Looking for a heavyweight kilt for hiking in the winter

[Steve Ashton]

I guess it would all depend on your definition of "heavy weight" and "Durable".

An 8 yard, 16oz kilt in the Traditional style will weigh right around 4 lbs. And while some would call it durable or long lasting, it is of expensive wool fabric that can snag, should be dry-cleaned, and has a waist height that is up about three or four finger widths below the bottom of your breastbone. Well above the navel on most guys.

The Gray kilt on the left is a the definition of the Traditional Style. It was made by Barb Tewksbury.
The Green kilt on the right is a current MOD military issue kilt.
Notice please that all three kilts in this photo have the bottom just above the top of the knee cap where they are designed to be worn and where it would cause the less chaff while hiking.



The waist height of both of these may be too high to be comfortable under packstraps. They also may be too expensive for rough hiking in the woods.

There is a material called "PV" that is a blend of Polyester and Acrylic that may fit your needs a bit better.
Be careful however as you will see the letters "PV" on many sites selling kilts made in Pakistan. While inexpensive the Pakistani kilts are usually not actually PV but 100% Acrylic. Very light weight and snags very easily.

Look at the offerings of one of our advertisers - USA Kilts. Their logo is on the top banner. They make kilts from true English PV. The fabric is 12oz so an 8 yard kilt like their Semi-Trad will weight about 3 lbs.
It is machine washable and could be washed in any stream. The weave is tight enough not to snag easily. And the cost is much more reasonable in case you do destroy it.

This is a photo from the USA Kilts website of the owner, Rocky, in a Semi-trad.