hiking kilt suggestions

[Joshua]

I love my sport kilt for hiking! as you already stated is light weight and great way to beat the heat. i just have a regular sport kilt, not the Hiker, so i would suggest just getting one of their other kilts in the tartan you like to avoid any unnecessary ugliness.

I'm just wondering on why you are interested in its fire resistance qualities... what exactly are you hiking through??

Simple. Use a fire at night, if a log cracks and a spark flies, I dont want to lose my only garment and have to hike out in skivvies.

[gary meakin]

I wear a 13 oz acrylic kilt for hiking. Coupled with a tekwik shirt i've been comfortable enough when the temps hit the 90s.
I've heard PV is much more fire retardant than acrylic so I would probably go with that for sitting by the campfire.

[Tartan Hiker]

Just a few comments from someone who hikes in a kilt literally daily in the summer and very often in the fall/winter/spring:

1. Hiking in acrylic in temps over 70 F is miserable.

2. Hiking in acrylic in temps less than 45 is miserable.

3. Hiking in Poly/Cotton in temps over 45 is wonderful.

4. Hiking in Wool in temps below 45 is wonderful.

5. High-waisted kilts are a great advantage if you are using a "real" pack with waist belt. The belt rides on the kilt, not above it, and so the belt doesn't try to shove your kilt down a you walk.

6. PV is a wonderful alternative to the above, assuming that the temps are reasonable. I've used them with good success in the past, but of the 9 hiking kilts I own right now none are PV. Interpret that as you will.

[Joshua]

I'm glad to hear from you Bill, for more than a few reasons. One of which is that as an Asheville native (born at mission hospital on easter sunday 1978 with 6" of snow), I love hearing from those from Ashevegas. Two, I was looking forward to anyone near the Appalacian Trail as my wife and me have a goal to hike the family in and around the App trail as well as Looking Glass, Coleman Boundary, and Devil's Courthouse with my son.

So far the opinion is... PV is nice, Wool is better?

Does anyone have the "Hiker" sportkilt (made from wicking lightweight synthetics)?

[flyrod6057]

Allow me to break with the masses:

I own a number of kilts, ranging from 13oz wool, to the full range of Utilikilts, a P/V kilt, and a sportkilt. My primary hiking kilt in the summer is either my UK 'survival' or 'mocker.' They're cool and roomy, although being cotton and cotton/poly respectively, I don't think they'd be good when wet. They're also naturally fire resistant, being made from natural fibers.

For fall and/or winter hiking (or skiing, for that matter) I don't see any reason that a no-kidding wool tartan kilt wouldn't be fine. The wool breathes, yet stays warm even when wet. I've worn mine in Arizona in August as well as the pacific Northwest in the damp of fall and winter. Furthermore, wool doesn't burn, so you won't go up in flames from a spark. However, the price point of a traditional wool kilt would be enough for me to avoid sitting too close to potential embers...

My vote for P/V: pass. I don't prefer the weight or "hang" of P/V.

My vote for Sportkilt: pass. Again, way too light for my taste.

With regards to Utilikilt: you could always go with their "workman" kilt. It's almost bulletproof, but I can attest to the fact that 13oz. ring spun cotton duck doesn't breathe very well when things heat up. Again: pass.

Just my $.02

Best of luck to you!
Cheers!

[Pleater]

Depending on how rough the terrain is you might consider, whatever kilt you settle on, using some kilt liners.

A sturdy liner can stop vegetation intruding, gives you something to sit on if you don't want to sit on the pleats, and you can swap them easily, and carry several so you have fresh clean fabric against your skin, plus you can wash one and spread it over a pack to dry out next day.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Mikewood]

Kilt liners? This is new to me. But then it's all new to me...
So I got to ask...
When is a kilt liner not a petticoat?

[pakiltedff]

I do quite a bit of kilted hiking, except for the coldest winter months up north, I usually hike kilted. For warm weather, a cotton washable kilt: Utilikilt, Amerikilt or Nations kilt. In colder weather I have worn one of my wool kilts, however I concur with the concerns about getting caught up in brambles etc, especially if you are on a lesser traveled trail. If its cool and wet I have worn one of my leather kilts they are also great on windy cool days.

[Riverkilt]

Anne's right! Nothing is more important than what you wear UNDER the kilt when hiking - try going commando hiking and find out why. What's the point in wearing underwear when you want to hike free? A kilt liner - or underkilt -is the answer - your manhood is protected from repeat abrasion and you're still free.

I remain baffled that men who proudly wear the kilt suddenly get all freakie about wearing a cotton slip/kiltliner/underkilt to protect the kilt from them and when hiking to protect them from abrasion from the kilt. How can we be so open about the kilt and so closed minded about the common sense of an underkilt/kiltliner/slip.

I also remain amazed that kilt vendors don't offer underkilts/kiltliners/cotton slips for sale as a matter of course. I bought three J'Dez Underkilts before they seemed to have gone out of businees and that purchase remains one of the most common sense purchases I ever made. All the benefits of underwear without loosing the FREEDOM.

Any kilt is a good hiking kilt. I also agree that the Utilikilts Survivor II is a great kilt for hiking. The pockets allow you to store water and other heavy goods low on your body.


What is the big deal about a man wearing a kilt liner to protect his kilt from himself or himself from his kilt when hiking? Also adds one more layer of modesty when seated.


Basil Utilikilts Survival II on the long trek down the Grand Canyon to the Havasupai reservation. You can't see the abrasion saving kilt liner - but its there - protecting ME while still allowing FREEDOM that's not possible with regular underwear.

[Pleater]

I make a strip of shaped fabric - using darts or folds at the waist edge, which I fix to the inside of a kilt.

I am trying to get all my kilts standardised with either sewn bars or metal loops at the same intervals so as to have interchangeable liners with little hooks at the same intervals. With some I still have to resort to safety pins.

After starting off putting the hooks onto the kilts I decided to reverse things so that the fixings were unobtrusive when the kilt is worn without a liner.

It is not a petticoat as it is not fastened around the waist as a separate garment.

They cut down on the amount of washing each kilt requires. I use soft all cotton fabric which is absorbant but easily washed.

Anne the Pleater :ootd: