Preparing for Canada: Gear Check - the "Freedom Skirt"

As we gear up for hiking in the Canadian mountains, I thought it may be of some use to fellow hikers and wanderers of the world, to read about some of the gear and equipment that I found useful over the years and taking with me when we land in Calgary and start two intense weeks of tramping over tough terrain. In the previous entry, I touched on some items relating to footwear. Today, it is about the "freedom skirt."

A couple years ago I switched to wearing kilts exclusively while hiking, and wearing "leggings" underneath. If there is one change that I've made in my gear selection over the years, this one without question has had the most positive effect. No more pants. No more shorts. No more restriction. Total freedom of movement. That's what the kilt gives, fellow men -- freedom.

It is amazing the number of people that will comment and ask questions when they see a man wearing a kilt for no other purpose than to be free. It isn't about St. Patty's and fitting into a one-day celebration culture. When you wear the kilt as a normal piece of attire, you are in fact going against cultural norms. But you don't wear the kilt while hiking to fulfill some desire to be a rebel. It's about being comfortable - period.

When men see the kilt in action on the mountainside, you can see it in their eyes, a lightbulb has gone off. Their wheels are turning, setting in motion the inevitable decision that one day they too will don the "kilt." Sure, there is the occasional, "nice skirt man." But even these men, in jest, reveal their envy and desire.

Men must wear kilts. It goes back to the ancient days maybe, when we were tackling wooly mammoths with our bare hands, wearing nothing but skirts made from wooly mammoths we caught with our bare hands, I don't know. But I know that when you put on a kilt, and go about your adventuring, you understand that man and kilt are meant to be. When I made the switch, it wasn't because I had seen another hiker braving in his new world of freedom. No, in fact I can say I've never seen another man hiking in a kilt, sad to say. I never even bothered to research whether there are in fact other men around the world hiking in kilts (and now I know that there are many). It was simply, I acquired a kilt out of curiosity at, yes you know it, a St. Patty's festival, and literally the next hike, I decided I would use the kilt in replace of shorts or pants. That's the power of the kilt. It just makes sense. You put it on, move around, and then the computer in your head does its deductions, and outputs the answer, "yes, next time I am wearing the kilt." And then you do. And so I did.

Most of my kilt wearing hikes involved the use of a "traditional kilt," because that's all I had at the time. Traditional kilts look cool, but have the disadvantage of being a bit heavier than necessary, and in the summer months, warmer than necessary. Even accounting for this, however, the traditional kilt was better than wearing shorts or pants. In the past year I discovered that Mountain Hardware designed a version of the kilt made specifically for hikers, called the "Elkommando." The Elkommando is lighter than the traditional kilt, more breathable, dries faster, and has useful side pockets. The Elkommando is an awesome product. I will be taking two pairs with me to Canada. I applaud Mountain Hardware for having the balls - and displaying them to the world, literally - in making the decision to manufacture this product. Right now, it's one of a kind. Hopefully, other hiking manufacturers will take notice and come out with their own version of the "freedom skirt."

Under the kilt, I wear "leggings," even in the warm summer months. I use Under Armour ColdGear leggings, for instance, and I find that even in the summer months, I am kept at a comfortable temperature. And in the fall and winter months, leggings with a little more substance to them like ColdGear, provide ample warmth.

Most leggings don't have the support to keep the family jewels in place, so, while you can just go with leggings underneath and let your balls dangle and jangle, I find that wearing Calvin Klein hip briefs or Under Armour boxer briefs, under leggings is the best way to protect your balls over a long hike. It is important that whatever underwear you go with that the material is NOT made of cotton. It needs to be made of materials that dry quickly.

In the next blog entry, I will comment on what I am bringing to protect my upper body from the elements.