I notice though that many of the issues being brought up, you would still encounter while wearing shorts (lower leg, bugs, ...).

Fact is, most folks will do the most if not all of their hiking and camping in the warmer months so I'd tend to go with a very light cotton kilt. I personally think the UK Survivals are too heavy for a long hike. My PK MarPat is very light and hardly any metal but is very durable to scuffs. If I had the coin to own a lot of PV kilts, I'd probably be willing to dedicate a couple to getting filthy in the woods, but for now, the one I've got is dedicated to semi-formal casual wear. The same principle goes for my wool kilt also.