In a few months I'll be moving from Southeastern Michigan to Washington, DC. Among other things, this means I'll finally be back near the Appalachians and able to do some serious hiking. Of course, this will include the hot, humid climate of the late spring through early fall of the southeast. Having spent most of my life in the southeast (except the last 6 years), I know that trying to do any serious hiking in that weather can be a real exercise in sweat management.

I would like to look into a good kilt for hiking and backpacking. I have 3 worsted wool kilts that you can see listed in my profile (11, 13, and 16 oz.). I won't likely wear them hiking, for various reasons - not the least of which is my tendency to get muddier, dirtier, and generally more messed up than I'm willing to put one of those through.

So, in looking for a good, inexpensive hiking kilt, would like to hear about the construction quality of the SWK Thrify-kilt. I like the idea of the velcro closure so that there are no buckles to dig into my sides when cinching down heavy pack-belts. Here are my questions.

1) How many yards of fabric are we talking about? I assume something in the 4-5 yard range. Is this true?

2) Are the pleats sewn in? Is the kilt essentially of durable construction?

3) How does the weight of the fabric compare to the standard worsted wool I'm used to?

4) Does it come lined around the waist with any kind of cotton lining?

5) Has anyone used this for hiking and backpacking in humid climates - how does it do for ventilation and sweat-control?


Other thoughts or recommendations are welcome, though I'm trying to keep the cost pretty far down for a first shot.