I am going to wreck it, I'm sure...so I need help!

[wildrover]

Reading between the lines a bit...

Don't get overly caught up in the romantic idea of kilting up and striding over the heather with the sound of pipes at a comfortable & picturesque distance and an impossible stag outlined on a nearby hilltop or however Jock put it a while back, I'm paraphrasing.. Wool is a durable material, and kilts are comfortable, however a kilt is not necessarily the best clothing for every job.

There is nothing more uncomfortable than wrapping up in a wet bedroll at night. You are likely to freeze your *** off, nothing less...or to put it another way, if there's bad weather, be smart and get out of it. Abandon the idea of wild shaggy Scotsmen stoically tramping over the moors through all manner of hell in their great kilts...if they had to do it, they probably weren't any more comfortable than anyone else would be in the same situation, and were probably thinking "only three more miles to the house!", which is what most people caught hiking in bad weather are thinking.

With that in mind, the army blanket idea is perfect. Get a few, sew them up as necessary, pleat them if desired, and give it a try. Just don't blame us if you come back with monkeybutt and hypothermia .

Spend your money on a nice 16x8 in your family tartan, get your regular hiking kit, and get out the door. I have hiked in my kilt, I have clambered over rocks while wearing it, gone up and down ladders, walked through rain storms and hail, and forded small creeks. If chafing is addressed, you will be fine, also, you will be much more comfortable if you have something to change in to, post-hike. I recommend the old standby, loose sweatpants, or the other classic, Carharrts...then you can BS around the campfire without smoking or torching your kilt, and without accidentally showing your goods to all your buddies while you're kicking back on the ultralight camp chair you packed in. The kicker here is that in all the aforementioned conditions, the upper half is covered in either a vented Gore-Tex hardshell, or a quick-drying "race shirt", or both. Water is not an issue. Regarding the kilt and water, you have to work to soak the inner apron and the insides of the pleats. If the inside of your kilt is soaked, you either just forded a creek or you were standing on your head in the rain.

...Spoken from experience, BTW. I actually just brought some surf shorts, but in colder weather, a larger pack with foul-weather clothing is a requirement to avoid becoming a statistic. Try a great kilt from surplus army blankets, pack additional gear according to your local weather patterns, and see how it goes.

As regards cost, kilts are a niche market, and are now viewed and treated by most as a luxury item, and the price reflects that as well as the quality and hand labor that goes in to a niche market item.

The bottom line? Hike in your kilt. Once you do, if you ever go without it again, you'll be wishing you had it! But abandon romantic ideas and be appropriately prepared for your climate and terrain.

[Jock Scot]

No, I didn't mean to say you were...nor to deprecate your advice....apologies if it came off so...I guess I would expect someone to try his gear out somewhere where one can bail out if necessary...and part of my post was to echo that when we do something stupid in the backcountry other people may put their lives at risk to rescue us...

No apologies necessary my dear chap, I quite understood what you were saying. I was just making sure that I did not have a label(Ranger) that I did not earn!

[Tobus]

There is nothing more uncomfortable than wrapping up in a wet bedroll at night. You are likely to freeze your *** off, nothing less...or to put it another way, if there's bad weather, be smart and get out of it. Abandon the idea of wild shaggy Scotsmen stoically tramping over the moors through all manner of hell in their great kilts...if they had to do it, they probably weren't any more comfortable than anyone else would be in the same situation, and were probably thinking "only three more miles to the house!", which is what most people caught hiking in bad weather are thinking.

Good point. Despite historical references (i.e George Buchanan, 1581) describing men in belted plaids sleeping in the open, in snow, wrapped only in their wool plaids, it never says they were comfortable!

I do recall reading somewhere that men would intentionally dunk their plaids in a burn to soak them, and then wrap themselves up tightly for sleeping, so that the steam generated inside would keep them warmer than if they were dry. Does someone know the source of that? It might suggest that sleeping in a wet plaid could be preferable to a dry one.

