Cold Weather Kilting?

[Hachiman]

'Fraid I can't help you, Chefdave - I'm a desert rat.

Here in Phoenix, if it gets below 60ºF (15.6ºC) it's considered a cold spell. In fact today's high temp is suppose to be 92ºF (33.3ºC).
.

I'm in a similar position: Queensland rarely gets below 20 deg C on a winter's day (I guess that's in the mid 60's?), and in summer it often exceeds 100 deg F during the day. Then there's the humidity!

I look forward to moving to a colder climate - in fact, I can't wait! (does that mean I'm jonesing for the Northern Hemisphere?). I'm pleased to see that a decent woollen kilt will keep me warm in most winter weather in the USA...

Now, I just need to buy a decent woollen kilt! :rolleyes:

cheers

Hachiman

[cavscout]

Granted, I'm in Georgia, but we do get a very wet cold here and a heck of a lot of ice.

I wore my USA Casual all winter with a pair of thick cotton kilt socks and was as good if not better than in pants. During the coldest days I'd have a sweater and jacket up top while outside.

The kilt just traps a huge heat pocket around the lower half where as pants expel any heat due to compression around the leggs.

[Kilted_John]

As long as you aren't doing off-white or oatmeal hose with hiking boots, it doesn't look goofy. In the winter, I usually wear either my Armstrong 9-yard 16 ounce kilt or my MacKenzie modern 9-yard 18 ounce wool kilt. Black, navy blue, or bottle green KH (kilt hose) with flashes, then whichever shoes or boots I feel like wearing. UK's are a bit too cool for my taste when temps get below a certain level. On top, it's usually a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, and if it's cold enough below freezing, I'll add a down parka. Since I'm still not folically challenged and have long enough hair, I find that I don't lose much heat in the winter from the top of my head. It does tend to get a bit wet when show's falling, though. When it's raining, only the end of my 12" long ponytail gets damp. Last winter, I wore my MacKenzie when we had some pretty strong wind coming down the Fraser River valley into WA. Still was warm enough and didn't get frostbite on the kneecaps.

-J

[Riverkilt]

Cavscout's right about heat rising and keeping things under the kilt toasty.

You'll really notice the effect if you have to raise the kilt for the usual purpose and find you've dumped the heat out too. Gets cool fast until the air under the kilt can warm up again.

Ron

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

You'll be fine. I would expect that the SWK Standard might not see much use if it gets below 45 or so. I spend all last winter in Chicago and my SWK Standard, my lightweight Pride of Scotland, and my AK were the only ones that did not get worn. And I think that hose pulled up with Doc Marten type boots looks fine. That is all I wore for normal work attire. If I was going somewhere more formal, then I might add flashes and wear wingtips.

[Andrew Breecher]

I've worn Utilikilts (both the Workman's and the thinner ones), poly/viscose kilts, and wool kilts (13 oz) in the winter, down to -20F. Don't let anyone tell you kilts are only for warm weather. I've worn them through blizzards, where ice crystals collect on the bottom edge.

But as I've said for other things: don't worry about it, just try it. If you're cold you're cold, but you won't know until then.

Andrew.

[Robin]

I experienced wool kilts are much warmer as trousers when it's cold

[Caradoc]

I experienced wool kilts are much warmer as trousers when it's cold

I've slept outdoors in the snow in a feileadh bhreacain, but that's a bit more wool than a philibeg.

[pbpersson]

Don't let anyone tell you kilts are only for warm weather. I've worn them through blizzards, where ice crystals collect on the bottom edge.

I have arthritis in my knees. If I did that I don't think my knees would be very happy with me.

[davedove]

Wind chill is the danger while kilted. At temp. and wind combinations that lower the wind chill below 0 f or -32c you may feel warm but the exposed skin of the knees may frost bite.

I can say that last winter when I wore my kilt in single digit temperatures, I was fine except when the wind hit my knees. But even then, if I was moving I didn't notice it much.

I also prefer to wear my hose scrunched with boots rather than at the knee but I may have to alter that for the cold. Boots and knee high hose look a little goofy though.

You could always wear the boots with the hose scrunched down. If it gets too cold outside, pull the hose up and don't worry about what people think. I've certainly seen stranger things on cold days.