OVREXPOSED - a new member here - just posted saying that he work a UK to a civilian atire allowed military function. Rather than hijack that thread, I've started this one, but I've had some thoughts on military kilts. First I've noticed that many of us kilt wearers are former (or curent) military (both here and on the UK Yahoo group - a poll there indicated about 50% military service).

I think that the military in general needs to adopt a modern kilt, plain and simple.

Using UK's survival model as an example (not that the Army wouldn't create their own):

I can carry more stuff in the pockets than in BDU pockets.

They are so much cooler (temp), and if you've ever been out on a Cat 4 day (and in Iraq every day is a Cat 4 day), you know about the militarys attempts to keep soldiers cool.

For cammoflage purposes, they present a more irregualr shillouette than pants, so actually do the job better.

In fact there are only two places in the military, I at first thought of that a kilt would be detrimental. I say at first, because I think even now, that they do become a good idea.

First, in tanks (I'm an ex tanker), mobile artillery, other moving equipment. Then I remembered, that in cases like this we always wore a Nomex suit anyway. Taking off the kilt at the time you put on the Nomex and you have one less layer of clothing so you stay cooler.

Second is during a chemical attack. The Army's (and presumably the Marine's) NBC gear is designed to go on extreemly quickly to save your life in an attack. At first I thought that trying to bunch a kilt under the NBC suit would be a problem, but then I remembered that the UK Survival is designed that it can be worn without a belt. It takes a half second to rip the kilt off and let it fall. So it really takes no more time to tp put on an NBC suit, again the cooling factor since actually wearing less clothing (again very important in Iraq) and finally all your stuff is accessible since the kilt isn't under the NBC suit unlike the BDU pants where you can no longer get to your pockets.

The only remaining problem I see is that the cost (of casual kilts) seems a little prohibitive, but even that is not really a factor. First, the govt would be buying in such quantities that prices would go down.

Second, a soldier actually needs fewer uniforms. I never was able to wear BDU pants (or jeans for that matter) more than two days without washing (unless I was really desperate or in the field). However, I go weeks between washings of any of my kilts with no notice at all.

So how do we propose kilts to the military?

Adam