Originally Posted by
Andrew Breecher
The problem with canvas is that it's cotton, and as every backpacker knows, "cotton kills" - that is, when it gets wet it stays wet, and when the temperature drops the cotton gets cold. Wool is traditionally a great outdoors material, because although it takes a long time to dry, while it's wet it remains warm, holding in your core temperature. Poly/viscose material works the same way, remaining warm while wet. It also dries while you wear it; usually I found it dry an hour after it stopped raining. I wore my P/V kilt through blizzards (three of them), rainstorms (too many to count), hailstorms (generally only last half an hour or so), river fords (deep enough to make all men equal), bitterly cold, and blisteringly hot weather. I certainly wasn't any colder or warmer (respectively) than anyone else I was hiking with, and I convinced several others to change to the kilt (mostly the Sport Kilt, because of its non-existant wait time, and cheap price).
In terms of weight, a kilt is always going to be heavier than shorts, or even trousers. There's no way around that. But worn weight distributes itself very well, as opposed to carried weight, or weight on your feet. I'm always amazed at how many people fret about how much weight they have in their pack, and then wear five-pound hiking boots. I'll never hike in anything but running shoes. And a kilt.
Andrew.
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