Mens or Unisex Sarong for walking in August

[Isca-camigo]

So do any of you posters have experience of walking in summer in a sarong?
I walked with a young American guy in July 2014 on the Primtivo who was wearing one, he seemed to have no issues. Is there a particular material I should be looking at, silk, cotton or another? I am not even sure at what styles or types I should be looking at, I do want it to go down to my ankles and that is what has veered me away from a mens hiking kilt/skirt. A friend told me recently of waterproof roll down kilts, which when I looked them up realized some models go down to the ankles, so in addition to my sarong and as some sort of protection they would be perfect. Any (sensible )thoughts?

 

[trecile]

I have some sarongs that I bought in Mexico that are made out of rayon that dry quickly. I'm not sure how easy it would be to do the Camino in one - probably because I'm not good at tying one on securely.
I found this forum with a discussion of sarongs for men. I would feel more comfortable with some kind of attachment like velcro.

Sarongs for men

I've been wearing a sarong on the river for a decade at least. They work great when "hanging" out naked and you need to do a quick cover up... it's right there, tie one knot and you're good to go.

www.mountainbuzz.com

 

[Robo]

Is there a reason you are thinking of a Sarong?
can't imagine it being that comfortable or practical.
I have some for wearing at home......

 

[trecile]

Maybe you would like wrap pants like these?

Fisherman Pants. Sarong Wrap Trousers. Mens Linen Yoga Pants. Man Harem Pants. Linen Wrap Pants. Palazzo Pants. Wide Leg Unisex Pants - Etsy

This Gender-Neutral Adult Pants item by LinenFog has 949 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Latvia. Listed on Jan 25, 2024

www.etsy.com

 

[Isca-camigo]

Is there a reason you are thinking of a Sarong?
can't imagine it being that comfortable or practical.
I have some for wearing at home......

Just trying to start a discussion about them because on the surface they seem a good idea but I have so little experience or knowledge of them I could be totally wrong.I am under the impression they will give more ventilation in a possibly hot time which is ideal for me. The route I want to walk the Camino Geira has many rivers, rock pools, hot water springs and thermal baths, I am quite keen on taking advantage of them, it would be easier I assume to put trunks on and off without scaring the locals. And possibly in the few albergues there are on this route, I could use it as a cover at night. I would be wearing my special hiking anti chaffing trunks under the sarong.

Maybe you would like wrap pants like these?

Fisherman Pants. Sarong Wrap Trousers. Mens Linen Yoga Pants. Man Harem Pants. Linen Wrap Pants. Palazzo Pants. Wide Leg Unisex Pants - Etsy

This Gender-Neutral Adult Pants item by LinenFog has 949 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Latvia. Listed on Jan 25, 2024

www.etsy.com

Thank you for the suggestion.

 

[C clearly]

I am wondering why you would want it to go down to your ankles, for ventilation and walking in August. Maybe mid-calf would be long enough.

As @trecile said, many sarongs seem to be made of rayon. I'm not sure why, but rayon does drape well - hanging with enough substance but not stiff.

 

[AlwynWellington]

do any of you posters have experience of walking in summer in a sarong?

A sarong, as I understand it is a sheet of fabric wrapped around one, not unlike a towel is wrapped around after bathing.

@VNwalking introduced me to a longyi. This is a 2 metre wide fabric sheet sewn to form a tube. Step into the tube and make an overlapping fold in front. Roll the top down to secure. The fold in front gives the legs and knees to move easily. More can be found here. I understand longyi are also regularly worn in the Malayan peninsula. It is a uni-gender garment.

It can be wrapped at the waist or under the arms. In wet weather the latter mode will keep most of it dry under a waterproof jacket or knee length Altus (for example).

Like most clothing it would need washing from time to time. So, I felt the carry a spare in the pack. All the cloth I could find locally seemed too heavy and stiff, so gave the idea away.

@Isca-camigo, I hope to hear of your success in this endeavour.

