outdoor kilts

[Andrew Breecher]

And there's also the fact that Kilted Gentry is just within your grasp so a few more posts won't hurt! :grin:

*shrug* I couldn't care less about my forum "title". I post when I post, to say what I have to say, not to push up my post count.

Okay, now back on topic. :grin:

Andrew.

[Iolaus]

Well then... is there anyone who makes a plain wool (not tartan) heavyweight knockabout kilt? Could be machine-sewn, for that matter. Something cheaper than a traditional hand-sewn tartan tank, but with all the right properties for some hard core outdoor activity? That would be ideal.

I'm picturing a "Woolrich" type of kilt, sort of like the UK Workman's might be called the "Carhartt." [Coming soon to a Cabela's near you...]

And pockets! Pockets are good.

If ya know where I can get something like that, let me know!

No pockets, but isn't the Stillwater Heavyweight made of wool now? and they had an all black (Shadow Tartan) kilt. Put in a velcro attached flannel liner for cold weather...

Wait until they restock for the new year; you might find something you like.

[Wompet]

Wool kicks ***. I use wool outer socks with polypropylene liners for skiing so my toes stay toasty. Wick that sweat away from your skin, and even wet wool socks insulate very well. Same goes, it seems, for the fur/hide of any cold-climate animal. Whether evolved or designed, it works. Now if I could just find a wild nauga and a buck gortx on my next hunt....

Silly Angus - nauga and gortx are endangered in the wild. You can only get them farm-raised. (Get the free-range gortx if you can - a littel pricier, but worth it.)

Well then... is there anyone who makes a plain wool (not tartan) heavyweight knockabout kilt? Could be machine-sewn, for that matter. Something cheaper than a traditional hand-sewn tartan tank, but with all the right properties for some hard core outdoor activity? That would be ideal.

I'm picturing a "Woolrich" type of kilt, sort of like the UK Workman's might be called the "Carhartt." [Coming soon to a Cabela's near you...]

And pockets! Pockets are good.

If ya know where I can get something like that, let me know!

Canuck made mention in a couple of posts about using hemp (not wool, I know, but better than cotton), but I don't know if anything ever came of it. An RKilt in plain wool ... probably have to modify how the cargo pockets are fastened to the kilt ...

[Woodsheal]

Here are some machine-sewn 5-yd heavyweights available in solid black and some earthy looking hunting and ancient tartans:

http://scottishkilts.net/products/5_...yard_kilt.html

Would make great hiking kilts! (But I'd still go with a belted plaid - or "great kilt" if you prefer. That way you're wearing an extra wool blanket!)

[furrycelt]

There's a saying among hikers: "Cotton kills."

Yikes!... I am now suspicious of my jeans, underwear, bedsheets, shirts... my gosh, I am surrounded and out numbered!!

;)

I consider myself quite an outdoorsman (though I have never done the whole A.T. and have much respect for those who have). I had never heard this quote. Yet, I am aware of the dangers of hypothermia, and fully aware of how moisture and water can worsen those conditions. I have had Class A survival training, courtesy of American tax dollars. Getting *any* clothing wet is dangerous in cold weather. Cotton I guess can "kill", but it can also save you. It wicks moisture away from the skin very well. Synthetics make me feel clamy cause they trap moisture. Trapped moisture can cause one to lose body heat more rapidly. My ideal is cotton against the skin, other stuff on the outer layer if the weather is going to be cool and/or wet. If I would be exposed to extreme cotton killer conditions, I would have another layer over my kilted butt anyway (be it a tent, poncho, anorak, etc).

Regardless, I hear what you are saying, and I do appreciate your advice. It has caused me to pause and re-think about getting a cotton-based kilt for the outdoors. Again though, I would be all for wearing a wool kilt out and about the wilderness, if the kilt had pockets, was easy to wash and clean, and was not expensive. Which leads me to...

I would never ever dare throw my formal wedding-day wool kilt into the washer and drier, nor my wifes 100% wool sweater. Yet, I have wool hiking socks that I freely abuse and clean without a thought. What's the difference? Can one of our kilt makers acquire or make a cloth that is perhaps a wool blend, so it can be all wool can be wool and yet be washable, wearable, able to be dragged across rocks and sticks without getting pulls, etc.? (Pardon my obvious sartorial ignorance.)

[Angus MacSpey]

I would never ever dare throw my formal wedding-day wool kilt into the washer and drier, nor my wifes 100% wool sweater. Yet, I have wool hiking socks that I freely abuse and clean without a thought. What's the difference? Can one of our kilt makers acquire or make a cloth that is perhaps a wool blend, so it can be all wool can be wool and yet be washable, wearable, able to be dragged across rocks and sticks without getting pulls, etc.? (Pardon my obvious sartorial ignorance.)

That's exactly right. Your wool socks have other fibers mixed in, including usually something for elasticity, such as lycra. It may have something to do with the knitting process too, but I'll have to defer to the textile experts on that.

As for synthetics, I've found those to wick moisture the best - stuff like Thermax and other polypro type fabrics. But the minute I go indoors wearing it, I boil. If I'm going to be in and out all day, I'll wear silk thermals. They insulate well for their weight, wick well, and keep you cool inside.

Nothin' but cotton for summer, though.

And thanks, Iolaus, for the heads-up. I'll check it out.

[Yaish]

There are some new fabrics out now that rely on mechanical action, rather than the material for their moisture wicking abilities. The weave on the material is two ply. The inner material absorbs moisture from your skin, then the out material releases it to evaporation. It looks and feels just like a standard garment though.
Good for summer, but in winter it still wont help much for insulation.

[michael steinrok]

The STILLWATER standard kilts are great and aren't so expensive you worry about them. Then there is always the Utilikilts. Have fun

[Andrew Breecher]

The STILLWATER standard kilts are great and aren't so expensive you worry about them. Then there is always the Utilikilts. Have fun

Stillwater kilts are acrylic, according to their web page, except for the heavyweight Black Watch, which is wool. I don't know what kind of blend they're using, but I can't imagine that acrylic breathes as well as polypropylene. Utilikilts are made of cotton. Don't get it wet when it's cold outside!

My outdoor ensemble:
Summer: 4-yard classic-cut Bear Kilt (poly/viscose), silkweight Patagonia Capiline shirt, SmartWool mini crew socks, and running shoes (New Balance, Montrail, or Saucony).
Winter: 4-yard classic-cut Bear Kilt (poly/viscose), silkweight Patagonia Capiline shirt, a North Face fleece shirt, knee-high gaiters, SmartWool mini crew socks, and running shoes (New Balance, Montrail, or Saucony). If it's very cold out, I have a down jacket for when I stop hiking.

All of this is made of artificial fabrics and blends (the socks are a merino wool blend). Except for the down jacket, all of it can get wet, and I'll still be warm. Warm and wet, but at least in cold weather if I keep moving I won't catch hypothermia. I could wear a wool kilt, but I just like the Bear one. Besides, I'm out to see how much abuse it can take! 2,200 miles and counting, so far....

For more of my gear, and my adventures, look at my web page.

Andrew.

[switchblade5984]

well i wear

some irish nat'l a uk and the still water on the way! dont wear the leather often