I've made a few of skirts for hiking, trying to find a good skirt that is different from the typical athletic attire. I've been using recycled materials so that I don't waste a lot of money buying expensive fabrics while I learn how to sew.
This first one is a wrap-around skirt with a self-drafted pattern.
Here's a picture:
I made this from a mumu I found at the thrift store.
Just like a sarong, I can just wrap it around me to wear. No zipper or snap or anything to break and it will always fit. Just wrap it and tie it.
We took a hike today to a swimming hole and stretched out lengthwise, I could lay under it in the sun and be protected from sunburn between swims. I could use it as a towel. Earlier in the morning when it was cold, I wore it for warmth. I had running shorts underneath.
I just did a 4 day backpack trip testing this skirt that is cotton, made from a sheet using a self-drafted quarter circle skirt pattern, another really easy type of skirt to make without a pattern:
I added gross-grain ribbons on the underside of the skirt. I could pull the gross-grain ribbons from underneath to loop around two loops I sewed into the front of the pockets. This would shorten the skirt when I hiked when it was hot to give me more air flow, although I admit it looks kinda dorky.
I found a polyester sheet so I think I'll make a polyester skirt. This might be more comfortable than cotton.
Because both skirts are long, they are modest and don't show any body parts when I sit, even cross-legged. And they are protective against sun and provide warmth when it's cool but coolness when it's hot because they are skirts. And protection from mosquitoes.
If you are a woman, I think a skirt is a great piece of gear to bring on a trip. I've been experimenting now with a combination of a skirt and running shorts with tall gaiters for overgrown trails. This seems to provide all the good things that convertible zip-off pants are supposed to provide but with more versatility and a better fit. The wrap skirt in particular seems to provide multiple uses. I make sure when I make a skirt that it has at least one pocket.
