a little uncomfortable discussion about kilts for backpacking

[Calgacus]

...I wear a bum bag slung around the front as a pseudo-sporran...

It may surprise you to hear it, but I've done that myself in the past. I used a bum bag until I got my drover's sporran. I would think a bum bag would be ideal to go along with a contemporary kilt.

[Lodrorigdzin]

Did my first backpack trip in a kilt last week on the AT in a Mountain Hardware Elkomando kilt. Wore it the first half-day and the second day. Was comfortable with no chafing. By the end of the second day, it was soaked with sweat that would not dry out in the high humidity, so I switched to shorts for the third day and the last half-day.

I have day hiked in the Elkomando and in a Sport Kilt Hiking Kilt. I like the weight of both.

I found out on this backpack trip that the wool shirts and undergarments were much more comfortable when sweat soaked that the synthetic materials were. That has me thinking about a lightweight wool hiking kilt!

I invested in merino underclothes and never regretted it. greatest thing: they never stink.

[Calgacus]

Another vote for Merino wool base layer/undergarments. For the Scottish climate at least, they are unbeatable.
Warm and comfortable even when wet, and can be worn for days without developing a bad smell.

[Alan H]

Since the nifty polypropylene undergarments that the Luminous Joan got me for Scotland were a wretched failure, I may have to try the merino wool stuff. Got a brand name? Smartwool??

[Calgacus]

Since the nifty polypropylene undergarments that the Luminous Joan got me for Scotland were a wretched failure, I may have to try the merino wool stuff. Got a brand name? Smartwool??

Mine are all Smartwool or Icebreaker.

[Benning Boy]

AlanH, back beyond the memory of many bicycling shorts were uniformly black and made of wool jersey fabric. The were cool and comfortable in warm weather. The wool wicks perspiration away from the skin, where it evaporates and cools. Wearing jersey shorts on a hot, low humidity Kansas day was almost like wearing nothing at all. You never felt sweaty. Wool cycling shirts were also available. Given your sewing skills, you ought to be able to whip out some wool jersey shorts in very little time. I've not found wool jersey in any fabric store lately, but have found plenty available online. The fancy lycra cycling clothing doesn't cool like wool. It was adopted by high level racers to reduce drag, and give them a tiny margin of speed that might be critical in a close race. It became fad gear for recreational cyclists, and wool shorts and shirts died out. I used be be a darned serious cyclist and always wore wool, never did like the lycra stuff. I'm kinda getting back into it again, and will be making wool jersey shorts for next summer, it's going to be too cool for shorts soon here.

A reenactor/guide at the Fort Larned historic site, along the Sate Fe Trail in south central Kansas, told me his wool uniform was quite comfortable outdoors, where the evaporative cooling effect could work. Indoors, where he wasn't exposed to the wind, the wool uniform cold become uncomfortable in the un-air conditioned buildings.

[kiltedrennie]

I tried Body Glide for the first time this weekend. Put in 15000 steps at the renaissance festival Saturday will no ill effects. It's now an essential component to my ren-faire kit!

[Riverkilt]

I've used a LOT of Body Glide. Tried similar products and have come to prefer Gold Bond's Friction Defense.

Hiking (not backpacking) have found there's no protection for my "firehelmet" without underwear. Just a reality.

Prefer the new poly compression undies too. Wore them under my kilt on my Grand Canyon raft trip and became a believer.

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is I've also had the back of my knees beaten raw by the hem of both wool kilts and cotton Utilikilts. Worse if the kilt gets wet.

[Tobus]

I don't even know how many thousands of miles I've hiked/backpacked in a kilt, and I'm still clueless about this chafing issue you guys seem to think is such a big deal. I don't think my inner thighs rub together at all. And all the other contact surfaces that would see friction between each other usually sweat when I get moving, providing natural protection. The hip belt on a backpack does interfere with kilt wearing, though, and I haven't found a very good solution aside from going to a military-rise kilt. But I'm unwilling to tear up a good quality military kilt for that.

[Andrew Breecher]

The only time my knees were beaten up from the kilt was when the sleet built up on the bottom edge of the kilt and rubbed at the sides and backs of my knees. Since that doesn't usually happen I didn't worry about it too much.