Stuff We Love: Kilts #2 – Winter and Spring Update
There are a lot of updates to our first kilt post. That post was written mostly on our experience before winter, and with a soft cotton kilt. Since then, I’ve gotten some new kilts, gotten some accessories, and dealt with the cold – but I still love kilts!
Are Kilts a Good Idea?
We get variants of this question a lot:
- “Isn’t it breezy?”
- “Aren’t you cold?”
- “Why don’t you wear pants?”
- “Heyyy, are you Scottish?”
- A lot of, “nice kilt bro,” which seems like it pre-answers the question… spoiler alert.
Yes, yes it is – breezy, that is. But I really love not wearing pants. I love the fit, and the roominess.
My answer to if kilts are a good idea, after wearing them longer and going through a winter with them, is still yes – I am really happy with them, pants are stupid, and I don’t want to go back. I did wear some very comfy underpants when it was really cold (or riding my motorcycle), but normal pants and normal underpants, no good.
Also, no – I’m not Scottish, I am more of a blend. A blend who loves being comfy.
Denim Durability
Following the adventures with the softer, lighter weight, cotton kilt, I picked up a couple of these style: Smithy by DNKE.
They are a heavier, more durable fabric, and that means they block wind a bit better than the cotton kilt, which I’ve noticed the most when the wind is really blowing. Fun fact, that’s actually when wearing a kilt is the coldest, when the wind blows, so the heavier fabric is nice.
We talked in the last post about how it’s worth it to spend some additional money and buy a kilt that’s good quality. The cotton kilt has held up nicely, and I think these heavier denim kilts will also last a nice long time due to being heavyweight, very durable material. They’re even slightly heavier than normal jeans.
I especially like all of the attachments and hardware on the kilt – in particular, the key hook attachment is great. I’ve switched to keeping my keys on that key hook with an elastic pullstring. I really like that setup.
Where the denim of jeans can thin or wear through over time, I haven’t noticed any of that kind of abrasion wearing on these kilts. They’re also quite comfortable, as I wear one now to type this.
Now with MORE Pockets!
I really, really like the comfort and the number of pockets. I also got a sporran from DNKE that I’m really pleased with. Now I have tons of pockets for all of the 15 pounds of stuff I carry around.
No. Seriously.
Fifteen pounds.
We weighed everything one time.
The Cold and Wind
It’s cold in Michigan. This cold, in Michigan, is really not a lot of fun. Michigan Cold plus wind is extra no fun. Breezy wind on your parts is maybe the least amount of fun.
I never thought I’d be talking about my parts in public, but…here we are.
– Josh just now
Like I said above, the more heavyweight kilts help with this, quite a bit. High quality underpants help too, if it’s really cold.
But actually…it’s not that bad. I’ve shoveled, walked, and worked outside in a kilt, and was quite comfortable, even at this winter’s coldest. Kilts were made for Scotland. It’s cold there. So…it makes sense that these do a good job of keeping everything pretty warm.
One thing I will say, is that a sporran helps with the wind. I nearly had a few Marilyn Monroe Wind Moments that the sporran helped with.
Tall Socks
Another winter-time concession with kilts are tall socks – usually wool, unless you happen to be unlucky enough to be allergic, Laine mutters in Itchy. In addition to helping keep your legs warm, they also help when you need to wear boots. I gotta’ say, the tall socks + motorcycle boots look is one that both feels and looks great.
In Conclusion…
Kilts are amazing. They can be cold in the winter, but actually…it mostly works. They do tend to draw more attention to you, and sometimes need to deal with some perplexing or oddly personal questions, but they’re so comfortable, and they spark great conversation and help you meet awesome people.