Quote Originally Posted by Calgacus View Post
To address your first point, I have a theory which I am working on and gathering evidence for, that the great kilt was first folded in half before being pleated and worn. For a typical 4.5 yard kilt, this results in just over 2 yards and about 6 box pleats, for a man of my size (33" waist). Much less likely to clear your tables of ornaments, but still not the best garment for inside the modern household to be sure. I suspect it was more of an outdoor garment anyway.

As for the vegetation cover in the highlands during the relevant period, it was not so very different than it is now. The highlanders of the time were primarily cattle herders and the land was fairly heavily grazed by cattle and deer. The variety of plants and grasses would have been more varied than it is now (sheep eat almost anything), but it was still essentially the same. Then, as now, the ground cover was/is generally less than knee-deep so walking in the highlands does virtually no damage to a kilt, great or otherwise. It can fairly punish your hose though.
I believe the shirts worn were pretty long and would cover you well indoors and also cover you somewhat if a wind came up and blew your kilt up.