A few kilt wearing questions

[shannon]

I'm hoping to order my first 8Yard kilt in mid-March from Scotweb in the 13oz with the Spirit of Scotland tartan. (I will probably never wear kilt in weather below 50 degrees but will have 100 degrees in southern USA. ie: AL,GA,FL)

I drive a truck for a living & curious about the wrinkling affect of the kilt sitting hours in the driver's seat? How often do you need to iron the kilt to keep the pleats ? How often do you need to clean the kilt. (Suggestions to send kilt for proper ironing of pleats on the road?)
I hope to be able to wear it atleast 2x a week walking the dog,etc.

Why is a kilt belt needed if there are ones already sewn inside? Are there belt loops on outside of kilt? (I've only seen the one in the rear for the sporran.) What is the correct width for the kilt belt?

And finally I would like to find a dog-bone shaped kilt pin; appreciate any info.

[tulloch]

Kilts are not at their best sitting on them. I don't have much experience with the synthetic ones but my 13 oz wool kilts would get pretty wrinkled sitting all day. I'd wear shorts driving. Kilts are best for standing, walking, dancing, striding, hiking and leaping. I ironed one of my kilts one time and it was pretty time consuming. You should know what you are doing too - temperature, damp cloth, etc. I find that ordinary wear including some driving and sitting while dining don't get my kilts too wrinkled and I hang them with good effect afterwards.

As to the dog-bone shaped 'kilt pin' - a kilt pin is a pin you attach to the apron of your kilt. I recommend you jump on ebay and ride that puppy til you find what you want. "dog bone pin" got me a bunch of hits.

Good luck and lets see the photos!

[Zardoz]

Firstly, Welcome to the forum!

I how wrinkled they get kind of depends on how good a job you do of making sure everything is nice and smooth when you sit down. Most of the time all but the worst creases will shake out after you walk around a little bit. You shouldn't need to press or clean the kilt that often if you look after it a little, but be aware that if you need to clean a wool kilt drycleaning and a lot of pressing is in order.

Honestly I think if I was in your place I would look at a PV (not acylic) kilt like a USA Kilts Semi-Trad. The PV is a good wool analog, but cooler in hot climates and easier to care for, it can be machine washed, hang dried and ready to wear the next day.

http://www.usakilts.com/index.php/ki...onal-kilt.html

A kilt belt is not really "needed" since as you note the kilt has it's own straps and buckles, but it is a traditional part of the outfit and many folks feel they look incomplete without one. Most kilt belts are around 2 1/4 inches wide. Most kilts come with two 'belt loops' at the rear, there is some disagreement here about whether they are for both the belt and sporran strap or just the strap, or neither!

[Tobus]

Kilts are not at their best sitting on them.

I agree. Don't get me wrong - it's way more comfortable to sit in a kilt than in trousers (since there's no seam trying to split you up the middle). But sitting for long periods in a kilt really doesn't do it any favours. It's really a garment that's at its best when upright.

That said, I've worn mine for drives of up to 4 hours with no adverse effects. But that's a far cry from driving a truck for a living, where you'll be sitting on the pleats all day. I honestly can't say how it would do.

But I will say this: the heavier the fabric, the less wrinkle-prone it will be. And deep knife-pleating will be more wrinkle-resistant than shallow pleats or box pleats. I've never had any wrinkling issues with my 16-ounce knife-pleated wool kilt, provided I sweep the pleats when sitting. But my box-pleat (even though it's 16-ounce wool) will still get out of order when sitting on it. And the worst of all is my el-cheapo acrylic kilt. Those darn pleats never seem to look right.

PV doesn't seem to be too bad in the wrinkle department. Especially if you go with something like Rocky's casual kilt with the perma-pleats (look at the link Zardoz posted above, but go to the casual kilt area). This might be the best bet for driving a truck.

Yup, kilt belts will be 2-1/4" to 2-1/2" wide. Some folks will wear narrower (1-1/2" to 1-3/4") belts, but they just don't look the same as a wide kilt belt to me.

[Taj]

For truck driving you might be better off with something along the lines of Utilikilt and competing knock-offs. Far more comfortable to drive in as far as I see it.

[tundramanq]

I drive from Albuquerque to Houston and back. Taking two days each direction. I wear my Utilikilt Original, Survivor or Workman depending on the temperature. The pleats still look decent at the other end. I do sweep my pleats after sitting down. The flappy cargo pockets are real handy for carrying the leash, doggy cookies and cleanup stuff at the stops - truck stops and rest areas. I would go with the cotton/poly Originals unless you need more pockets. Coolest and most wrinkle resistant. I hang my keys off of a beltloop with a carabeener (sp?). I never use the rear pockets though.

