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.