Casual and/or low cost kilt socks

[Nik]

Ok guys I'm working on getting into wearing my kilts from Damn Near Kilt 'Em more often as well my casual from USA kilt. Previously I've bought soccer socks, but have gotten mixed to poor results with them. They either don't hold up or can't handle my 16.5 inch calves.

I'd like to try and keep with the over the calf look, but if that isn't an option I'll bit the metaphorical bullet. So what advise or suggestions do you guys have for casual socks to wear with your kilts?

[ShaunMaxwell]

You might try the W. Brewin hose, which are inexpensive and come in a number of colors. They're available from any number of vendors, but you can see them here: https://www.amazon.com/W-Brewin-Mens.../dp/B07KGGH19J

How well they'll hold up to heavy use is something you'll have to determine. I'm not sure how they'd fit someone with larger calves... Unfortunately, it's not been an issue for my skinny legs!

I bought a few pair of these when I got my first kilt, then moved on to piper hose, then finally on to the House of Cheviot Lewis or Rannoch hose. I remember initially thinking, "Why would anyone pay that much for a pair of socks?" But by the time you've replaced the less expensive hose a few times, you'll begin to understand.

Good luck to you. I'll be curious to see what others suggest.

Cheers,

SM

[Tobus]

I'm assuming you've seen this thread?

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...-review-96885/

Those appear to be fairly low-cost alternatives for kilt hose. I'm not sure what your standard is for "casual kilt socks", but if you're looking to wear full-height socks that resemble traditional kilt hose, these would be good contenders. Being cotton, synthetic, and otherwise non-wool, they should be fine for casual wear. Most of them appear to be in the $15-$25 range.

[KennethSime]

I have a couple pair of lower-end Hose of Cheviot Glencoe hose that are pretty nice for the money.

That said, I think the beta (climber's term: secret trick, or method of solving the problem) is to wear some lightweight running socks underneath your kilt hose - I like smartwool. This allows you to wear them quite a few times before washing, and extends the life of the hose foot quite a bit, making your $30-50 investment go that much further.

[MichiganKyle]

If you take a look at that thread Tobus posted, you might want to look at the ones from The Scottish Trading Company. My cotton hose just don't seem to wear. I'll wear holes in the acrylic ones, but the cotton ones wear like iron. However, the ones from USA Kilts are not very stretchy and may be difficult to don if you have large calves. But The Scottish Trading Company's, while I haven't worn them much because of the color, are knitted to size in a nearly identical pattern to the USA Kilts ones while being much stretchier but still mostly cotton.

(That said, my oatmeal USA Kilts hose are some of my favorites and I wear them quite often. It's just that there's almost no stretch to them - they're largely held up by the flashes - so they may not work for you if you have large calves.)

[kingandrew]

Much depends on the look you are going for.

As noted, USA Kilts certainly has some budget-conscious options. Sock Dreams (sockreams.com) often has good prices on various sorts of knee socks, some of which will work find for casual kilt wear. The selection is constantly changing and many times some colors are sold out, but it's definitely worth a look.

If you want affordable argyle socks, golfknickers.com has a great selection at a low price. However, they are very lightweight and won't last terribly long. You may still feel that they are a good value, given the price.

What Price Glory (onlinemilitaria.net) offers repro British army issue hose in khaki that are good, go with everything, and quite affordably priced. They are a good source of Scottish military style items in general (sporrans, uniform jackets, etc.)

As others have said, spending a few bucks more for real hose from Hose of Cheviot or other actual kilt sock vendors will actually be your best value over the longer haul.

Good luck and happy hunting,
Andrew