Physics and Kilts
The MacBitseach
Physics and kilts? What's he on about now?
What is it about kilts that makes them so damned comfy? Sure, there's the lack of constraint of pants and underwear, the ability to ... hang naturally and more comfortably.
But what about getting too hot or too cold? Well, that's where physics comes in.
Warmth:
Simply put, heat rises. Air heated from your body tends to rise inside your kilt and stay there. Walking causes the pleats to sway, releasing some of the heat in the lower part of the kilt but the top stays warm enough. When you stop walking, you can feel the heat from your body warm your legs down to the knees.
Coolness:
The sway of the pleats, as mentioned above, is a natural cooling factor of the kilt. In summer, I prefer to wear a lighter kilt and let some of the upper heat escape through the fabric. I've never been as hot in a kilt as I used to be in pants. And there is a factor concerning evaporation of sweat to be considered with a kilt. Pants retain moisture while a kilt allows air to circulate and let the sweat cool you.
Without getting into too much math detail and boring the crap out of you, I'll try to explain a bit about kiltmaking.
I have made kilts that had 16 layers of fabric in the pleats. Some kilts can be as little as 3 layers tick in the pleats. Much depends on the size of the person relative to the length of fabric used.
These layers are vital in the comfort of kilts. Layering is the best way to insulate because you get the vital dead air needed for insulation. Layers hold in the body's heat in winter and keep out the heat of the sun in summer.
Warm in winter, cool in summer, naturally more comfortable, healthier, and chicks dig 'em.
I know guys who don't want the word to get out about kilts. They want to keep all the fun for themselves!
Physics and kilts? What's he on about now?
What is it about kilts that makes them so damned comfy? Sure, there's the lack of constraint of pants and underwear, the ability to ... hang naturally and more comfortably.
But what about getting too hot or too cold? Well, that's where physics comes in.
Warmth:
Simply put, heat rises. Air heated from your body tends to rise inside your kilt and stay there. Walking causes the pleats to sway, releasing some of the heat in the lower part of the kilt but the top stays warm enough. When you stop walking, you can feel the heat from your body warm your legs down to the knees.
Coolness:
The sway of the pleats, as mentioned above, is a natural cooling factor of the kilt. In summer, I prefer to wear a lighter kilt and let some of the upper heat escape through the fabric. I've never been as hot in a kilt as I used to be in pants. And there is a factor concerning evaporation of sweat to be considered with a kilt. Pants retain moisture while a kilt allows air to circulate and let the sweat cool you.
Without getting into too much math detail and boring the crap out of you, I'll try to explain a bit about kiltmaking.
I have made kilts that had 16 layers of fabric in the pleats. Some kilts can be as little as 3 layers tick in the pleats. Much depends on the size of the person relative to the length of fabric used.
These layers are vital in the comfort of kilts. Layering is the best way to insulate because you get the vital dead air needed for insulation. Layers hold in the body's heat in winter and keep out the heat of the sun in summer.
Warm in winter, cool in summer, naturally more comfortable, healthier, and chicks dig 'em.
I know guys who don't want the word to get out about kilts. They want to keep all the fun for themselves!
