kilt for the appalachian trail

[NewEnglander]

My gut reaction is a PV kilt, ie one from USA Kilts. That being said, I'm sure you'll want to take whatever kilt you decide upon out for a few miles of testing on the trail with full pack before you commit to talking down (or up) the Appalachians.

[cavscout]

Check out Andrew Breechers web site referenced in this thread. He is a long time member, though I've not seen him around in a while. He is a long distance hiker that "Thru'd" in a Bear Kilt back in 2004. His trail journal could be a valuable resource for you. Also if you haven't heard of http://www.whiteblaze.net/ lots of info there for planning a thru-hike.

His web site is

http://www.breecher.com/blog/
http://www.trailjournals.com/entry.cfm?id=53980

[Ryan Ross]

Well, you've gotten plenty of great suggestions as to kilts, so my suggestion would be to make sure and stop off in Franklin NC and visit the Scottish Tartans Museum! Franklin tends to be full of thru-hikers and is a very friendly town. Also, there's a new outdoors store next to the museum that's pretty good too!

...and for what it's worth, I'd side with those that suggest wool. One of its strong suits, besides its warmth and breathability, is that it doesn't tend to hold smells and has natural anti-microbial properties.

[piperdbh]

Which direction are you going? If you're starting in GA and heading to maine, I think I'd go with something lightweight, and start the hike next week. If you're going to Maine and hike south, then you might want something a little warmer, and start inthe summer. Keep us posted, whatever you decide.

[Lallans]

Whatever you try on, leg-lift is a big thing to consider- meaning the amount of effort it takes to lift your knee up to an angle of say 60 degrees off the ground. Walking those big trails, I was always in an agony of indecision around that and insect protection in mosquito and black fly season (the latter is greatly extended in the northerly regions, in fact it never ends on the mountain tops). Trousers are hard to lift against shorts much better. Never did try a kilt but for sure if you have to lift heavy kilt material every time you put your knee up, you'll come to wish you were in regular hiking shorts.

I hope you've read Bill Bryson's book A Walk In The Woods? Genuine hilarity aside, he describes how he encountered snowstorms in Georgia during his spring walk.

[Andy Proffitt]

Whatever you choose get something you don't mind hiking wet in (esp in the NC,TN,VA sections). As for material, I can't stress enough the old hikers adage "Cotton Kills". If you get wet and it gets a little chill, it will leech your body heat and you will be in hypothermia land before you know it. I've been onhikes here in the Smokies in late May early June where you start out one day at 65 and for three more it never gets above 35. If you can stand it, I would say wool.

[Lallans]

... and wool rinses out well in plain cold water, at least odour does. Not something to be taken lightly if you're hitching a (necessary) ride from the trailhead into town. I was always acutely aware that non-hiking people were sorry they'd picked me up. Windows would go down and so on.

[Tobus]

Great thread! There's been some good advice so far. Especially about considering how the hip belt on your pack will sit over a kilt. That's a pretty big deal after a couple of hours of hiking, and a HUGE deal after days or weeks.

Since a traditional kilt belt and sporran tend to be more "in the way" than helpful for backpacking, I'd go with a kilt that has plenty of pockets and doesn't need anything more than a minimal belt, or no belt at all.

I usually do my backpacking in my Utilikilt, and it has its advantages as well as disadvantages. It can get a little warm around the waist area, but I figure that's more from my hip belt than anything else, and any kilt is going to have similar issues. But I do love the pockets. I can carry my knife, chap-stick, map, lighter, compass, handkerchief, and a whole host of other stuff in those pockets. Any traditional kilt is going to require you to carry your goodies in your pack, or strap on some other carrying device.

Plus, the UK is made from a good sturdy material, and the construction is pretty solid. No worries about snags or dirt. It cleans easily and is pretty much maintenance-free.

The downside is that it's not adjustable if you lose weight during your trip. Plus, the snaps and hardware probably add some weight, although I would say that it's still much lighter than going with a heavy wool kilt, especially when wet!

I wear my UK a little higher than it's intended (they make it to be worn low on your hips like a pair of jeans). So my hip belt does kinda ride over it a little. But if you size a UK like they recommend, and wear it like you would wear jeans, there's absolutely no issue with the hip belt.



On "leg lift" weight, the UK is about as good as you're going to get, possibly, except for a PV 4-yard casual kilt or sport kilt. Honestly, though, I wouldn't worry about that. Any kilt is going to be pretty light on the fronts of your legs. The heavy kilts have all their weight at the sides and back, where leg lift is not an issue. I'd focus more on overall weight.

So how are you fixed on the rest of your gear? I've been upgrading all my backpacking gear lately for some upcoming trips. Still trying to break in a new pair of backpacking boots, and my feet are hating me right now. Be sure to do your homework on the right kind of boots for a trip like this! You'll quickly learn that your feet are the most critical part of the package. The right socks are very, very important too. I've been experimenting with different wool blend hiking socks, as well as acrylics.

I tend to over-analyze my gear, and have been learning a lot from the ultralight backpackers, even though I'm not an ultralight minimalist by any stretch of the imagination. My base pack weight (essential gear, before food and water) is below 20 pounds, which I figure is a good reasonable number for my body weight. Once you hit the trail, every ounce of stuff on your back will start to wear on your stamina over the amount of ground you have to cover on the AT.

I do envy you, though. Wish I could take the time to do that.

[Rab]

I've been using a Sport Kilt "Hiking Kilt" for the last 6 months running ultra marathons. It is extremely lightweight, made out of a technical fabric much like other sports clothes but looks good pretty much like an ordinary kilt.

here's an excert from a review I posted on a running forum I use;
" It performed well in all weathers. During last weekends Eagle Isle 3 day ultra on the Isle of Mull we had some very mixed weather and terrain. Day 1 was through forest, moors and bogs and we experienced some very heavy rain showers. I was a bit worried about the kilt becoming water logged but it shed the rain very well and once the rain stopped dried extremely quickly. I fell over quite a few times in the bogs and the peaty mud wiped straight off keeping the sport kilt looking just as smart as it was when I first put it on.
Day 2 was the mountain day and was extremely windy, I was wearing a pair of sports boxers underneath which was just as well or there could have been a few times when I was caught out by a gust on the mountain side! But at no time did I feel too cold and when descending through heavy bracken off the hill the kilt protected my thighs and groin from scratches with out experiencing any damage itself.
The last day was some fast running on good trails along loch side paths and through forestry land down to the coast. It was really sunny and pretty warm for this time of year and through the sheltered forest sections was stiflingly hot at times. Usually in these conditions you can experience some pretty devastating chaffing to the groin and inner thighs but the sport kilt kept me light and airy and moving well"

I've also used it on races on the West Highland Way and in Wales over the Brecon Beacons in November as well, It performed excellently on all ocasions.

It is however pretty lightweight so might not keep you warm when your not active and as it can blow around a bit some sort of undershorts are definately required.

[Woodsman]

So am I reading this correctly? Do SportKilts hold up well to snags and pulls from the brush?