Hose Questons

[Tartan Hiker]

I'll throw in with the traditionalists on this one. When I wear sandals and kilt together, I either A) wear no socks at all or B) wear a pair of gray hiking socks that aren't too tall. I just don't like the look of pulled up kilt hose with anything other than dress shoes.
By the way, don't feel obligated to wear flashes. A lot of us don't wear them except in more formal situations, and with sandals I think they would be over the top.

As stated previously, you'll get a wide diversity of opinions here, and this is just mine.

Welcome to the fray.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Wear socks that can be seen by search and rescue teams.... that's the advice I was given years ago when doing a lot of hiking in the desert.

[Riverkilt]

Aye, sound advice.

[GaRebel211]

I'll have to agree with no white socks...I never wear white socks kilted or not..so that's just me. Anyway do a search for WB Socks they are out of England and you can pick up some descent Kilt hose in a variety of colors to match your tartan pretty inexpensively, you don't want to muddy up good kilt hose. I know your tartan color and Lovat blue I think would look pretty good as an alternate go with some charcoal wool hiking socks and that will look good as well...Just my opinion.
By the way Welcome to the rabble from Athens Georgia

[Kilted Hiker]

Thank you all so much for the replys! Now I have some input to chew on. Oh, as to what part of the world I live in. I'm located in the Appalachian Mountains in western North Carolina in the United States. Weather tends to be in the mid 80's in summer, and dropping to the single digits in the winter. Ok so in summery, NO white socks, possibly no flashes and maybe a tan or gray colored hose? What I'm trying to achieve over a period of time ( money doesn't grow on trees) is a outfit that will be a good semitradional representation of the kilt. I'm certainly not a big modern kilt fan, and I hope to purchase "the real deal" at some point.

[Riverkilt]

Lucky you! My suggestion is that when you decide on the color that you jaunt over to the Scottish Tartan Museum in Franklin and pick up a pair of Lewis kilt hose in that color. You won't be sorry.

[Kilted Hiker]

I just might do that! The Tartan Museum is a fantastic place.

[Kilted Hiker]

Sorry for the double post, but @Tartan Hiker I noticed that you live in Asheville. I live in Waynesville, about 20 minutes from Asheville!

[wildrover]

Look at how socks and sandals are usually worn together. Do you really want a piece of that?

I wear a pair of gray hiking socks that aren't too tall. I just don't like the look of pulled up kilt hose with anything other than dress shoes.

They certainly keep the briars off your shins. The downside is pulling all the weeds off your socks later. I heartily recommend gaiters.

By the way, don't feel obligated to wear flashes.

...Unless of course the "flashes" are the ends of the garter ties which are holding up your socks.

with sandals I think they would be over the top.

I agree. Socks and sandals already looks to me like wearing one's underwear over the pants. Bluntly, socks pulled up with flashes, in sandals, will look like you got half-dressed and threw on some footwear to go get the mail, and forgot to change your shoes.

I'll have to agree with no white socks...I never wear white socks kilted or not..so that's just me.

And then there's me ...but certainly avoid stark white. They draw too much attention to themselves, and if you get them dirty, not only will they never come clean, they won't hide stains by virtue of their color, and if you're hashing in that kilt, any white socks you wear will only be white once!

you don't want to muddy up good kilt hose.

Define "muddy" and "good kilt hose" . Note, image server being flakey...if you click through and it doesn't display, click the "save image" button up top and view it off your HD...sorry...



Yes, they came clean. I wore the same kit (ok, different shirt) for solo comp the following weekend.

Let's face it...if you're hiking like most people are hiking, then you don't need gaiters, you don't need wool, you don't need a lot of stuff at the local outfitter. Frankly, most hiking trails are level, pebble-covered paths that one could negotiate wearing flip flops and a clown suit. If that's the sort of hiking trail you're on, then we're really just talking fashion, and I'd suggest either sandals and nothing else if that's your thing, or the same mid-length, scrunched, padded socks with a pair of comfortable trail shoes or boots many people wear hiking any given day of the week, and make the socks tan, charcoal, or green.

Basically, the same stuff you'd wear hiking if you were wearing shorts or pants.

If you are going to go slogging up creeks, through brush and weeds and thorns, then I would heartily recommend a pair of chunky, "natural" colored, 100% wool, long, "traditional" kilt socks with wool garter ties, a pair of short neoprene gaiters to keep the rocks out of your shoes, and a pair of heavy-duty, long canvas gaiters to strap on when you're looking at crossing a field full of things with thorns, hooks, and jagged edges. The socks make great padding, and the gaiters will save you a lot of time pulling seed pods out of your socks...not a bad thing to do, when your buddies are griping about how thrashed their shins are.

Tan. Or charcoal. Or green. Probably Lewis, from the Tartan Museum.

Enjoy,
Sean

[piperdbh]

I prefer sandals without socks, but if you're going to wear them, why not wear crew socks? You can get a dozen pairs at the Wal-Mart's for a few dollars, you can dye them any color you want, and they only come up to the ankle.
If you're going to wear "real" hose, I'd opt for the plainest ones I could find, and leave the flashes at home.

Will we see you at the Foothills Games in Hendersonville in November?