11 Reasons Why Skirts Are a Poor Choice for Women Who Love Adventure

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Clothing is important for women who love to climb, hike, or take a spontaneous road trip; but not all clothing is perfect for adventure. Skirts are a wardrobe staple for so many, but when the call of the wild rings, they often lack in the practicality department.

As empowering as skirts are, their design doesn’t always match up to the needs of adventurous pursuits. Skirts can make maneuvering rugged terrain and dealing with windy weather a real pain in the neck. Picture yourself halfway through a hike only to realize your outfit is less of a plus and more of a pain. Now, let’s dig into why skirts might not necessarily be the best companion for women who live life on the go.

Comfort Takes a Backseat

The problem with gracing your panache via a skirt is it leaves comfort out in the dust when it comes to move-making on the physical end. Imagine you’re falling over a downed tree, or scampering up a pile of rocks, but your movement’s limited by the weight of fabric. Pants snug fit, or the functional cut of shorts, permit stretching, bending, and climbing without fear. On the other hand, skirts can feel like they’re going against you, instead of with you. Skirts can become a bit of a hindrance for someone who loves the freedom of movement.

Windy Days Are Not Your Friend

In theory, the whimsical flutter of a skirt in the wind can be rather endearing, but it can be a real pain in real life. The winds have a way of turning skirts into a run-away parachute that you spend your time trying to keep in place. Not only does it take away from the joy of being fully immersed in your adventure, but it is distracting. Why struggle with your outfit when you’re supposed to be taking in the view from the summit?

Limited Protection From the Elements

Brush-filled trails and unexpected weather shifts are a part of any adventure. Having your legs exposed to cuts, scrapes, insect bites, and sunburn, skirts become much more complicated even for a simple walk in nature. Picture walking through a thick dense forest and being smacked by branches and thorns along the way. In these situations, pants and leggings serve as armor while skirts won’t.

Inconvenient for Gear Storage

Adventurers know the value of pockets. It’s always nice to have your essentials close at hand, whether it’s to store a compass, a snack, or your phone. Sadly, there are no functional pockets or loops to attach your gear to in most skirts. This leaves you juggling around the items in your hands or having to use a bag, which isn’t always ideal when you are in the middle of an outdoor escapade. Like going into battle without the tools you need, you’ll make do, but it won’t be easy.

Awkward for Climbing

When you’re wearing a skirt, rock climbing, tree scaling or even hopping over a fence becomes a juggling act. The problem is that the fabric gets in the way, whether blocking your movement or snagging on something. And you have that constant worry of exposing more than you wanted to. Skirts take your focus away from the climb and onto making sure everything stays in place. It’s that mental distraction that can turn an already hard thing into twice as hard.

Chafing Is a Real Issue

If you’re wearing a skirt, long walks, hikes, or bike rides can become a painful ordeal. When fabric rubs against your skin, especially in warm weather, it can cause chafing, which is both uncomfortable and time-consuming to heal. Skirts expose you to this problem, but shorts and pants with moisture-wicking fabric prevent it. Layering underneath isn’t always a foolproof solution either, meaning they aren’t always the greatest option when you’re outside doing lots of things for many hours.

Lack of Thermal Insulation

Skirts don’t do much for you when the weather turns cold. Your legs are still exposed to cold wind and lowering temperature unless you pile on thick layers underneath, which may very well defeat the purpose. Pants also do a much better job of keeping you warm. You can wear sweats, but pants keep you warmer because heat stays in the fabric if you wear something with a snug fit. Picture yourself shivering around a campfire while others in their comfy outdoor gear are enjoying the moment. Skirts simply lag from a warmth standpoint.

Harder to Ride Vehicles

If you’re wearing a skirt, riding a bike, motorcycle, or even a horse can become a balancing act. It gets unnecessarily complicated to mount, dismount, and adjust your position. On top of everything else, skirts can ride up or get tangled in chains, pedals, and saddles making riding over canyon lands or trails a safety hazard. To a person who loves fast-paced adventure, skirts are more of a roadblock, than an accessory that fits the adventure.

Limits Versatility

Skirts can go from a casual brunch to a dinner date without a hitch, but they’re not made for the wild card of adventure. Skirts cut down your options, whether you’re wading through a stream or zip-lining through a forest canopy. Such diverse activities are not possible with a skirt’s design because it lacks the flexibility required.

Maintenance in the Wild

The outdoors is messy and I love it. Still, skirts tend to exacerbate the difficulty of keeping clean and comfortable. When you’re wearing something that’s not designed for rough conditions it’s harder to manage mud, water, grass stains, and tears. Meanwhile, outdoor pants and shorts are cut from materials that are durable, quick drying, and much more capable of standing up to a beating. It would be a waste of precious adventure time when every minute matters to deal with skirt related messes.

Unpredictable Mishaps

Surprises are a constant in adventures, but skirts have a way of attracting the kind you’d prefer to do without. It could be a snag on a thorny bush, a wardrobe malfunction, or a dozen other things that can end your fun in a screeching halt. Even something as simple as crouching down to tie a shoelace or stepping over a puddle can turn into mishap moments. For someone who just wants to chase excitement, the uncertainty of skirts can feel like more liability than a trusty sidekick.

Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.