Hikes in Skirts

[TheTank]

Skirts for women I understand. Skirts or kilts (same as a skirt as far as I can tell) confuse me. Is a guy in a skirt trying to make some sort of statement? It seems that a guy peeing in a skirt has less convenience than when wearing shorts/pants. If you have to change to hitch into town isn't that a hassle and perhaps add weight to your pack because you always need that other garment to change into?

First about the peeing, actually it is rather convenient to lift a skirt, in fact I find just as convenient if not more convenient then unzipping a fly. I will give you changing to get a hitch is a bit of a hassle, but if you consider that that is only a small amount of the time while you are hiking, and that most hikers carry at least some form of a change of garment anyway, it is not all that bad.

And no, not all men wearing skirts are trying to make a statement, some of us just realize it is comfortable and to hell with anyone who will judge us based on what we are wearing.

[BumpJumper]

Tom, I understand what you are saying but Tank has a valid point. Hikers carry more than one change of clothing as it is...so why not hike in something less constricting.
Here is my scoop..when a lady (not speaking of men, cause guys...this is a LADIES forum...) wears a skirt, you dont have pants rubbing "stuff"..no sweat on your pants or stuff...a skirt will stay clean alot longer not having Sweaty Stuff on it and you wont have to change as much...right??
Let the air take care of my Stuff....
Now, you guys and your kilts..carry on..

[Johnny Appleseed]

A hassle to put on rain pants you need to carry anyway? Do you get to a road to hitch and they are sitting there waiting like a taxi at an airport? You are already waiting on a ride to come by, so The 1.2 minutes is not wasted. Sometimes I just throw on boxers. If you are w/ a pack no one will pick you out, but when you are standing there alone it might stop someone from passing so I change.

I put one on and hiked and I was moving faster and not getting hot. Also there is no resistance or rubbing either. I must be what a light pack feels like as my pack is always heavy. Harder to pee in a skirt??? That is the oddest thing I have read on this site.

Plus skirts dry in no time at all. They also offer more freedom of movement.

[Red Hat]

I hike in a MH kilt all year. When it's cold I add a pair of tights. When it's hot I wear a pair of boxers (for modesty from behind) Last year I wore a pair of rainpants when it was cold and wet... This year, my packa covers my kilt, so I think I'm good.

[moytoy]

First about the peeing, actually it is rather convenient to lift a skirt, in fact I find just as convenient if not more convenient then unzipping a fly. I will give you changing to get a hitch is a bit of a hassle, but if you consider that that is only a small amount of the time while you are hiking, and that most hikers carry at least some form of a change of garment anyway, it is not all that bad.

And no, not all men wearing skirts are trying to make a statement, some of us just realize it is comfortable and to hell with anyone who will judge us based on what we are wearing.

I simply can't Grok any of this!

[Ladytrekker]

www.macabiskirt.com

take a look at these skirst.

[singing wind]

Skirts rock! The current version is from the 2nd hand shop, a lightweight polyester fabric with pockets - originally sort of a wrap around style modified with an elastic wasteband instead of tie straps. Doubles as rain gear in warmer temps and ok with tights when it's a bit colder. Dries in a flash - but gotta watch it in a big wind. I think the next version may have some sort of drawstring at the hem or cut to less width there. Got a couple more in the sewing bin awaiting their next incarnation .

[OutdoorsMan]

Tom, I understand what you are saying but Tank has a valid point. Hikers carry more than one change of clothing as it is...so why not hike in something less constricting.
Here is my scoop..when a lady (not speaking of men, cause guys...this is a LADIES forum...) wears a skirt, you dont have pants rubbing "stuff"..no sweat on your pants or stuff...a skirt will stay clean alot longer not having Sweaty Stuff on it and you wont have to change as much...right??
Let the air take care of my Stuff....
Now, you guys and your kilts..carry on..

