Warm Climate Kilts

[M. A. C. Newsome]

You know, the traditional 4 yard box pleated kilt was actually revived because of just such a discussion. As Bob Martin tells it, sometime in the early 80s (I want to say 1983), he was having a discussion with Micheil MacDonald, then of the Scottish Tartans Society. He was asking Micheil what he needed to do to convince those in the American south that heavy weight wool was the way to go for the best kilt. Everyone was wanting the lightest weight possible because of the temperature.

Dr. MacDonald responded by saying, "Why don't you offer a 4 yard box pleated kilt in heavy weight wool?" The rest is history....

(For those who may not recognize the name, Bob Martin is a retired kiltmaker and kilt historian, who revived the box pleated kilt style in the early 80s. Micheil MacDonald is a Scottish anthropologist -- his son is renowned tartan expert Peter MacDonald).

[mcvarmit]

great topic and just in time,
i live in northern new mexico, it gets hot 90-100's, but its a dry heat. i'm wanting to have Alexis Malcome make me a 5yd, 11 oz. wool, hillwalker kilt, i've been hesitant to order the kilt, thinking that it would be to hot for the summer, oh ya, its to be the swedish tartan. any points of view on this subject? i'm sure points of view will be all over the map, but let me hear them. just for reference i was wearing a SWK standard in temps that were about 50-60 degrees and i felt a little over heated.

semper fi

slick

[Colin]

I love my PV kilts for the 35+ Celsius summer days. They have a good swing and they still look like a kilt that has some substance. I haven't tried out the wool in the summer (daytime anyway), but the evenings weren't bad with the 16oz last July.

Both Rocky at www.usakilts.com and MacHummell at www.canadiancasualkilts.com have gotten rave reviews and will both make an awesome kilt for you if you go that route. I believe USA Kilts has some off the rack versions to.

[Dirka Skene]

I don't have any heavy kilts, but I do know I don't wear sweatpants in the summer.

[Colin]

I don't have any heavy kilts, but I do know I don't wear sweatpants in the summer.

You shouldn't wear them at all. Sweat pants should be illegal

[Riverkilt]

One of the challenges of hot weather kilting is dressing for where you're gonna be "most" of the time. Its hot hot hot in Las Vegas outdoors....but indoors it can be very cold from the refrigeration. Same in Phoenix, Tucson.

If I'm gonna be indoors, and the occasion is dressy - or I wanna be dressy - will wear a 16oz kilt. Outdoors is a whole 'nother deal.

I'm sure all the hot weather guys know how miserable it can be to kilt up for the heat, then wind up stuck in a well refrigerated building with the shivers.

Ron

[Dirka Skene]

Sweat pants are perfect for lounging around the house on cold days. I only wear them because:
1. Any kilt I have would be too short to wear in the winter. I don't do long skirts at all. And, blue jeans are not lounge pants.
2. I don't like wool anyway. It's itchy.

I was likening my sweat pants to heavy kilts. I wouldn't wear sweat pants on a hot day, just as I wouldn't wear a heavy kilt on a hot day..if I had one.

[Colin]

Sweat pants are perfect for lounging around the house on cold days. I only wear them because:
1. Any kilt I have would be too short to wear in the winter. I don't do long skirts at all. And, blue jeans are not lounge pants.
2. I don't like wool anyway. It's itchy.

I was likening my sweat pants to heavy kilts. I wouldn't wear sweat pants on a hot day, just as I wouldn't wear a heavy kilt on a hot day..if I had one.

I was just teasing you Dirka........

[Dirka Skene]

I think I needed to explain a little bit better so that no one thought that I didn't wear a kilt at all. lol

[prattw]

It depends upon how warm the climate is, I suppose. The climate where I live is definitely rather warm, being in the Mohave Desert. The problem is not that heavier kilts are too hot, though they definitely can be at 110+ temps. The problem is that regardless the material and weight, the rise of your kilt is going to be sweat soaked in really hot weather. So is your t-shirt, for that matter, though you may not realize it at the time in dry air, since the water evaporates as fast as you exude it. The salts, however, don't.

You then have to clean the fabric, and that's where the problem lies. Polyviscose and acrylic are wash-and-hang dry, and maybe a bit of touch-up to the pleats with an iron. Cleaning a wool kilt is a major operation, and an expensive one. Under normal wear conditions, it isn't necessary more than a couple of times a decade. In a truely hot climate it may be necessary everytime you wear the kilt in summer and that's where pv and acrylic are really a blessing. I wear my wool kilts without hesitation from early October through late April of an average year, but during summer I stick to things I can put into a gentle wash cycle by themselves and then hang up in the house to dry. (Calling them wash-and-wear would be going too far, but it's sure more convenient than dry cleaning.) There's no question, though, that wool is much more durable. I find that pv and acrylic remain presentable for two or three years and then get relegated to wear when fetching and carrying. It's much the same situation of balancing cost versus utility as with jeans vs wool trousers. You can wear a pair of good wool trousers as long as you can fit into them, with half-reasonable care. Jeans last a few years. Which would you wear to work on the engine of your car, though?

Will Pratt