First kilt wearing advice request

[ccga3359]

Would green tights be more fitting with these particular events? Looking good but for the brown boots. I always wear black boots with black sporran. With low boots (<9") such as these wear your hose up, higher boots (>9") scrunch them puppies down (no flashes w/ scrunched hose).

[WClarkB]

Welcome to XMS
(and I think a weekend in barelegs will argue for knee socks in ever so eloquent a fashion)

[Tartan Hiker]

Welcome to the forum, and to the kilted life. You've already gotten some good advice, and I have nothing new to add.

As one of the avid traditional archers here, I'd love to hear about your equipment.

[piperdbh]

If your walk in the woods are like my walks in the woods, you'll want your socks pushed down, so they won't get picked by thorns and low brush. If it were me, I'd leave off the belt, but your kit looks fine with it. Enjoy the (hopefully dry) weekend!

[wildrover]

If your walk in the woods are like my walks in the woods, you'll want your socks pushed down, so they won't get picked by thorns and low brush. If it were me, I'd leave off the belt, but your kit looks fine with it. Enjoy the (hopefully dry) weekend!

That's funny, I was about to say "if your walks in the woods are anything like mine, you'll likely find socks up keeps your shins from getting thrashed!"

(Tho I'll admit it's rough on socks...I'd not even thought about how kilt hose would stand up to that sort of abuse!)

[Phil]

from Edinburgh. The outfit looks fine, just I would go along with the pulled-up socks. An inadvertent stroll through a nettle patch or a bramble bush might help to concentrate your mind on that one!

[Salvianus]

Thanks for all the assistance, very helpful. I have to say this is the most welcoming board I've ever joined

Fortunately we only leave on Friday, so I've got a bit of time to pack yet. I believe I can find a nylon strap for my sporran - all my leather belts seem too broad for the job.

I doubt I'll be off the trails, but it is chilly, so I'll look for some hose long enough to pull up properly - I was a bit wary they'd look like football socks, so I'll look for the thick topped kind. I thought maybe green as now I look, maybe I'm a bit all blue (and I'm pretty cheerful!). Would flashes have to match the tartan?

[Salvianus]

As one of the avid traditional archers here, I'd love to hear about your equipment.

Nice one. I shoot when I'm re-enacting the training of the Late Roman Army. We know that they used horn lathed reflexed compound bows in Britain, which some of my comrades use, but Vegetius writes that recruits should learn with wooden bows, which we find in iron age bog burials in some pretty odd woods (even oak!) and I like to do some post-Roman age events as well, so:

I have a light D-section self bow (i.e. without handgrip or horn ears) in Sycamore from Stephen Ralphs. It's just 30lb at 28" draw, and I pull 27", but it has a surprisingly sweet cast I'm told. Others shoot up to 80lbs and one of us has just made a 100lb bow, but was still tinkering with it at our last event - lots of care with a thumbshave!

For display to the interested I have an interpretation of a contemporary arrow made by a comrade with hand forged broadhead, hand made dowel shaft, sinew binding and goose feather flights, but authentic heads punch straight through the targets and make retrieval a real pain and I get quiet a lot of casual damage, so I shoot relatively cheap unspined arrows made for medieval re-enactment (so the fletching is slightly wrong for us) with modbods at the moment.

To match the very limited evidence I wear a leather quiver at the waist (or stand them in the ground to save time in a busy display) and I use a Mediterranean release. I'll switch to an eastern release if I get a recurved bow, just to demonstrate the difference, though we know they were pictured used with a Mediterranean release as well. They certainly are better for horse archery!

We don't have any evidence for bracers or tabs, and I have to switch to combat quickly, so I just wear leather gloves and cant my arm to avoid the string slap.

I believe I'll have to use supplied modern equipment on this occasion, which will be an opportunity to try something new (in two senses)!



I'm on the far left and yes it was throwing it down

[longhuntr74]

Flashes to match the tartan...absolutely not. Complementing color, bright red...wear what you want. Socks down look fine to me. I'll admit the black leather combined with the brown boots interfered with my own personal sense of order...but I wouldn't say you need to change even that. I would recommend the leather strap for your sporran vs. the chain belt and would also recommend an inch or two higher.

Like the tartan alot! What is it? Also...what type of belt is that? Looks similar to a US Navy swordbelt buckle....

[Salvianus]

Like the tartan alot! What is it? Also...what type of belt is that? Looks similar to a US Navy swordbelt buckle....

Thanks for the advice

I've got a basic non-clan Scottish Pride commercial tartan by Lochcarron. I understand my surname is connected to a sept of Henderson, but not obviously & there's no real relation. I'd feel more comfortable wearing Henderson if encouraged by a clan member themselves. I chose the colours because of Buchanan's reference in 1581: (Highlanders) "delight in variegated garments, especially stripes, and their favourite colours are purple and blue". I'm thinking of something in muted green next.

The belt buckle is the same construction as the old US army 1910 garrison belt as well as more modern officers' styles, I believe, but I suspect it will have been based on late 19th century British Army service models: it's an old Boys Brigade belt and founder William Alexander Smith was a lieutenant in the Lanarkshire Volunteer Rifle Regiment and modelled the uniform and activities on army lines - drill, ranks etc. I was a member from 7-11 years of age and we had a reunion recently: very happy memories.