Kilt versus Shorts

[Jimmy]

Just back from 3 weeks in Lanzarote in the Canaries where the temperature was considerably high.
Everyone during the day was in shorts and indeed even in the evening.
In Scotland it can be very enjoyable wearing the kilt in a pleasant summer's day or evening but in the Canaries, shorts were much more comfortable than a kilt even if it was a lightweight one.
I understand from previous threads and posts the many members love wearing the kilt in high temperatures and find it very comfortable but surely shorts are much cooler than a kilt down to your knees

[TheOfficialBren]

Agreed. There are days when even my lightweight P/V won't do for me. Then again, there are days when 16oz wool is nippy below certain temperatures.

[PEEDYC]

I normally travel to Gambia, W. Africa in my kilt leaving the UK in our winter temperatures and arriving to around 30 plus degrees. I tend to only wear it on "special" occasions when there. The only time I felt uncomfortable was 2 years ago at Christmas lunch as the temperature was very high. It was not the overall heat but around my waist due to the amount of material and the leather belt that caused a bit of discomfort. The rest of time time I was fine. Last time out I left Gambia for home late at night with a temp of 20 and arrived in the UK at -1 (end of March) but still felt OK even waiting for a train for an hour or so.

[TheOfficialBren]

PEEDYC,
Your annecdote makes me think of Highland units who deployed to warmer climes when kilts were part of their field uniforms. Wow! It says something about the mettle of those chaps.

[HippieLee]

Well, all of my shorts are of the cargo variety and come down to my knees (or mostly there) anyway. Since my first kilt is due to arrive any day now I will then be able to compare the experiences. I live in Florida so I'll have plenty of hot weather to test (although it is a bit chilly today - all the way down to 77 degrees Fahrenheit!). My kilt is an 8 yard, 13oz wool but I'm not yet experienced enough to tell how it compares to the cotton shorts.

[Tobus]

Meh. In really hot weather, there's nothing that's truly comfortable to wear. If I'm going to suffer, I'm going to look good while doing it.

[orionpyoung]

I can't stand hot weather, thats why I live so far north. But even up here it can get hot enough that I feel it's best not to move.

[Geoff Withnell]

When it's really hot (and here in the Washington, DC area high 90's (F) and high 90's humidity is not unusual), I can't stand all that fabric between my legs. Give me a light kilt and air circulation.

[Grae]

My experience has been that very few days are too hot/humid not to wear a 13 oz wool 6 yard kilt in Sydney , and we can get hot weather. I agree the belt is too hot and uncomfortable on hot days and needs to be ditched. We wear shorts often and i agree with the air circulation point that kilt is better / comfortable to wear esp. as length kilt about the same as shorts. That's why sarongs in the tropics are more comfortable than shorts. Before i wore the kilt regularly i also thought it would be too hot on a summer day but I was wrong about that.

[McClef]

Given that many shorts these days go down to the knees and the circulation of air being better in a kilt I would think that they are not such a panacea.

I wore a kilt in Barcelona in the month of June a couple of years or so ago and had no problems.