Hiking and other such things

[kiltedRTR]

Hello all!

It's finally starting to cool off slightly in the Heart of Dixie so I'm getting a hankering for hiking. And November brings around deer season.
So I was wandering, what are the suggestions for hiking kilted or hunting?
If hiking long periods, is there any type of chafing on the legs? What should I or shouldn't attempt in a kilt in the wilderness I guess is what I'm wandering.

[Tiny]

Hello all!

It's finally starting to cool off slightly in the Heart of Dixie so I'm getting a hankering for hiking. And November brings around deer season.
So I was wandering, what are the suggestions for hiking kilted or hunting?
If hiking long periods, is there any type of chafing on the legs? What should I or shouldn't attempt in a kilt in the wilderness I guess is what I'm wandering.

I've been doing a fair bit of hiking in my kilt the past few weeks. Atleast twice a week I go to one of the area state parks and hike one or 2 trails.

For hunting season I recomned leaving the full mask sporran at home, also think about a blaze orange hat and vest. I'm thinking this year for hunting I may add a blaze orange plaid to my kit to wear around me. It will keep me warm while I am out hunting make me more vizable to other hunters and give me something to sit on to keep the kilt clean. Style isn't as important as walking out of the woods after walking in. I might recomend adding a 1ft x 2ft ssection of fabric to pack in your sporran you may find you want to stop and take a rest somewhere and this will give you something to help sweep the pleats as well as keep your kilt clean.

I would get some chafing when I started hiking kilted. From what I have tried Sport Shield works the best. I use the roll on application, astroglide or body glide will work but not as well from my experience. a little arm & hammer body powder is very refreshing but if you get to sweating it can end up worse then not having it.

As far as what not to attempt, I recomend avoiding hand stands. Atleast not in mixxed company.

these are my thoughts on the matter but as always YMMV

[cavscout]

Body Glide will handle any chaffing issues you might have. Hiking in a kilt will reinforce how ridiculous pants are.

[ggibby]

Having spent a fair amount of time in the woods of East Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi,
I'll opine that I always wear trousers out there. No shorts, either.

Brushing against undergrowth will deliver nasties directly to your wedding tackle, regimental or not.
And an unexpected spill can result in trail rash where band-aids are really uncomfortable.

Unless it's a private, short, co-ed hike, trousers are my vote.
West of Austin, however, kilts RULE.

[piperdbh]

I wouldn't want to risk damaging a kilt by hunting in it. There's the risk of throns, mud, blood, grease, powder burns, barbecue sauce and who-knows-what-all getting on the kilt and staining or ripping it, so, if 'twere I, I'd stick with the Carhartts.

[Tartan Hiker]

I hike year round in kilts. The only time I worry about chafing is when the humidity drops. It seems that during the summer a bit of perspiration keeps everything properly, how shall I put it, "friction-free". In the winter here the humidity will sometimes go below 20%, so perspiration disappears as soon as it emerges. On days like that I'll go for Body Glide as Cavscout suggested. It's not greasy, so no worries about it staining your kilt.

In the summer, my hiking kilts are military camo in poly/cotton blend. After temps drop below 65 F or so I'll switch to heavier poly/cotton or to acrylic. Below 40F and I'll pull out the wool. An old beater 5-yard wool band kilt is my go-to for snow hiking.

Haven't hunted yet in a kilt, but I think a kilt in a tree stand would be a terrible idea.
I'm bowhunting from a ground blind this season, and just might wear one for that.

[Tartan Hiker]

I wouldn't want to risk damaging a kilt by hunting in it. There's the risk of throns, mud, blood, grease, powder burns, barbecue sauce and who-knows-what-all getting on the kilt and staining or ripping it, so, if 'twere I, I'd stick with the Carhartts.

Thanks for not adding beer to the list. There are already far too many false stereotypes out there.

[xman]

I wouldn't want to risk damaging a kilt by hunting in it. There's the risk of throns, mud, blood, grease, powder burns, barbecue sauce and who-knows-what-all getting on the kilt and staining or ripping it, so, if 'twere I, I'd stick with the Carhartts.

Weeeelllllll, Robert MacDonald of West Coast kilts says, "I buy my kilt cloth from one source: DC Dalgliesh Ltd, Dunsdale Mill, Selkirk, Scotland. I have found their kilt-cloth to be the best cloth available – absolutely superior to any other source.

How good is it? If you come to my shop I will show you a kilt I made for myself 10 years ago that has never been ironed since I made it. I have gone hill-running in that kilt, slept rough in it, worn that kilt when it was so wet I might have been sitting in a bathtub, sat on the balled-up pleats in the back of an Army truck and then worn it the rest of the day with no attention paid to it at all. Through all of this the pleats have kept their edge yet there is no sign of any wrinkle, and the brambles have yet to snag on it".

Just sayin'

[Riverkilt]

My experience is from desert hiking and forest hiking. First, Body Glide will prevent chafing if you apply it - and perhaps take it along for a freshen up if you're hiking a distance.

If you kilt is too long you'll beat up the backside of your knees - becomes most painful.

If you wear a sporran to the front you'll beat up your "middle leg" so wear the sporran to the side. You'll also want to wear a soft underkilt or underwear to protect your middle leg from chaffing on the kilt fabric if you're hiking any distance.

And, hiking is a great way to get used to how the wind plays with the pleats of the kilt - what the wind can, and cannot do. You'll feel much more at ease kilted once you're used to the wind. If you're hiking in a remote area you can let the wind blow and see what happens without fear of arrest/embarrasment/or frightening others.

[xman]

You'll also want to wear a soft underkilt or underwear to protect your middle leg from chaffing on the kilt fabric if you're hiking any distance.

For the circumsised, yes. Others have a natural protector.