If you don't want to read the whole post and just get to the question I have, see the bolded part below...

I don't tend to lean toward non-traditional looking kilts, but I have a project in mind that I was hoping to get your help on. I have a vision in my head of making a kilt outfit that's suitable for working outdoors.

When I say working outdoors, I mean doing dirty jobs that my homestead requires. Be it building a barn (which is mostly done, but still has some finish-out work left to do), mucking horse stalls, working the horses, digging trenches for water lines, shredding pastures with the tractor, and things like that. The kind of work where I would normally wear denim jeans or overalls, leather gloves, and steel-toed boots (which as you can imagine is torture when it's 100+ degrees outside). This type of work is definitely not the kind of work I'd want to do in a nice wool kilt or even a tartan PV kilt. I don't think PV could stand up to the abuse, plus any tartan material would show dirt and stuff instantly.

So I'm wanting a good, rugged, durable solid-color kilt that is heavy enough to handle the wear from hard work. Plus something that has lots of pockets, loops, and other accoutrements suitable for toting around a hammer, nails, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc. And be washable and fairly stain-free.

Now before you say, "that's what the Utilikilt Workman is for", hang on a second. I have looked at it and it almost fits the bill perfectly. The only issue I have with it is that I prefer to wear a kilt up on my natural waist, not down at my jeans waist. Does anyone know if Utilikilts will make a fitted kilt that's worn like a traditional kilt but that has all the features of the Workman model? Or are they adamant that their product only be worn at the hips?

Also, as much as I like their products, they seem really expensive. Considering that Utilikilts are pretty much "cookie cutter" items (not bespoke), I don't know if I could justify spending over $200 on the Workman model. With the amount of abuse I give my work clothes, I'd be scared to death to put on a $200 garment for doing dirty work. How in the heck can it cost over $200?

I've considered making an X-kilt from the instructions posted online. Then I could customize it to my heart's desire. But I definitely do not like the look of box pleats, preferring knife pleats instead. And I'm not a kilt maker or even a novice at sewing, so I'd probably be biting off more than I could chew to try to adapt the X-kilt to knife pleats. Not to mention adapting it even further to wear at my waist instead of at the navel.

Anyway, what I'm looking to do is to make an outdoor kilt outfit that would be comfortable in warm or cold weather. I have a Wrangler "sherpa vest" like this:



I love this vest and it has held up very well to outdoor abuse. It's made of duck cloth and it's got faux-shearling lining on the inside so it's fairly warm. I want a kilt that matches it in khaki color and duck cloth. Then I want to build a set of leg covers to go with it. They wouldn't be kilt hose, they wouldn't be cadadh, and they wouldn't be like gaiters, so I'm not sure what to call them.

In my head, they wrap around my legs sort of like gaiters and lace up the back (or strap tight with leather tabs and buckles), but they don't cover my boots. They go inside my boots, only covering my socks from the ankle up. They go down to my ankle and stop, perhaps having a strap that goes under my foot. The tops go up to below the knee like kilt hose and are held up with the straps or lacing. But they are made from duck cloth and have the same type of faux-shearling lining inside. So essentially they're insulated like my vest, plus they offer some protection for my legs. I might even want to give them a corduroy lining at the top like the vest is trimmed with.

So my work outfit would be steel-toed boots, leg covers over regular socks (boot length socks), my work kilt, a long-sleeved work shirt, the Wrangler sherpa vest, work gloves, and whatever hat I choose to wear. If it's really cold outside, I suppose I would wear some undergarment with the kilt, distasteful as it may be. But I think this would be a pretty decently practical work outfit for hard work in cold weather, and I could shed the vest and leg covers for hot weather.

What do you think?