IMHO, Utilikilts are not cooler than trousers, and shorts still win.
Shorts might be a competitor to a UK for coolness, but I'm having a hard time believing that a UK isn't cooler than jeans. Just the airflow alone that a kilt provides should make things much cooler. Evaporation... ya know?

The leg protection in the photos seems like a lot of trouble and excess kit if you're willing to don bifurcated bottoms occasionally. They won't address mosquitosticks/chiggers, and if you're in a dusty environment, all the sweaty bits under the kilt will trap all that, too.
That's a fair point. Mainly what I'm looking for is protection of the lower leg while walking through thorny brush. But when it comes right down to it, jeans aren't much protection against chiggers (which are my main enemy) either. In fact, chiggers just love the tight space between my pants and my skin, and they will eat me up all the way to my waist. When it comes to chiggers, the less tight-fitting clothing, the better.

Certainly a UK won't be a cure-all. There will undoubtedly be some type of work I do where trousers are still the best choice. But if a UK will let me do some of the work more comfortably, well, it's a good excuse for buying one. Amiright?

You sound like a "horse" guy...what about wearing a pair of half-chaps? I always thought that'd look kind of cool with a utilikilt...
*light bulb goes on over Tobus's head*

Duh! I didn't even think of that! The ones you linked to would be perfect! They even seem to be breathable. And yeah, I think they'd look great with a UK.



I can probably manage to make some custom knee-pads to go with them, so that I can get some knee protection when working on the ground too.