kilt for the appalachian trail

[Woodsman]

So am I reading this correctly? Do SportKilts hold up well to snags and pulls from the brush?

[Whidbey78]

My vote would go for the X-Kilt. If you don't blow a ton of money for the fabric it's cheap so if it gets damaged it's no big loss. For roughly a hundred bucks, the cost of a Sportkilt, you could make four or five and have them in different weights for varied conditions, or just have spares on hand in case of damage or a need to change into dry or clean clothes. Just my $.02USD.

[Iain Robb]

So am I reading this correctly? Do SportKilts hold up well to snags and pulls from the brush?

I would not deliberately wear my Sportkilt off-trail, but I have worn it on a trail that turned out to be little more than a line on the map and a few overgrown faint trails through the brush, and it is none the worse for it.

[Tartan Hiker]

I hike five or six days a week each summer, and nearly every day in a kilt, so I have developed some definite preferences.

First, I'd never go farther than the end of my driveway in an acrylic kilt. Snags, rips, and combustion aside, they are just plain hot. Back when I did own one I learned to never wear it if the temperature was expected to be above 70 F or else I would quickly become miserably hot. Now I use poly/cotton in the summer and an old wool band kilt in the winter. For a thru-hike where I had to take one kilt that had to "do it all", I'd go with a 5 or 6 yard PV kilt. I like my mil spec camo Poly/cotton kilts for their ease of care and toughness (and the $4 per yard I pay for the fabric ), but if I were heading out on the AT I'd splurge for a PV without hesitation.

Second, the beauty of a kilt is the high waist. I was always uncomfortable in shorts that ride where shorts typically do because the waist belts on both my full external frame and my big day pack would push my shorts down. When I went over to the kilt, I found the waist belt rode perfectly on the waist of the kilt rather than above it. Eureka! Everything stayed right where I wanted it and I got a bit of extra padding between myself and the belt.

An important consideration that I don't believe has been mentioned in previous posts is to be sure that the kilt is not too long. If the fabric hits the back of your calf, it will eventually rub a nasty red line across the back of your leg. This gets even worse when the kilt is wet, heavy, and hangs a bit lower due to the added weight of the water. This can turn each step into sheer terror, so be totally sure that the kilt is not too long!

Also, I tried pockets several times, and quickly ditched them each time. Anything heavier than a pocket handkerchief caused lots of swinging and bashing about, which was uncomfortable and annoying. A sporran is a bad idea for exactly the same reason (although I will use one for half-day hikes or when I need to carry something that I need to get to easily).

Now, for a bit of a reality check. You're going to be out in the rain. You can play this two ways. Hike in the kilt and get water in your boots. (I always carry gaiters, and even with them my socks eventually get soaked) or pack some rain pants to wear under or over a pair of cargo shorts. On a thru hike you absolutely cannot afford to let your boots get soaked, and rain pants that cover your boot tops are the only sure method to prevent this.

[swampfox]

im planning on making an xkilt for the weight and expense reasons... i have rain gear that would keep me covered, makes sense about not letting the kilt rub the back of your calf lol ouch.