USAK Casual, Munro Hunting tartan

[usonian]

Back in early February I had some Christmas money burning a hole in my pocket. I went back and forth between buying a casual kilt for hiking/general knocking about and buying some wool tartan yardage to make a kilt for the same purpose. After looking at my queue of other projects, I decided to let somebody else do the work this time! I ordered a USA Kilts Casual Kilt in the Munro Hunting tartan, ancient colors.

It arrived yesterday, and I have to say I really like this kilt. The fit is dead-on; I purposely ordered the waist and hip just a tad on the small side, but it looks fine with my current measurements. I've been working at losing some weight and hope to keep at it; I wanted something that can shrink with me. Construction is really solid, and compared to a traditional 8 yard kilt there are a number of clever shortcuts to save on labor cost while still looking unmistakably traditional; the shaping between waist and hips is done differently than in a traditional 8 yard kilt, but it's precise and the end result fits very nicely.

The timing was perfect! I just finished knitting my first pair of kilt hose this morning, and was able to wear both out on a walk today.


I'm really happy I decided to let USA Kilts make me a knockaround garment. (thanks Ian!) I love the 8 yard, 16oz wool kilt I made for myself last year but have been reluctant to wear it where it might get stained, snagged, or otherwise besmirched. The psychological difference with this low-cost, low-maintenance kilt is pretty significant; knowing I can throw it in the washing machine really does make it worry-free. I look forward to doing a lot of hiking in it this year.

[mookien]

Great decision! Good-looking kilt. You'll get a lot of enjoyment out of that beauty.

I must admit, though, you look chilly. In weather like that I usually don my 8-yd. wool high-rise, and wear my hose up to the bottom of my kneecaps.

[tulloch]

That is great! Good job on the hose Andy.

[usonian]

Between the lower yardage and the PV this kilt is definitely noticeably less warm than my tank, but I was still quite comfortable in the ~40ºF weather, especially while moving around. The crossed arms were more of a "what do I do with my arms?" pose than anything.

[TheOfficialBren]

Nice! I have a similar kilt in Holyrood and LOVE IT! Ian made Mine, too. Great craftsmanship.

[MizzouScotsman]

I have three casual kilts from USAKilts and I love them all. They are hardy little buggers and wear very well at highland games when working the Clan Donald tent. As soon as funds allow, I shall be ordering my first 8 yard wool kilt from USAKilts. I cannot wait for that time.

[usonian]

Just a follow-up - having worn this kilt a few times and *all day* at a folk festival this past Saturday, it was time to run it through the wash. Despite everything I had read here, I did this with some trepidation because hey, it is a precision garment that is pretty dependent on all those pleats looking crisp. It came out of the spin cycle mostly dry already, and I laid it out flat on a couple of towels overnight. Other than a few minutes spent arranging and distributing the pleats, that is really all there was to it; there were a couple of rumples in the fell, but since that part gets drawn tight around your back anyway I left them alone. I don't know how the 'Perma pleat' system works (I can't see any visible stitching along those pleat edges below the fell) but it's impressive.

Also worth noting: While I wouldn't try to substitute it for a traditional wool 8-yard kilt in a more formal context, the Casual does dress up quite adequately; Last night I wore it with a shirt, tie and converted sports jacket and it looked just fine for that occasion.

[Richrail]

I had this same thoughts when it came time to wash my casual from USA. I was very pleased with the way this came out. When I first got it I wasn't sure how I would like it. The more I wear it the more I like, no, love it. Mine is in the Fraser Hunting.