[Barry]

Here in Blighty the Winter still has its icy grip on us. That does not stop me from wearing the kilt though. Today I had to walk into town to register for something at our library. I wore my 16oz/8yard grey kilt together with an ex army jumper and a short wind proof jacket. I was toasty!

On the way home I was stopped by a fellow who asked if I was cold, especially with the wind swirling. I told him that I was perfectly warm, more so that if I wore trousers. He responded that he supposed it was wool and its what you get used to. I replied that it couln't be beat and we wished each other farewell.


Now this is not the first time that this question has been asked, mainly by men. It would seem that Joe Public has this odd idea that kilts must be draughty. Now this is odder still when you think about the geographical origin of kilts. Not exactly the hottest part of Britain?

Anyone else been asked this?

[KFCarter]

Yes, I've been asked that regularly, particularly if it's a breezy day. Here in Savannah our winter high temps are rarely below 40F and I used to be mystified by the question. I've come to think it's more of a way for someone to start a conversation.

[MacBob]

I wear my kilt for walking on the moor and it is much warmer than trousers, until the wind gets to around force 6 to 7, then it is almost uncontrollable.

[auld argonian]

Odd...even though the temps here in Chicago have been in the 20's through 30's (F), I've seen several "stylish" young gentlemen running around in their shorts and flip flops and one daring young blade actually wearing his manly capri pants and flip flops...nobody is stopping them to ask them whether or not they're cold.

Perhaps that has more to do with people's natural reluctance to engage in conversation with CRAZY people than it does their natural reluctance to engage in conversation with people who look like total slobs.

My stock answer to the "Aren't you cold?" question is always, "Why? This is eight yards of 16 ounce wool folded and doubled up on itself several times...how could I possibly be cold?"

Best

AA

[Inchessi]

That is really the most frequent question I get this time of year. With variations of "Aren't your knees cold?" I have stated that "If you count the folds of the pleats, I have a blanket wrapped around my waist three times."

[Riverkilt]

Heat rises, hence the warmth of kilts in cold weather.

"Aren't you cold?" "No, I have a heater under there."

As for the folks running around in shorts and flip flops one possibility is methamphetamine users. Methamphetamine shuts down the body's cooling system. Cops have long known that a giveaway of meth use is light clothing in cold weather.

[The Barry]

It's a common question that I get from time to time (not this winter, since we haven't had one yet). I totally understand the nature of the question, and here's why:

Most people, myself included, have far more experience dealing with females wearing unbifurcated garments. Most women's skirts are made with a minimal amount of material compared to the 8 yards of heavy wool that we get with a well-made kilt (or 5 yards, you get the idea), and leave women unprotected from the cold.

Now, when a civilian (non kilt-wearer) sees a man in a kilt, their first thought is probably going to lean towards the unbifurcated nature of the garment, and not the weight. So to me it makes sense that someone would ask if I get cold, even though I am always quite toasty.

[lethearen]

Dunno, Ron. A friend of mine has a disorder that ramps his metabolism to the boiling point. In 40 or 50 degree weather, he's perfectly warm in shorts and a tee.

How many sheeps' worth of wool goes into a kilt? I thought I remembered seeing a thread on here saying that it takes around two sheep to make an 8-yd 16 oz kilt? But I could just be pulling those numbers out of the air.

[Livingston]

I was at a breakfast meeting today, unkilted , and was talking afterwards with one of the guys that knows I wear a kilt often. He was talking about weather and cold. I lined out for him about 4 yards on the table and told him to double it. Then let him know there were 3 basic weights, 10, 13 and 16 oz. He understood fabric weights from a previous job and when I let him know it was wool, he absolutely understood why it was warm.

[Inchessi]

In retrospect, ever wonder if people just ask that as a conversation starter? Maybe they want to know more, or just be near the awe of being kilted, and don't know what else to say?