You are right Dawn. You have convinced me that skirts are the best thing for women to wear. In fact, I think that it should be a rule that all women must wear skirts while hiking

[Dovetail]

Google "skorts": skirt over shorts. Granite Gear makes a light weight "kilt" for women that dries quickly if it gets wet. Better ventilation than pants for women.. yeast infection prevention too. The only time I was self conscious about wearing one was when climbing in front of a guy was involved.

[jnetx]

You know I wouldn't be without my mh kilt. The only thing I didn't like about it initially was that it flapped around my knees. Solved that by cutting off the bottom 3-4 inches and now I think it's perfect, but the tourists hiking behind me in the Whites last year may feel differently! Will never go back to shorts or pants for ld hiking, ease of P stops is great, no need to even undo the hip belt to get at zippers/waistband, etc., I added a pair of nylon footless tights to my pack for cold weather - they can go on and off under the kilt with relative ease and comfortable down to freezing temps, haven't tried that setup with snow yet - think I might need something more substantial like longjohns for that, even considered my lightweight wool longs over the tights, wool for the warmth and the synthetic close to the skin for wind blocking, might be too constricting with 2 layers though.

I've tried other skirts but find that anything with a narrow waistband can get uncomfortable under the pack (I wear my pack very low and tight) as the waistband can tend to twist when I'm sweaty. I have a couple of board short type material skirts that I wore for a lot of miles on the FL trail, (can't think of the brand right now and the skirts are back in AZ) they were comfortable enough but definitely suffered on sticky humid days, the sweat would make them stick on my butt and back of my legs. Also have a Tommy Hilfiger stretchy skirt with a wide waistband that I picked up in a goodwill last year. It's shorter than the MH kilt and has no pockets, so not sure how it will do long term. Didn't get a chance to try it out once the snow started flying in the Canyon! Hopefully will get a chance to try it out soon.

[fehchet]

Ibex makes nice skirts to hike in. I'm sowing bigger pockets on my merino wool one.

[hellomolly]

I'm sure this is a silly question, but... do any of the women who hike in skirts also use something like a short brief underneath for modesty? I know that might defeat the purpose, but as nice as I think it would be to hike in a skirt, I would be concerned about: 1. modesty, especially when windy - don't want anyone seeing me down there! and 2. chafing. As in, inner thigh chafage. Gross I know, but lets be realistic. I dunno, maybe there is an ultra light smartwool short for women that could be worn underneath? But then would that defeat the purpose of having something nice and airy on? Bah, I dunno. I want to hike in a skirt...

[Blissful]

I wear undies only. Ex Officio. Though I am finding out that the Barely There brand wicks pretty good and is cheaper if you get them on sale. You can use Body Glide for chafing issues.

[fehchet]

Merino wool boxers. Good year round.

[KnittingMelissa]

Skirts or kilts (same as a skirt as far as I can tell) confuse me.

A kilt is NOT a skirt, technically. And the MH Kilt is not a kilt by definition, either.

A kilt must reach two to three inches past the knees, have a pleated backside, and needs a claymore to back it up!

But, in all honesty, it's the pleats and length that make a kilt a kilt and not just a skirt. Guys who wear kilts too short (and I've seen guys do it) are just wearing skirts.

I'm thinking of getting a kilt myself to wear, something nice, thick, and breathable (wool), and then just wear my happy Batman boxers underneath. Modesty, breathable (Batman boxers are actually pretty thin), and awesome.

And heck, I knew I needed to get new clothes for the hike anyway (I own jeans, jeans, and a few more pairs of jeans), so I'd rather a kilt than another pair of pants!

[jnetx]

short brief underneath <snip>
1. modesty, especially when windy <snip>
2. chafing. As in, inner thigh chafage.

