Kilts with Body Armor

[Rigged]

The ancient Roman soldiers wore a skirt made with leather panels to deflect swords and arrows.

Kevlar panels worn over, under, or built into a kilt might work. I suspect that such an outfit might be more practical than BDU trousers in some war-fighting situations.

[davedove]

While the flexible panels might stop penetration of a bullet, depending on the material, it would do absolutely nothing for the impact. As Shay was saying, part of the function of the armor is to disperse the impact over a greater area. So, while this is an interesting concept, I don't feel it would be at all practical.

[Archangel]

What a fascinating discussion.
I started thinking of Samurai type panel but Shay "hard" experience serves to outline the evolution of armour. We're not talking about slash and cut primarily but projectile. History shows that as that technology developed so did armour to the body plates as noted.
However, history shows us that lo-tech should always be kept in mind. The Florida natives quickly learned that flint arrows fired into breastplates did just as much damage when the shrapnel flew up and under the gorge and helmet. In that light, the original post may have value. Would there be a value in an armoured kilt of some sort to minimize the lo-tech booby trap damage? Its purpose would not be to protect against any firepower.