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What are mogans you ask?
Mogans is the term in Gaelic for what we'd call legwarmers. They were worn in about the fourteenth to eighteenth centuries in the Scottish Highlands; although there are a few slightly more modern references in the Lowlands to "Moggins" being worn by fishermen as a sort of felted footless sock. Historically these were either a loose tube slipped on or a strip of fabric wrapped about the calf and tied on with a bit of string. And for the technical aspect; they are designed with modern fabrics for more extreme conditions.
And why on earth would you need these?
I wear kilts year round, and I live in sunny Minnesota. In case you aren't familiar with my home state; for about half the year it is below freezing and can often get well below 0F (-18C) for days at a time. I like being out of doors and in January this can be brisk. While gaiters offer some protection, they're generally not really insulated, or getting anywhere close to the knee, so I needed something more suitable.
Part of the impetus behind these more technical mogans (I have a few pair that are just fleece or wool) was that I was going to be working on the Art Shanty Project, which involves (for simplicity of explanation) not only building a shed in an unheated warehouse but then installing it on a frozen lake. This meant I would not only be in the cold for long stretches, but also kneeling on ice, or, at one unanticipated point, in pools of near freezing water atop ice.
These mogans not only kept me warm and dry, but actually kept my legs toastier than my core in my winter shell when the wind picked up on the lake.
Mogans is the term in Gaelic for what we'd call legwarmers. They were worn in about the fourteenth to eighteenth centuries in the Scottish Highlands; although there are a few slightly more modern references in the Lowlands to "Moggins" being worn by fishermen as a sort of felted footless sock. Historically these were either a loose tube slipped on or a strip of fabric wrapped about the calf and tied on with a bit of string. And for the technical aspect; they are designed with modern fabrics for more extreme conditions.
And why on earth would you need these?
I wear kilts year round, and I live in sunny Minnesota. In case you aren't familiar with my home state; for about half the year it is below freezing and can often get well below 0F (-18C) for days at a time. I like being out of doors and in January this can be brisk. While gaiters offer some protection, they're generally not really insulated, or getting anywhere close to the knee, so I needed something more suitable.
Part of the impetus behind these more technical mogans (I have a few pair that are just fleece or wool) was that I was going to be working on the Art Shanty Project, which involves (for simplicity of explanation) not only building a shed in an unheated warehouse but then installing it on a frozen lake. This meant I would not only be in the cold for long stretches, but also kneeling on ice, or, at one unanticipated point, in pools of near freezing water atop ice.
These mogans not only kept me warm and dry, but actually kept my legs toastier than my core in my winter shell when the wind picked up on the lake.
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I opted for the wrap style as it affords more adjustability, can be put on or taken off over boots, and is easier to size.
These are a piece of wind blocking fleece, which is half covered with a water and wind resistant shell material with a waterproof durable knee pad, all secured by three webbing straps with buckles.
The fleece wraps around my calf (widest point) twice for insulation.
The shell fabric covers the outer layer of fleece to shed snow and water, but allows the fleece to wick moisture and breathe as one unit.
The knee pad allows me to kneel in slush (and water) without saturating the water resistant shell and fleece, and provides significant abrasion resistance against ice and rocks.
The straps secure the mogans to me. One at the ankle to keep snow out, one below the knee to hold it up, and one above the knee to hold the top of it in place. The top two straps have a bit of elastic incorporated to allow for the shift in size of the leg as the knee is bent.
I chose to wrap from the inside to the outside ending with the outer edge just behind the centerline of my leg so that as I walk the free edges don't meet. I also located the buckles on the outside of the calf so one leg doesn't bump the other and pop one free. As extra length of the straps trail to the back they don't snag on things.
These are a piece of wind blocking fleece, which is half covered with a water and wind resistant shell material with a waterproof durable knee pad, all secured by three webbing straps with buckles.
The fleece wraps around my calf (widest point) twice for insulation.
The shell fabric covers the outer layer of fleece to shed snow and water, but allows the fleece to wick moisture and breathe as one unit.
The knee pad allows me to kneel in slush (and water) without saturating the water resistant shell and fleece, and provides significant abrasion resistance against ice and rocks.
The straps secure the mogans to me. One at the ankle to keep snow out, one below the knee to hold it up, and one above the knee to hold the top of it in place. The top two straps have a bit of elastic incorporated to allow for the shift in size of the leg as the knee is bent.
I chose to wrap from the inside to the outside ending with the outer edge just behind the centerline of my leg so that as I walk the free edges don't meet. I also located the buckles on the outside of the calf so one leg doesn't bump the other and pop one free. As extra length of the straps trail to the back they don't snag on things.
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