A collection of backpaking/hiking kilt blogs/site etc. and "rain kilts"

[Alan H]

Since there seems to be a solid contingent of kilted hikers and backpackers on XMTS, I thought you lads and lasses might enjoy reading through a few of these sites.

John Muir Trail, kilted - including a "what worked and what didn't work" section.

http://www.firstchurchofthemasochist...-isles-to.html

Note that he used a Sportkilt hiking kilt.

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A couple of guys on the John Muir trail yahoo forum referred to a Zpacks kilt, so I had to look it up. Hmmm.

http://www.zpacks.com/accessories/cloudkilt.shtml

Cuben Fiber is actually derived from the stuff that the digital readout on your wristwatch is made out of. It was used for ultra-high tech sails for the America's Cup, two challenges ago. It's ridiculously light, but that's not really a "kilt", IMHO.

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Another brief discussion of "rain kilts"... which IMHO is a skirt, not a kilt, but what the heck, we can discuss, right? The idea is certainly practical enough.

http://wanderingthewild.com/category/gear-2/

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Ultra-running kilt...hey, it's "almost" hiking.

http://trailandultrarunning.com/jwal...g-kilt-review/

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Finally, a topic for discussion, since I saw it mentioned here and there, but didn't come across anything really specific..

A tyvek kilt. This is usually referenced in terms of rain protection. Hmmmm.
Thoughts?

[KentuckyCeltophile]

Cool thread, Alan. Thanks for posting it as I have often wondered about hiking in a kilt. I agree with you wholly that the rain kilt is a skirt that has hijacked the name.
Cheers,
Kc

[Andrew Breecher]

Also:

http://www.trailjournals.com/haiku/

[ratspike]

The way the ultralight crowd interprets "kilt" is interesting for sure. These three are new ones to me. While definitely not kilts, I think the rain kilts are both pretty brilliant and definitely a very practical thing to have along. Wet clothes are no fun at all, regardless of the fabric they're made out of, so I give rain kilts two big thumbs up.

The Jkilt...I dunno. It's got an apron and some pleats but those side panels kill it for me. They don't list a weight but I can't imagine it beats the SportKilt hiker, a claimed 330 grams, by a meaningful amount.

I am not an ultralight backpacker so my $0.02 should be taken for exactly what it's worth. I get the need for reducing weight but a kilt is what it is. It's going to have a bunch of fabric in it because it just does. I'm not one for drawing too many lines in the sand regarding what a kilt is and isn't based on what it looks like, but I do think that a kilt has to have an apron in the front, and everything else is pleats. Those pleats can be big ones, like the El Kommando or TDK, or they can be little ones. Too much re-engineering of that basic design and, IMO, you have something that's less kilt and more skirt.

For the record, I have no problems with men wearing skirts! Skirts are comfortable and wonderful and can look great on dudes. Like it or not, a kilt is a skirt too. Embrace the fabulous!

Anyway, I'd think that if weight was the primary concern then a simple skirt would be a better choice. I know there are one or two commercially available products but I can't remember the names. The designs were really basic, no pleats or anything, and I'm not sure if the ones I saw were even wraps.

I'm really curious about the market for a hiking kilt that's made like a proper kilt, but it could be a really tough sell when SportKilt and Mountain Hardware are already delivering products at a pretty sweet price point.

[ratspike]

Finally, a topic for discussion, since I saw it mentioned here and there, but didn't come across anything really specific..

A tyvek kilt. This is usually referenced in terms of rain protection. Hmmmm.
Thoughts?

Until this got me thinking about it I hadn't considered Tyvek. It'd be great in the waterproof department, definitely lightweight, and it's really inexpensive from what I've seen. The big downside is that so far I'm only finding it in white.

[Couper]

Hmmm...the Tyvek with which I am familiar is certainly strong and lightweight - but also has a "crinkly" sound when flexed. Might the "swish" come out more like crumpling some cellophane? LOL

[Lodrorigdzin]

It's interesting: I've gone towards ultra heavy: felt "capes de berger", wooden pack frames (lastenkraxe) for gear transport, a large french shepherd's bag for stuff...

i want to be able to stay out entire days, in cold and rain if need be, and be comfortable almost anywhere and be safe when I'm sitting or sleeping near a fire. I've taken my cue from shepherds who go on transhumance, hunters and other wanderers. I like to be out in winter and then i feel more comfortable with the old ways. And they're not ultralight. But I think I carry the essentials and at the same weight or slightly more, but a whole lot more dependability than when I bring lots of crinkly "stuff".

[Andrew Breecher]

It's interesting: I've gone towards ultra heavy

Ultralight tends to be about comfort while hiking - usually it's for those who are hiking 20-40 miles a day, and only camp when it's time to sleep. Ultraheavy (or also: traditional backpacking) is more about comfort while camping - when you generally hike 5-10 miles and pick a spot to set up camp for longer term. Neither one is right or wrong, but they have different goals.

Tyvek doesn't crinkle as much if you run it through the washer a time or two. It becomes softer, probably loses some of its waterproof qualities but retains enough to keep you mostly dry. I've used it as a ground cloth after having washed it, and didn't find that water came up through it.

[Lodrorigdzin]

Ultralight tends to be about comfort while hiking - usually it's for those who are hiking 20-40 miles a day, and only camp when it's time to sleep. Ultraheavy (or also: traditional backpacking) is more about comfort while camping - when you generally hike 5-10 miles and pick a spot to set up camp for longer term. Neither one is right or wrong, but they have different goals.

Tyvek doesn't crinkle as much if you run it through the washer a time or two. It becomes softer, probably loses some of its waterproof qualities but retains enough to keep you mostly dry. I've used it as a ground cloth after having washed it, and didn't find that water came up through it.

I walk pretty far, sometimes about 20 KM to reach a spot for "utesittning": I teach others to sit out too (kind of like a northern european vision quest): we choose our spots carefully, in winter: if you can make a fire, and know how to handle fire and keep it going at night, you need to carry less equipment, like sleeping bags etc. I've learned to sleep in my clothes, and this can be surprisingly comfortable, if you wear the right ones. Overall, while winter camping (when everyone has to bring more gear, regardless) I don't carry much more than other people, in weight that is, but my items are bulkier.

I did train myself to "yomp" and find that training to carry a sizeable load is a great help in going further in more comfort.

40 miles a day hike, that's 64 km? that's speed march/yomping territory.

[Alan H]

I've made small boat sails out of Tyvek and they worked pretty well. I've even epoxy-laminated a couple of layers of house-wrap tyvek onto curved foam to make a composite structre for a boat and that worked OK. I'm not sure about kilts, though...but heck, it would be worth a try.

Me? I"m squarely in the Old Skool camp. I hike 5-8 miles a day carrying 48 pounds, more or less. Our favorite gig is to take two days to get "In" beyond the reach of 99% of the day hikers and find a nice lake to set up at. We then spend 3 days day-hiking and exploring. Then we either blast out in one day because the packs are lighter (we ate all the food) or take two days to get out to the trailhead.