Wearing something underneath does counter some of the effects of wearin the skirt in the first place. Most of the skirts I would consider suitable for hiking are narrow enough that they don't flip up in the wind, but short enough that I can get a good long stride. That's a personal preference, I know some who prefer long and billowing. It's just a matter of learning what's comfortable for you. One of the reasons I prefer the mh kilt is actually that it has a cinchable strap on one side that I can pull in close that stops it from flapping, but if I need to take an extra long step it just loosens up.

As for chafing, again it's a highly personal thing. Anything, whether it be a layer or two of fabric, or just salt and sweat can cause the chafing. My personal preference is to not add a layer of fabric, but to keep the potential rubbing spots as dry and clean and friction free as possible, mostly by washing and drying thoroughly. I use a pee rag (small piece of soft fabric that hangs on my pack) rather than tp as I find this gets me drier, even when raining, but I have also used body glide, vaseline, baby powder, gold bond powder, baby wipes, sanitizer (that stings!) etc at various times over the years, and even carried and occasionally worn briefs depending on the conditions. My preference for these times is a 150weight merino wool thong or brief, or synthetic if necessaary. prefer the wool because it doesn't retain odor.

First step would be to find a skirt to try hiking in. Hike with briefs at first if you prefer, to see where your rub spots are, if they are between your thighs then look for some solution to the skin on skin problem. If rub spots are a result of the fabric, then consider eliminating the briefs. If you're not used to not wearing them this will take a while to get used to, but maybe just carry the briefs and try walking longer periods without them. If you do get chafing, try to consider alternative options to just putting them on, especially if the fabric was chafing you. Some options might be baby powder, or wiping with an alcohol free wet wipe and letting air out for a minute. To be honest, even if you have no chafing but you're not comfortable without anything on, after a few tries you're probably best off finding another solution. If you're not going to get comfortable with it then it kind of defeats the purpose.

[jnetx]

A kilt is NOT a skirt, technically. And the MH Kilt is not a kilt by definition, either.

A kilt must reach two to three inches past the knees, have a pleated backside, and needs a claymore to back it up!

But, in all honesty, it's the pleats and length that make a kilt a kilt and not just a skirt. And heck, I knew I needed to get new clothes for the hike anyway (I own jeans, jeans, and a few more pairs of jeans), so I'd rather a kilt than another pair of pants!

By whose definition? if you look in merriam webster a kilt is a skirt, pleated and knee length. OR it's a any garment that resembles a kilt (kind of circular if you ask me). I'm sure anyone with scottish heritage would argue all kinds of technicalities and if any of us were attempting for the best dressed scotsman at the highland games we'd know all the technical reasons why a kilt is a kilt, but we're not!

I always considered a kilt to have pleats and a flat flap across the front, but a wraparound skirt could have the same thing. I also thought they had to be tartan, but I've seen scottish bagpipers in plain non tartan wools.

A skirt and a kilt in hiking terms are basically distinguishable only by the label on it when you bought it, or by the definition you choose. I refer to my mh kilt as a kilt because that's what I bought, but also as a skirt if I'm referring to hiking skirts. If guys want to wear a "kilt" because it sounds better than skirt to them, then so be it. It's definitely not pants or shorts!

[KnittingMelissa]

By whose definition?

General definition. Shorter means it's not a kilt because shorter means that a guy can't sit down without flashing everyone, and the pleats need to be there because otherwise it's just a skirt. The flat front panel isn't always used (though it should be in the majority of cases), and it doesn't need to always be wool or a tartan. But it needs the length and it needs the pleats.

A few years back some friends and I spent several months arguing over kilts (one of our friends was wearing a kilt that was too short, and kept insisting that, because it was plaid, it was a kilt, and then kept flashing everyone), and came up with the definition. Length + pleats = kilt. And, generally, if the argument got past that, well, a good Scot always has his claymore on him to back up the argument!

[Cuffs]

Lets leave the definition battle to the dictionary writers please...

[Jester2000]

For those obsessing about what a kilt should look like, the new version of the MH Mountain Kilt will, in fact, have pleats in the back, and also looks a bit longer than the current design.