[Chas]

I do recall reading somewhere that men would intentionally dunk their plaids in a burn to soak them, and then wrap themselves up tightly for sleeping, so that the steam generated inside would keep them warmer than if they were dry. Does someone know the source of that? It might suggest that sleeping in a wet plaid could be preferable to a dry one.

With all respect, I think that is a sure fire method of getting hypothermia.

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. If a human body cannot generate enough heat to keep itself warm, then reducing the insulation and allowing the heat to wick away from the body will not slow down hypothermia, but will in fact speed it up. The temperature of the human body, notably the extremities, reduces during periods of sleep due to immobility. Hastening that cooling removes heat from the core. Once a body core temperature dips below a certain temperature (varies from one person to the next) death will ensue unless radical rewarming, under medical supervision, is undertaken.

Regards

Chas

[Mike M.]

Celtic Croft has a poly/viscose great kilt for about $200. That might serve the OP...though I have to echo the comments about trying to work with it in inclement weather.

[Whidbey78]

As has been posted already, a regular kilt and some decent modern outerwear will probably be your best bet in the end. Here's how I see it...if those Highlanders could have had goretex jackets, waterproof boots, etc., they probably would have taken them in a heartbeat. On the same note, when people here in the states started heading west I'll bet they would have taken a Winnebago over a covered wagon!

If it's what you really want to do, go for it. I'm too old and battered and sore for that! Either way, good luck.

[MacLowlife]

I expect we all select less and less uncomfortable forms of recreation as we age. And for those still eager to be in the elements, I agree, some of our eagerness is tied to better and better equipment. But part of the appeal of the outdoor life has always been "roughing it" even when that is merely a relative term ( two servants instead of three, cotton sheets instead of silk, etc.) SO, if you are intent on wearing a Great Kilt and then sleeping in it, I can only wish you All The Best. Do bear in mind that the difference in wrapping a 5 or 8 yard length of fabric over a 32 inch waist and wrapping it over a 48 inch waist is not really all that much. My flirtation with the GK led me to think in terms of the two aprons and the vast middle part, whether that was measured in inches, feet, or metres. When it is all said and done, the greatest virtue of the Great Kilt is its immense adjustability. I'd like to echo those who suggest that you start with some army blankets. You may even find something very close to Hodden Grey if you try. As for height, I expect the greatest disadvantage will show up when you try to roll up a six foot man in a five foot wide blanket, but that is why The Creator gave us geometry- just alter your orientation by 90 degrees and try again.

Other threads will give you a lot of good advice on managing the Great Kilt in general. If you are going to be hiking in it, I'd suggest you consider a handful of beltloops or maybe some form of drawstring discreetly sewn in to keep things from shifting. By all means, if you are going to be hiking in snow, wear at least one modern garment or people will be filming you and swearing you are a Yeti.

[wildrover]

By all means, if you are going to be hiking in snow, wear at least one modern garment or people will be filming you and swearing you are a Yeti.

Or, you could bring a gorilla mask. I would do this in a heartbeat.

[Woodsheal]

Good deal here on 18 oz. tartan:

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-tartan-62586/

[Burly Brute]

Wow, great replies all around! And some pretty histarical ones, also! Maybe Yeti is my goal? lol

I definately take head to the bit about knowing my area, living in Arizona I have the ability to go from desert valley, to high desert, to forests in the matter of hours. Along with that, the temperatures out here can be highly unpredictable. I can calm some of your nerves by isuring you I am no crazy, unexperienced guy! Although I am no expert, I do have common sense and quite a bit of experience. I just wanted to make sure you guys knew I wasn't going to just go out in the middle of the night, eat some ground squirrel, wrap up in my wool, get poured on by rain, and freeze to death lol.

That being said...

I will definately take into consideration all these great replies, and depending on what I decide I will definately take pictures ;-)

Thanks to you all!

God bless,

Zach