This is fantastic! Thanks for the opinions, gents. I'm only a very casual hiker so this is really helpful. I've never had hands on the Elk, but I do have some Mountain Hardwear stuff that's light, quick drying nylon so I'd assumed the kilt was a similar fabric. It sounds to me like the kiltiness is still there with these lighter fabrics, which is great to know. Rose City Textiles/Fabricline is here in PDX and they carry Supplex along with lots of other outdoor fabrics, so I think making a test kilt sounds worthwhile. He may still opt for a nyco ripstop if the camo pattern he wants is ever available again, but I'm trying to present a few different options to him.

The comments about the waistband and belts interfering with packs is great. We talked quite a bit about fit, and he's happy with his UK in that respect, but I'll make sure that we cover this specifically. Velcro is definitely my go-to for waist fastening, because velcro is rad.

Brewerpaul, Rockywoods is fab. I get my Multicam and some hardware bits from them. What kind of nylon did you use for that running kilt? I'm assuming something along the lines of Supplex/Taslan?

BenningBoy, the Feather Kilt is interesting. I dig the tie at the waist and I bet it's ridiculously comfy to wear when it's hot. The way it can be made into shorts is cool as well.