Royal Robbins Travel Skort : The Perfect Travel Companion

Who wouldn't want to travel with a smart, stylish, dependable companion who can move from rock scrambling to parlor schmoozing with panache?

No, I'm not talking about my husband; I'm talking about my Royal Robbins Global Traveler Skort. It's elegant, tough, and versatile.

At first, I was skeptical about this garment, but that was only because I have a bad memory of a bad skort from my youth. It was worn by a zany English teacher who called her boy students "cupcake" and frankly discussed things like goat genitals in class. Her skort appeared to be the purple-velvet love child of a pair of Cossack pants and a butcher's apron. So, I was prepared to be very, very afraid of Royal Robbins' so-called hiking skort.

Good thing I can admit when I'm so wrong. The Global Traveler Skort won me over in no time flat.

It's refreshingly subtle and sophisticated, resembling a crisp little tennis skirt on the outside, but with a pair of lightweight hiking shorts hidden underneath. The skort's lines are classic, sleek, and slimming. It's dressy enough for dinner out and yet unpretentious enough to wear for casual family gatherings. During a recent get-together with my in-laws in Georgia, my husband's 91-year-old Grandma Kitty kept saying, "My, my, you look so thin and pretty in that skirt!"

For all its proper femininity, the Global Traveler Skort didn't skimp on performance on the trail. My skort fit rather snugly (I usually wear 12-13 in shorts, but I was able to wear a size 10 skort--weehoo!) but still left me with plenty of freedom of movement for hiking steep hills and clambering over roots and boulders. The breathable nylon dobby fabric kept me cool and dry while hiking, and the Royal Robbins proprietary Dot Matrix™ weave of the outer skirt worked as advertised, keeping the skort from clinging even in the sweatiest of conditions. I also appreciated the Teflon® finish, which repelled everything from trail dirt to dog slobber and baby food. Even if I am a slob, I hate looking like one...

Bottom Line: No need to skimp on either form or function with this skort! A delightfully versatile and elegant piece of clothing that does double-duty as rugged hiking/traveling shorts and a casual-dressy skirt. --N. W. (July '06)

Price: $44.

Manufacturer's Site: www.royalrobbins.com

Buy Online: Buy products from Royal Robbins and get $10 off your American Hiking Society Membership., , Outdoor Gear & Clothing Royal Robbins Skort