Kilts and Humidity / Heat

[O'Callaghan]

The best kilt for me in a Maryland summer is my Sport Kilt. It's quite thin and made of a blend of polyester and something unknown, but you can machine wash it and the pleats stay where they are supposed to be (although it has sewn down pleats, which are an optional extra). I also have a Frugal Corner "13oz" kilt that is made of very thin acryllic and is almost as cool, but their customer service is not too good.

However, not all of my kilts are suitable for 90 degrees F combined with 90 percent humidity, which is what you have to deal with here. If I wear anything made of 16oz weight material, even if its only a 4 yd kilt, in these conditions it is too hot, period. Mind you, even then, jeans are worse than that, so it's all relative.

[KFCarter]

However, not all of my kilts are suitable for 90 degrees F combined with 90 percent humidity, which is what you have to deal with here. If I wear anything made of 16oz weight material, even if its only a 4 yd kilt, in these conditions it is too hot, period. Mind you, even then, jeans are worse than that, so it's all relative.

I think it has a lot to do with what you're acclimated to. And in Savannah, from June through September, business men are accustomed to sweating through their suits if they half to walk much more than a block downtown. It's just part of the culture. You do see a lot of seersucker, cotton poplin and linen, and even so, with a jacket, shirt, tie and pants...you sweat. There's nothing more uncomfortable to me than pants that are literally soaked, adhering to my legs and the kilt totally solves that problem. VENTILATION is the saving grace. My 16 oz. tanks are simply not as uncomfortable as my full business suits... yes, there is a patch around the true waist, where the kilt is the most snug that does get a bit warm and I do not wear a belt when it is really hot for that reason... that said, I'd be in kilts more often for work if I had business-appropriate jackets that weren't tweed... and I'm working on that right now, having a kilt-cut jacket made in tropical weight cloth. Probably about a month away from having pics of it.

[Swampthing]

Say, where's a good online seersucker store?

[Colonel MacNeal]

Going regimental might help, if you don't have to sit much, and its not too windy.

Long shirt tails under your kilt are beneficial when going regimental.

[2176agp]

After being in my office all day today, stepping out into 29 c/ 84 f heat at 61 % humidity made me rush right home to get into my kilt to go grocery shopping with my wife.

The difference is like night and day.

Now if I could just convince them at work to a kilt IS proper business attire

Tony

[ziggy]

it's almost a shame my kilt is only coming into the fall...it's unnaturally warm in our apartment.... we have no idea why.....maybe the kilt would help?

[O'Callaghan]

I think it has a lot to do with what you're acclimated to. And in Savannah, from June through September, business men are accustomed to sweating through their suits if they half to walk much more than a block downtown. It's just part of the culture. You do see a lot of seersucker, cotton poplin and linen, and even so, with a jacket, shirt, tie and pants...you sweat. There's nothing more uncomfortable to me than pants that are literally soaked, adhering to my legs and the kilt totally solves that problem. VENTILATION is the saving grace. My 16 oz. tanks are simply not as uncomfortable as my full business suits... yes, there is a patch around the true waist, where the kilt is the most snug that does get a bit warm and I do not wear a belt when it is really hot for that reason... that said, I'd be in kilts more often for work if I had business-appropriate jackets that weren't tweed... and I'm working on that right now, having a kilt-cut jacket made in tropical weight cloth. Probably about a month away from having pics of it.

You're first comment hit the nail on the head. I'm not from Maryland, and even after 20 years I still suffer because it is both hotter in summer and colder in winter than London. God only knows how I could cope with summer in Georgia atall.

You are also probably right that any kilt is better than a pair of trousers in the heat, even if made of ridiculously warm fabric, but why suffer more than you have to? Nobody makes shorts out of 16oz wool, after all!

16oz wool kilts were designed for the Scottish highlands, where the temperatures are all appreciably cooler than in my native London, and thus their summers are very much cooler (and shorter) than here in Maryland, although their winters may be comparable. A 16oz weight kilt is about right for winter weather here, although your knees freeze with the gap between the kilt and the hose, which would be why kilties are called redshanks!

For office attire here in the summer I currently wear an undyed Irish linen jacket with the sort of khaki trousers that are ubiquitous around here. The dress code does not allow kilts, but thankfully doesn't require a tie either.

[lasrl]

lasrl let me see if i can help just a bit, while i agree with you i would never think of adding anything under my kilt; the concept of aditional fabric to keep you cool is very real these days, living in a place where 8 months a year see 85+ F temps and humidity always on the north side of 50 you learn how to stay cool. The moisture wicking fabrics used in most of the golf shirts i own as well as the under armour heat gear boxer breafs work in a specific way they lift the moisture off your skin and help it evaporate better, basically improving the way your sweat works... over the last couple of years as these fabrics have come more mainstream i have definitely noticed a difference.... But Ted definitely hit the nail on the head, genetics genetics genetics... both sides of my family settled in the south when they left England/Scottland so 200 years of living no further north than Atlanta Ga helps a body deal with the heat better than anything else.

Yes, I'm definitely not a fan of the heat in general, and I don't think that I will ever get used to these blasted Toronto summers.

Thanks for the information on these modern fabrics.

[Buck Buchanan]

I work the Clan Buchanan tent for N. California, attending 6-10 events that run April - October. The temperature usually runs 90-100 plus degrees. I wear a lightweight approx 4 yd. poly kilt and what my brother Buck Jr. calls the Wife Beater (sleeveless) Ghillie Shirt. I could only find the Ghillie shirt at Kilts-n-Stuff/The Celtic Croft
http://www.kilts-n-stuff.com/Highlan...ts_rustic.html

I can't seem to drink enough water at most of our events. Livermore in 08 was the worst at 106 degrees, I was on the verge of heat stroke. Lighter everything is better if you're not indoors in the summer. At least we don't have the humidity out here.ith:

[St. Amish]

I'd be showing off some serious farmer's tan lines if I were to put one of those on.