Beery; Your thoughts on the contempoary kilt as quite correct. The Great Kilt was a mans blanket, the best way to carry it, was to wear it. And yes, it was a good heavy weight, or it could be linnen/wool blend, a bit later on in the 18th Centy. When the function went out, just the form survived. Might I suggest you return to the Traditional Kilt, find a good weight winter wool, and sew in the box pleats? As to the linned kilt, again, that is a modern adapation. The orignal kilt wearers also wore a shirt that came to your knees, and not to your a** , as a Wal Mart shirt now does. Ergo, wear a real wool shirt, of that lenght, to add some 'warm ' to the nether regions. Also note; the original kilts were only 30 inches + or- wide; and not the modern 60 inches in a Great Kilt you now buy. Originally the Scots soldiers were issued 09 yds of wool ploid at 30 inches wide. They cut the 9 yd in half and sewed the two together, for 60inches x 4 1/2 yds. for a Great Kilt. For a wee kilt, actually 2 of them, they would cut the 9yds in half. They then could either pleat the extra to the stern(which is where the present fashion of pleated panels in the Modern kilts begins: a method to take up some extra wool fabrick) or fold the 4 1/2 yards to 2 1/4(?) and pleat the two layers of wool ploid as if it were one, and that makes a warm kilt. Ditto, for heavy woolen stockings, and not poly viscose, latex abberations.
To the Modern kilt wearer this sounds unusual, but Experience, teaches what the books cannot. Thoes lessons, keep me in a Traditional Kilt, and not the Modern' just for looks' Kilt. These are the View and Thoughts of;
Squire Charles Anthony
74th Regt. Argyle Highlanders,(Re-created)1778-1784
Penned from Maine