Kilt on IR
Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:00 pm
I wanted to try out hiking in a kilt because of all the great things I'd heard about wearing a kilt and positive reviews of kilts as backpacking gear.
I went with a traditional wool kilt and sporran (little pouch that hangs in front).
Our trip was over Memorial Day weekend, The Soggy Kilt Tour viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2779 - beat the black flies and mosquitoes - that was an aspect I was glad not to report on.
On the trail: range of movement, cushioning with the pack/belt, and air movement were all amazing.
Cross-country/backcountry: range of movement was definitely still appreciated, but my knees and shins were a bit mangled by the underbrush. The sporran and weight/durability of the wool kilt pushed down taller underbrush nicely - I didn't once get stuck on anything.
Chafing was a concern. I'm glad to report it was not a problem. I did wear boxer briefs while we were moving because I was afraid of errant sticks flying up. Only really needed to wear gold bond.
Warmth was good except sitting by the Lake at/after sunset. Only got too warm once.
In the cold rain, it kept me warm still. But it did get very heavy and didn't dry very quickly.
Bonus: my sleeping pad had a major leak and I was able to use my kilt as an emergency stand-in.
I also felt PERFECT sipping on Scotch by Lake Superior in the fog with my kilt on.
Takeaways: I liked the wool for the warmth at the time we were out there - might be less excited about that in July or August. Wool's breathable and it didn't get smelly. Not sure how canvas/acrylic kilts would fare. I was glad not to have had to discover how much/little protection it would offer from bugs. Going backcountry, I'd be sure to wear knee-high socks.
Has anyone else had kilt experience on the Island?
I went with a traditional wool kilt and sporran (little pouch that hangs in front).
Our trip was over Memorial Day weekend, The Soggy Kilt Tour viewtopic.php?f=8&t=2779 - beat the black flies and mosquitoes - that was an aspect I was glad not to report on.
On the trail: range of movement, cushioning with the pack/belt, and air movement were all amazing.
Cross-country/backcountry: range of movement was definitely still appreciated, but my knees and shins were a bit mangled by the underbrush. The sporran and weight/durability of the wool kilt pushed down taller underbrush nicely - I didn't once get stuck on anything.
Chafing was a concern. I'm glad to report it was not a problem. I did wear boxer briefs while we were moving because I was afraid of errant sticks flying up. Only really needed to wear gold bond.
Warmth was good except sitting by the Lake at/after sunset. Only got too warm once.
In the cold rain, it kept me warm still. But it did get very heavy and didn't dry very quickly.
Bonus: my sleeping pad had a major leak and I was able to use my kilt as an emergency stand-in.
I also felt PERFECT sipping on Scotch by Lake Superior in the fog with my kilt on.
Takeaways: I liked the wool for the warmth at the time we were out there - might be less excited about that in July or August. Wool's breathable and it didn't get smelly. Not sure how canvas/acrylic kilts would fare. I was glad not to have had to discover how much/little protection it would offer from bugs. Going backcountry, I'd be sure to wear knee-high socks.
Has anyone else had kilt experience on the Island?