[flyingshamrock]

A Hundred Thousand Welcomes from Massachusetts... Check out USA Kilts. A causal kilt from Rocky would be fine for you to drive in and you wouldn't have to spend a lot of money. You could also use a standard belt instead of the traditional kilt belt. If you're looking for a great sporran for the money check out the nylon nightstalker from stillwater kilts. You won't be disappointed.

[opositive]

most days, i am driving 150 miles roudtrip to work. i have worn pv and wool going to work on a saturday and have not seen much of a difference with pleat crushing. skip acrylic. if you are testing the waters, either go with a pv casual from usa kilts or an economy wool in black watch or leatherneck from stillwater kilts. thanks to a wreck, coming home took over 3 hours. i was pining for a kilt. a kilt is so much more comfortable for driving.

[Cathy McWilliams]

I'm new to the forum, but not new to kilts, being a kiltmaker since 1995 and I agree with all the other gents, sitting for long times, no matter how well made will leave wrinkles. As to the weight, I made a heavy weight kilt (16 oz) for my husband, Red McWilliams. He wears it more than he wears trousers all over the US performing at the Highland Games. He actually prefers the heavier weight because the pleats swing better being so much heavier than a lighter weight. The heavier weights (13 and 16 ozs) hold their shape better. It's up to you and how you stand. There's a big hole in the bottom of the kilt where your legs stick out - built-in-airconditioning!

Do you need a belt? If the fell is sewn correctly, with the appropriate taper for your shape, you don't really need a belt. The kilt is traditionally worn with a belt. The standard width of a kilt belt is 2.25" and fit most buckles out there. I have made wider kilt belts for custom belt buckles. I have seen older kilts that do not have loops for the belt but the belt was still worn.
Those silly little ribbons sewn into the inside of the kilt to hang your kilt up with? get rid of those nasty things! If you don't have a proper kilt hangar and hang your kilt with those loops, your pleats will not hold a proper shape! I use two trouser hangars, clamping the kilt at the top. Have those hangars either facing toward each other or away from each other. Then you can fold the two together and hang your kilt up somewhere and the pleats will maintain their straight shape.

How often to iron it? only when it really needs it. If you hang it up after wearing, not often. How often to dry clean it? spot clean it and only take it in when it needs it. The chemicals used in dry cleaning can cause a build-up. I've seen some really shiny kilts out there!

I have made some "day kilts" out of the polyviscous material, and when I did, I top-stitched the outer and inner edges of each knife pleat. It was truely wash-and-wear and the gent never had to worry about the pleats getting out of shape

No matter what you end up getting, you want to make sure it fits well and is comfortable. CHECK REFERENCES and if it doesn't fit just right when you get it, don't wait to take it back to the shop and get it corrected. You're investing a lot of money into it. I have 4 kilts in my shop right now that I'm altering because the customer waited several months before saying "wait, this doesn't fit right" and the shop would not take it back to correct it.

Good luck
Cathy McWilliams
Fife & Thistle
Washington

[sevenoaks]

Talk to The Wizard of Freedom Kilts on Vancouver Island in Victoria BC, Canada.. A kilt maker who will make a kilt for you that fits perfectly. Pockets... No Problem... no one will know they are there... Carry almost everything in them..The kilt hangs nice and the comfort is built in only for you... He can advise you on the best wrinkle free material that a kilt could be made from.
Wrinkles for a long Haul Trucker... I am not so sure about that but when my son was a Long Hauler, he had a strip of tartan made up so he could just lay it across his lap. He could slip his kilt on just before he got out of the truck at a Weigh Scale, Truck stop or anywhere he needed to pull into. His kilt was hung close by and had Velcro straps so it went on easy and fast. He had no wrinkles in it and he always had a good reception from anyone he met.
He stopped hauling into the USA as he was always interrogated by the USA Border Guards who appeared to be paranoid about anyone entering the USA... Enough said about that!
It worked for him. Now he Hauls across Canada and drives over high mountain passes in the winter. He must have nerves of steel. I worry about that he is a professional driver and a great kid who I am very proud of. He is very proud of his heritage and as a father I am very proud of him.

Did I hi-jack this this thread.. Then I apologize.