So I broke down and dropped some coins on these pants Andy now I've had them for about 2 years to date - kuiu attack, tiburon and first lite corrugate pants. Prior to forking out over $100 dollars, I searched quite a bit on forums for information to determine which one should would work for me and I really didn't find much. Maybe I'll save some homework on this review for a few.
I'll start out by saying I like them all. I'm a fairly slim to athletic built fella poised at 6' with 178 lbs of weigh and the mediums fit me perfectly in all three.
Material -
The kuiu tiburons are great during warmer weather of the three and are constructed of a tough but really light material. In appearance it looks like ripstop material but much lighter than the old school stuff found on army fatigues. Never had any issue with it tearing or pilling, appears to take some wear quite well. The material is not the stretch type of most of the outdoor pants, not necessarily a bad thing, they just don't stretch.
The kuiu attacks are of a much thicker material and has a moderate stretch to it. The inside is sort of fleece like and it had to cool outside to wear them comfortably and not get too warm. Down here in the south where we have a lot of bushes with stickers, walking through these areas created pills or pulls in the material (photo). Not really worried about that but just stating a fact on what to expect but when it was cool outside, they were definitely one of the pants I really liked having, especially if it was cold.
The first lite corrugates wore quite well too with the most stretchy material of the three and a little lighter material than the attack pants but heavier than the tiburons. They fit a little looser than the kuiu pants and really were perfectly in the middle in regards to the material thickness but were just as comfortable as the others and more so in all temperatures.
Features-
Kuiu
Both the attack and tiburons have identical pocket design and the added attribute of the side zip thigh vents. The side vents zips are the cat's meow and far from a gimmick and worked great for me in cooling off my drawer region when climbing or walking and building up heat. I wish every pair of pants I had, possessed this feature as I used them a a lot and were very functional. The wife really didn't care for me showing off the side of my boxers through the side mesh vent but when you get over 50, those worries or concerns have virtually left my mind. They work and was a well thought out addition to these pants.
The side thigh pockets were very functional at holding items and could be secured in the pocket with the zipper. Much easier to access the goods in the side thigh pocket as opposed to the regular pocket at the waist. Overall a perfect location to have a pocket.
The first lites had no side zip vent which was a bummer but had a different side thigh pocket that seems to be a little better design in that is has two pockets stacked on one another on each leg, one with a zipper and one without. This made it much easier to quickly access items that I wanted to get to quicker and other items could be stowed in the zippered pocket that weren't needed as often. In the sitting position I never had any issues with items in my pockets without the zippers falling out at any time.
Other than the temperature in which they are worn, you really can't go wrong with either of the 3 pairs of pants, they all performed great in their own capacities and I've actually have purchased another pair of each and would recommend them all.
With all that being said, I did break down and buy a pair of the wrangler stretch material pants at Walmart and they've been a lot better than anticipated and would rate them close to the kuiu or fl but not quite even with them on the same tier. But, at $25 a pair, they definitely deserve some recognition as a much more economical alternative.
Hope that helps someone.
