It's not easy being kilted

[Bernie]

The McClean tartan and the Utilikilt are pretty good for the mountain terrain too; the 9-yard wool puts up with the wind a bit better, but the Utilikilt has pockets for your goodies!

[Calgacus]

Hi Bernie,

Good photos!

You have me puzzling over where they were taken. I feel I should recognise the first one but can't place it. Was it taken in Scotland?

The second I'm going to say is Dartmoor, and the third I'm not sure but I don't think was taken in Scotland.

Am I warm?

[Bernie]

Hi Calgacus

Well spotted on the second photo, which is Dartmoor. The first one is Pen Y Fan in the Brecons in South Wales. I think the third one is Helvelyn in the Lake District but I am not sure. I have also done Snowdon kilted and I have climbed a few Scottish mountains including Ben Nevis, but that was many years ago before I discovered the comfort of kilts.

Now I would never dream of going for long walks or climb mountains in anything other than a kilt, and when asked by passers-by if I am cold my stock reply is "No because under this kilt is..........a self-regulating micro-climate". If there is a look of confuzzlement on his face I then explain The First Law of Kilt Thermo-dynamics which is that rather than getting cold, heat is generated under the kilt (and the quadriceps and hamstrings are the biggest heat generating muscles in the body) and is expelled from under the kilt before the temperature reaches levels of discomfort. This Law applies equally to brisk hill-walking as it does to eating a seriously hot curry!

[Pleater]

Back in my hippy days I had a bag on a chain which I wore around my waist, but the chain was not up to the task, and the edges of the links used to catch and pull fabrics.
I took a length of tape slightly shorter than the chain and sewed the links onto it. It was hardly visible and made all the difference to the useful life of my skirts.
If it is not going to be easy to replace the chain on your sporran with a strap then a protective tape might be an option. Be careful to turn the edge away from the fabric if the tape has a hard edge - some tapes are made with Nylon or similar edging threads which could be as damaging as the chain. Oversewing (aka spiral stitch) with the edge folded down will fix it.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Jock Scot]

Hello the rabble,

I am planning a long 30 mile easy terrain kilt walk this year in Wirral (pm me i you are interested to hear more)My kilt recently sustained a nasty spillage (Cullen sling I all things) I have managed to gently clean between the pleats and I am going to have to baste the pleats but the kilt does not seem to have been affected.

I am planning this walk and was wondering if a kilt will stand up to this kind of walk. Will te pleats fall loose, will the sporran rub on the apron, will I be better trying to get a cheaper spare kilt or am I being to pathetic and not letting these hardy beasts do what they do best?

Kind regards

Of course the kilt will stand up to it! Provided that it is properly made. After all, the wool kilt has served the Highland Regiments well for a couple of centuries and they often fought a battle, or two, after a thirty mile march!Good advice Geoff W(I have run out of Ayes).. If your kilt is made of wool(I cannot speak of other materials) and it gets damp, you may be best advised to raise the kilt one, if not two, inches above the knee to avoid very sore backs of the knees. Its no fun, particularly if you have another ten miles to go!