Kia kaha (take care, be strong)

 

[Becky 59]

The Macabi skirt has an option to turn it into a sarong-type “trouser”, with a cord that snaps on the front and back of the skirt. It’s made of rip-stop fabric which dries quickly, has very useful pockets, and their website has some testimonials from men who wear them for travel. Check them out! (Macabi.com )

 

[Arn]

I wore a sarong in Tonga, more as a cultural thing than a necessity, though my hosts appreciated it. The settings I found myself in presented some unique opportunities to be creative. When walking through fields, or vegetation, I could grab the hem and slip it through my waist band and create shorts, on the windy beach, I was overly conscious of the flap flying open, then I was told I could wear briefs or a swimsuit. When eating other than at table, I could spread my legs and create a place to put my food (pork/fish,etc) placed on Taro leaves. To bring the sarong closer to home, the Scot Great Kilt is similar, the exception being the length which is draped over the upper torso.

 

[RRat]

So do any of you posters have experience of walking in summer in a sarong?
I walked with a young American guy in July 2014 on the Primtivo who was wearing one, he seemed to have no issues. Is there a particular material I should be looking at, silk, cotton or another? I am not even sure at what styles or types I should be looking at, I do want it to go down to my ankles and that is what has veered me away from a mens hiking kilt/skirt. A friend told me recently of waterproof roll down kilts, which when I looked them up realized some models go down to the ankles, so in addition to my sarong and as some sort of protection they would be perfect. Any (sensible )thoughts?

So many thoughts for just a simple walk.

 

[Isca-camigo]

I am wondering why you would want it to go down to your ankles, for ventilation and walking in August. Maybe mid-calf would be long enough.

As @trecile said, many sarongs seem to be made of rayon. I'm not sure why, but rayon does drape well - hanging with enough substance but not stiff.

I'm a typical pale skinned Brit, 1 year of off and on lockdown hasn't helped, so if I can keep the sun of my legs great, the same for the rest of me, I will reintroduce the sun to my body in a more controlled setting.

 

[trecile]

@VNwalking introduced me to a longyi. This is a 2 metre wide fabric sheet sewn to form a tube. Step into the tube and make an overlapping fold in front. Roll the top down to secure. The fold in front gives the legs and knees to move easily. More can be found here. I understand longyi are also regularly worn in the Malayan peninsula. It is a uni-gender garment.

This looks like a much better option than a sarong. Here's a video showing how to wear it.

 

[truthseeker]

The Macabi skirt has an option to turn it into a sarong-type “trouser”, with a cord that snaps on the front and back of the skirt. It’s made of rip-stop fabric which dries quickly, has very useful pockets, and their website has some testimonials from men who wear them for travel. Check them out! (Macabi.com )

I wore mine on my Camino (Sept/Oct 2018).

 

[hieudovan]

I love wearing sarongs. When I was in the Peace Corps in Malaysia, I lived in a kampong (village) and wore it whenever I was home. It's known by different names by different ethnic groups. It's so comfortable and simple to wear (no belts nor buttons) and very secure. In fact, many laborers wear sarongs while working in the rice paddies, roads or whatever by "halving" the sarong so that instead of ending at one's feet, it would end at, or over, the knees. I still wear sarongs as PJs. On the Camino I wear pants for the pockets and protection when walking among bushes. BTW, there are different sarongs for the two genders. The men's are bigger (duh!) and "plain," (think table cloths). While the women's are colorful (flowers and batik)... However, all men's are 1 size (bigger) and all women's are also 1 size (smaller).

 

[Isca-camigo]

This is a 2 metre wide fabric sheet sewn to form a tube. Step into the tube and make an overlapping fold in front. Roll the top down to secure. The fold in front gives the legs and knees to move easily. More can be found here.

Thank you, it has given something to look at, interesting about the silk option and it's unique qualities as well.

So many thoughts for just a simple walk.

Relax, I'm just Camino dreaming

 

[Sansthing]

The longyi looks like a very interesting option, whatever your gender. In fact it looks so comfortable I might make myself one for chilling out at home.

