Question for the bigger guys

[ConfusedPollock]

Now I was wondering. If I where my kilt where it ends mid-knee, how do I say it, my "assets" aren't covered when I sit down. As in my wedding tackle doesn't have anything under it on the chair. Not exactly comfortable on vinyl chairs if they are a touch cold. Also not polite to be setting your "guys" on somebody's furniture.

What I want to know if that is normal? My kilts are for a 46" waist and would like the comments and advice from similar and bigger guys. You "half grown" ( I mean that sarcastically) guys really wouldn't understand I think. I was wondering if it just was something I have a problem with because I'm not sweeping it under myself right.

If I go with a 23" or so long worn where I wear my pants it all fine.

[sjrapid]

CP - you tell us your waist but not what style of kilt you are wearing with the 23 drop, so it's hard to tell what proportions your kilts have. If your proportions are similar to mine, (I'm 6ft tall and 230 lbs) then 23 might be a bit short if worn at the natural waist.

I'm on the 'larger guy' side of sizing - my (trad tank) kilt size is 46W|48S|24.5D, and I wear my tank to the top of the knee. I know what you mean about experiencing a sudden cold seat when sitting. In my experience avoiding a cold seat is all down to practicing sweeping those pleats.

Look at Hamish's video here - the thing to look for, as well as watching Hamish's hands, is the forward/back swing from the knees that Hamish does just before the hands start the actual sweep. This is an important part of the sitting action, as it gets the pleats moving in the right direction (towards the back of the knees) before the hands begin to sweep. I've found that in most circumstances, you need a two-handed sweep (I'm a fan of the double backhander!) and you need to sweep to lower than you first think to get the pleats fully tucked under your seat.

Look also at this video from the BBC's video nation site, which shows Hamish getting into a car - I found it very helpful.

Best regards

[Big Mikey]

I KNOW THE FEELING! I'm 6'2" but only a 31" inseam. If I wear my kilts a bit high I get "shocked " at times. What works for me is to bend at the knee a bit and back up to the chair and sit and slide back at the same time. My arms just seem to be a bit too short to sweep properly.

[Splash_4]

Man, am I glad I am not the only one with this problem. I have the same issue as Big Mikey in that my arms just don't seem to be long enough to do a proper sweep. By bending my knees just in front of the seat so the pleats hang down in front of the chair and then sitting straight down and scooting, it seems to work.

The guys with the smaller protuberence in front might not understand why we can't do this...

[Nick]

I've gotten pretty good at sweeping and sitting and all that jazz, so rarely get a rude shock anymore when sitting. What I've found annoying is getting said rude shock after sitting for a while. Turning and other movements of the body can cause the pleats to creep back, neccessitating a remedial sweep.

[Dreadbelly]

I have found that sitting down not only spreads my backside from side to side, but about 5 inches top to bottom. I found this out by securely holding my tape measure at my natural waist, tying in several places to my leg with string, and holding the top and bottom of the measure in pinched fingers. As I sat down, I let the end of the measure behind my knee slide between my pinched fingers. It moved five inches.

Bigger guys spread more in all directions. When you sit, and your kilt is to short, it is because your big ham hocks have spread out and what was once hitting the back of your knee is now lucky to be hitting your mid thigh, no matter how much you sweep there is no way to make your kilt longer to account for the spread. As your leg bends, the length between the back of your knee and your waist grows along the curve of your buttocks, doubly so when you sit.

This also explains why troosers give big fellas wedgies when they sit down. The crotch depth (A subject that I actually just took a test on heh) does not account for spread or fill. Or when you bend over and your pants rip.

For guys with guts, double wammy. When you bend your torso, your gut presses down on your lower abdomen, causing quite a bit of spread and forcing your body to move to other locations now that mass is pressing in on the locations where the jiggly masses previously were.

[Rigged]

Very true, which is why I prefer my kilts to be a bit longer than the traditional length. Mid-knee works well for me for a traditional kilt. Utilikilts are supposed to hit the base of the knee -- if worn for the utilitarian purposes for which they were designed.

[Riverkilt]

Me too.

I'm 6' 250lbs and my inseam is only 30"

Think I've finally gotten used to "that feeling." Of course, when I'm wearing tartan boxers with the kilt, like at work, its not an issue.

Ron

[Fearnest]

.
I feel as though I've just entered a revival meeting - Hallelujah, brothers!

Thanks for the tips, thoughts, suggestions... I sweep pretty well, but it doesn't always help. I've taken to trying to pull the kilt down in the back before I sit, but sometimes I forget, it's not convenient, or I fear it just really looks odd.
.

[mexpiper]

As another big fella , i find a back up and sweep is in order.. if that does not work, if you wear a long tshirt with a good long tail, it is much easier not to have a "quick cold assets". I recently made a kilt shirt and i extended the tail an extra bit long.. helps to prevent the shirt from riding up with wear and no cold seats....