Well, as I mentioned in another thread, I bought some vintage WWII canvas leggings on eBay. They were around $25 including shipping.

I have been doing a lot of hiking lately (kilted, of course), and wanted something to protect my legs from the tall grass, thorn bushes, cactus, and other various stuff on the trail that can really beat up your legs. Wearing kilt hose is out of the question, as one single hiking excursion would likely ruin them. They'd end up with snags all in them, and full of stickers and such.

So I went for a 5-mile hike today with my wife following on her horse, as is our usual custom. To put it simply, these leggings are awesome. They were perfect for protecting my legs, which I really put to the test today by taking a trail that's full of cactus and cat's claw. I stomped right through it all, with full protection from these leggings.

Not only are they great protection, but I think they just look really cool too!



Here's a close-up of them. Lacing them up is a bit of a chore, but once they're laced correctly and snugly (you can find directions all over the internet), they stay put.



Yeah, I was wearing a Utilikilt. I can't bring myself to get my good wool tartan kilt dirty and torn up on the trail. In the near future, I'm going to invest in a box-pleated 4-yard wool kilt for hiking as an alternative to the UK.

Anyway, I tried various methods with my kilt hose, and what works best is just folding them down underneath the leggings before lacing them up, with about 3/4" to 1" exposed. Like I said, the legging stayed put throughout the hike, and my hose didn't slip down or do anything untoward.

One caveat: these leggings are meant to be worn over low-rise boots that have a simple leather upper construction. They will not fit over modern hiking boots that have all that padding at the top. Plus the boots need a real heel so the strap can be positioned properly. Most hiking boots I've seen have more of a sport shoe type sole, but with more tread. Also, the boot laces used in WWII were flat laces, not round. I'm going to change out the laces on these boots to flat laces so that when I tie the boots before strapping on the leggings, I don't end up with a lot of bulk under the leggings.

And actually, I may invest in some reproduction WWII garrison boots, which is what was meant to be worn with leggings. What Price Glory has them.

Anyway, that's my review. These are a great and cheap accessory for kilted hikers!