but baby, it's cold outside....

**Raphael** · 17th August 05, 11:49 AM

As long as you keep your torso warm, you should be okay. your knee cap is all bone anyway, and can be kept warm if you are constantly moving

**Archangel** · 17th August 05, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by Raphael

As long as you keep your torso warm, you should be okay. your knee cap is all bone anyway, and can be kept warm if you are constantly moving

ixnay.
Yes, torso is always priority.
No, knee cap is critical. You'll find, quite a ways in to the story of this hero, VC and Bar, that this was a serious problem in WW1: http://www.rorkesdriftvc.com/vc/chavasse.htm

**Blu (Ontario)** · 17th August 05, 01:33 PM

Originally Posted by MacConnachie

... Keeping the knees from becoming two bony icicles is my biggest challenge when wearing kilts on cold days... etc. If one MUST stand in one place for very long in cold weather, keeping the knees together -- with a bit of the kilt's under apron caught between them -- serves to keep the knees, thighs and other parts from experiencing a strong cooling effect, particularly if there is a breeze a-blowin'.

Great post & excellent advice!

**Blu (Ontario)** · 17th August 05, 01:37 PM

Originally Posted by arrogcow

Basically the difference between pants and a kilt is the same as mittens vs gloves...

Well... sort of... perhaps mittens with the end cut off!

**Andrew Breecher** · 17th August 05, 04:15 PM

I live in Boston, and it gets below 0°F in the winter here quite often (as low as -20°F, with an additional wind chill factor on top of that). No problem. Sure, you're chilly. You'd be chilly in trousers too.

Last year I spent the entire winter outdoors - literally, I was not indoors at any time. Snowstorms, hailstorms, dank drizzle, I was out in it, 12 hours a day, and then I stayed in three-sided structures overnight, so I was outside 24 hours a day. In the winter. Wading through knee-deep snow. Wearing a kilt. No problem. My fingers were often cold, and I often couldn't feel them. My knees were never too cold.

Obviously, if you're in very extreme cold and wind, you can get frostbite on any exposed skin. Be aware of that, and take precautions. But don't be afraid of a little bit of cold weather. The kilt is not as cold as you, or anyone else, thinks.

Andrew.

**Archangel** · 17th August 05, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by Andrew Breecher

I live in Boston, and it gets below 0°F in the winter here quite often (as low as -20°F, with an additional wind chill factor on top of that). No problem. Sure, you're chilly. You'd be chilly in trousers too.

Last year I spent the entire winter outdoors - literally, I was not indoors at any time. Snowstorms, hailstorms, dank drizzle, I was out in it, 12 hours a day, and then I stayed in three-sided structures overnight, so I was outside 24 hours a day. In the winter. Wading through knee-deep snow. Wearing a kilt. No problem. My fingers were often cold, and I often couldn't feel them. My knees were never too cold.

Andrew.

why? if that's not being personal.

**Dreadbelly** · 17th August 05, 07:21 PM

Originally Posted by Archangel

why? if that's not being personal.

I would guess he was out hiking.

**Jerry** · 17th August 05, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by Dreadbelly

Bbbbbut those kilts, as I understand, have some sort of lining, so the itchy parts wouldn't rub you. I think.

In the winter here, where I live, we get ICE STORMS. We get some snow and such... But the ice storms are the real *** kickers. Sub zero temps, 40 to 60 mph winds, and shards of razor sharp ice blowing down from the sky. Below zero, with wind chill, and shards of ice. Not a friendly place for kilt wearing or golf. We get 5 or 6 inches of solid encrusted ice coating everything... NAS-TEE.

Last winter, had to go out and get some food. Power was out because of an ice storm. While I was out, more of the storm blew in. Coming home was hell. Got a nasty gash on my face from an incoming ice shard. I was beat up three ways to Sunday from being pelted with golf ball sized sleet in 50+ mph winds.

And I did it all kilted, wearing my USAKilts Philabeg. Security guard for my building said it was the ballsiest thing she had ever seen.

When I got in the door, all my dreadlocks were frozen solid and sticking out.

And never once did I think about wearing troosers.

Hey, Dread, are you sure you don't live in Virginia?. We have ice storms here too. Several years ago, everyone lost power, some for nearly a week due to a massive ice storm. Trees and power lines were down everywhere, just from the sheer weight of the ice. I guess some people don't believe you can get hours of rain with temperatures below freezing. I also here people from the northern states saying that we southerners just don't know how to drive in snow. What they don't understand is that much of the time we have snow on the ground, it probably has at least half an inch of ice under it. The plant I worked at built a new section in Virginia because they saw a study which said, "the average year around temperature is 50 degF". It is too, only thats because it might be 100 deg in August and 0 deg in January, so it averages ouy to 50 deg, right?

**Dreadbelly** · 17th August 05, 08:10 PM

Only slightly on topic, just about the worst winter I can recall, was when I was still living in Washington state. I was living in the Leavenworth Wenatchee area. Well, technically, I lived in Plain. That's the actual name of the town. Go look it up. It's Plain. It's well, it's a store and a post office. And six to ten feet of snow can blown down off the mountain. And and it gets so cold there that any exposed skin will actually freeze and peel right off your face in just a few minutes. Has something to do with how the wind channels down from the mountains and the altitude. I don't remember the technical mumbo jumbo, but I do remember the bone chilling cold.

I do not wish to return to that. **Shiver**

I'd still wear a kilt just because I am a stubborn bastard.