Is 11 oz tartan a good weight for a kilt?

**Richrail** · 11th February 14, 12:25 AM

I now have 4 USAkilts in PV, 3 casual and 1 semi-traditional. I love the fact that they are machine washable. I wear a kilt anytime I'm not working. These are great when the warm/hot weather hits.

Great for hikingout for a hike.jpg

or out and about on a summer day downtown Reno, on the hot pavement
Art Walk2.jpg

Then the Semi-traditional in PV is what I like to dress up
school 3.jpg

GG · 11th February 14, 02:58 AM

Having around 30 kilts, among them 11 oz., 12 oz., 13 oz., and 16 oz. wool and PV, and wearing kilts practically every day I happen to know by experience just a little bit about kilts under various conditions.

On a hot sunny day you should appreciate an 11 oz. kilt – be it wool or good quality PV. On a cold day you should probably feel better in a 16 oz. Also strapping on a 16 oz. gives you a feeling of “security” or non- vulnerability. Is it therefore a 16 oz. 8 yarder is sometimes referred to as a tank?

13 oz. is to me a fine compromise. I should, however, not be without my light weight kilts.

By the way, I never realized that a light weight kilt should keep its pleats worse than a heavy one. All of mine are in this respect perfect. I HAD a 16 oz. wool kilt that couldn’t keep its pleats, at all, however. But I have many other 16 oz. that do very well. And I have one 13 oz. kilt that is not up to the standard of my other 13 oz. kilts, despite the quality should be the same. So I wouldn’t generalize and say that a lightweight kilt per definition in this connection is not as good as a heavy weight one.

**Nathan** · 11th February 14, 05:58 AM

I kind of went from heavy to light. I started with a Regimental box pleat in military weight (which is 20oz or more), then years later I got a 16oz 8 yard kilt. The idea of a lightweight kilt freaked me out. Then recently, I saw a 13oz 6 yard kilt in my tartan advertised online in just my size. I picked it up and much to my surprise, I love it.

It looks every bit as traditional and fine when dressed up as the others do but, due to the lighter weight in both fabric weight and pleats at the back, I find the thing as comfortable as pyjamas.

This experience has opened my mind a little to lighter weight kilts. Interestingly, my military box pleat kilt is much lighter to wear than my 16oz kilt because those were made with 4 or 5 yards of cloth and, again, there is less pull from the back as a result.

It would take a hurricane to blow up the apron of my military weight kilt, however, I think the 13oz could be blown up much easier. I would think 11oz would feel pretty flimsy but Riverkilt looks happy enough with his.

I see the benefit of PV but, to be honest, I've worn my traditional kilts to many a pub and played gigs and spilled beer on them. Wool is a very resilient fabric and they clean up very well. The only think I worry about is moths. Pubs don't scare me one bit.

**sailortats** · 11th February 14, 06:12 AM

Originally Posted by Nathan

Pubs don't scare me one bit.

Obviously you have not been in some of the pubs that I have been in.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

**Billleigj3** · 11th February 14, 06:27 AM

Originally Posted by sailortats

Obviously you have not been in some of the pubs that I have been in.

(Sorry, couldn't resist)

I am a Navy Vet ( Disable Vet) as Well and I was thinking of the USA KILT P/V USN Tartan semi-traditional...That's the whole reason I started this thread!

Cheers....

**Downunder Kilt** · 11th February 14, 01:07 PM

Originally Posted by Billleigj3

I am a Navy Vet ( Disable Vet) as Well and I was thinking of the USA KILT P/V USN Tartan semi-traditional...That's the whole reason I started this thread!

Cheers....

You want a pub kilt and you have found a tartan that means something to you. Your original toughts of a PV kilt in the USN tartan sounds the ideal result. Cheers.