In order to get rid of another pound I’ve been playing with the idea of using a belted plaid while hiking. I’ll explain.
Now everybody knows what a kilt is. The kilt is the skirt-like part of a “full-kilt”, which according to this website i read is the mordern version. The belted plaid came to be somewhere in the 17 hundreds. Such a plaid is a piece of (tartan) tweed measuring about 4 to 5 yards and 50 inch. A part of which is used to fold int the kilt the rest is used for the upper body.
Now here and there i read on the web that this plaid was also used by these scotsman at night to sleep in. Now i really like this idea. During the day one wares the belted plaid as garment(I think i’d probably stil ware my icebreakers underneath) and at night use it to sleep in. This would eliminate the weight of my sleepingbag completely reducing pack weight with a bit more than 2 lbs (still haven’t got a quilt)
Now i wounder about the warmth of this system. Firstly i’m affraid that something used to sleep under at night is too warm to walk in during the day. On the contrary i think that a garment which is comfortable to ware during the day is too cold to use at night.
So two question:
-What do you all think about hiking in a belted plaid?
-Does anyone reading these forums actually use a belted plaid, full kilt or kilt and can he or she give some insights on this topic?
Thnx Eins
PS I usualy hikein Scotland in spring or fall so i sleep in the 30’s F, 0-10 degrees C.
