Cargo pants represent a durable pair of zip-off combo pants. The shorts work well and the shorts and the pants work well as pants. I’ve worn many convertible pants over the years and these are my new favorites. They would go from great to awesome with just a little bit more stretch in the fabric but that doesn’t take away from how good they are now.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes the Kuhl Renegade Convertible Cargo Pants use a weather resistant fabric and are coated with a DWR finish. While they are not completely water proof they do a good job in wet conditions. However, water will leak into the mesh pockets and through the zips on the legs.
The Kuhl Renegade Convertible Mens pants are one of the best convertible backpacking pants on the market. They are great as shorts or long pants and best suited for hiking, backpacking and traveling.