 

[mikebet]

When living in upcountry Thailand I wore a pakkamah (wrap-around rectangle of cloth) regularly and in Burma wore a longyi (closed-tube sarong) around the house. I found both to be difficult to keep tied securely at the waist, and the longyi not particularly cool in hot weather since it is ankle-length and doesn't allow all that much air circulation. Maybe in a cooler and less humid climate than Burma it would be better. But neither garment has pockets, which seems kind of inconvenient on a hike. Also, if you are wearing a backpack with waist belt I don't see how you could close it over the prominent knot in front needed to keep the the garment up. All in all it doesn't seem like a practical idea to me...but just my opinion.

 

[Isca-camigo]

When living in upcountry Thailand I wore a pakkamah (wrap-around rectangle of cloth) regularly and in Burma wore a longyi (closed-tube sarong) around the house. I found both to be difficult to keep tied securely at the waist, and the longyi not particularly cool in hot weather since it is ankle-length and doesn't allow all that much air circulation. Maybe in a cooler and less humid climate than Burma it would be better. But neither garment has pockets, which seems kind of inconvenient on a hike. Also, if you are wearing a backpack with waist belt I don't see how you could close it over the prominent knot in front needed to keep the the garment up. All in all it doesn't seem like a practical idea to me...but just my opinion.

Thank you, a lot of points there which wouldn't have occurred to me without replies like yours. I wonder if I could have them altered here by having velcros added which would take the need out for a knot?
I hope the humidity is less on the higher elevation of northern Portugal, but I'm not sure, that could possibly have the opposite effect than I am looking for in wearing a sarong or longyi. Pockets aren't a issue for me, if I could use either with a backpack then I would use the pockets on the hip strap from my backpack.

 

[mikebet]

My Thai wife informs me that the female version of the longyi in Thailand (called a pha-nung) sometimes has metal hooks to fasten it at the fold. So, sure, velcro might work very well on a male longyi. Just in case your haberdasher is either Burmese or Thai, here's the appropriate vocabulary: in Thailand a man wears a pakkamah, the woman a pha-nung. In Burma the man wears a pasoe and the female a thamein. But I think the (Hindi?) universal term longyi works most everywhere.

 

[taigirl]

So do any of you posters have experience of walking in summer in a sarong?
I walked with a young American guy in July 2014 on the Primtivo who was wearing one, he seemed to have no issues. Is there a particular material I should be looking at, silk, cotton or another? I am not even sure at what styles or types I should be looking at, I do want it to go down to my ankles and that is what has veered me away from a mens hiking kilt/skirt. A friend told me recently of waterproof roll down kilts, which when I looked them up realized some models go down to the ankles, so in addition to my sarong and as some sort of protection they would be perfect. Any (sensible )thoughts?

I met a guy in Oct 2019 - I think his name was Dave - who walked in a silk dressing gown. I wouldn't want anything around my ankles that might be a tripping hazard.

 

[Isca-camigo]

I met a guy in Oct 2019 - I think his name was Dave - who walked in a silk dressing gown. I wouldn't want anything around my ankles that might be a tripping hazard.

Maybe I will give the silk dressing gown a miss. Point taken on the length.

 

[davebugg]

So do any of you posters have experience of walking in summer in a sarong?
I walked with a young American guy in July 2014 on the Primtivo who was wearing one, he seemed to have no issues. Is there a particular material I should be looking at, silk, cotton or another? I am not even sure at what styles or types I should be looking at, I do want it to go down to my ankles and that is what has veered me away from a mens hiking kilt/skirt. A friend told me recently of waterproof roll down kilts, which when I looked them up realized some models go down to the ankles, so in addition to my sarong and as some sort of protection they would be perfect. Any (sensible )thoughts?

I do not have experience wearing sarongs.

I do have a lot of experience in how to dress and protect myself in extreme hot and sun scorched environs while backpacking, including the Mojave and Death Valley. Since I am not sure if your question is specific to sarongs or clothing strategies in general, just holler if I can be of any help.

 

[Isca-camigo]

Thank you, I might just do that.

 

[Old Bamboo]

I've worn a sarong (longyi) at home for many years and find them very comfortable. I've often thought of wearing one for hiking as they're easily adjusted for length in addition to being lightweight, although only for use on Camino-like open trails and not through the bush. They're quickly washed and dried too. There are a couple of ways to tie them-i prefer the Burmese style but for hiking perhaps the Indian way would be best.