My purpose, more than anything else, would be in evaluating my enjoyment of the kiltmaking process, with the secondary goal of getting a usable garment out of it. Cost is also a big factor, so the choices seem to be between getting the tartan I want in Poly/Wool, or having to choose one that I would not necessarily have as a first choice in even lighter PV fabric, as they are very close in cost (the PV being marginally cheaper).

What I wanted to try was for a 5 or 6 yard kilt with knife pleating. I was also interested in the lighter fabrics since summers here can get very humid, and on those 40+ Degrees Celsius days with humidity well over 90% even my 5 yard 16 oz wool kilt can get a little too warm for comfort. Still better than shorts or pants, mind you, buy I am willing to sacrifice some swish for the sake of keeping cool on those days. I'm also keeping in mind that folks here have nothing but good things to say about kilts in PV made by companies like USAKilts, so it seems that the lightweight PV does make good kilts.

It really does come down to choice in tartan, all other things being equal. There are a few PV tartans that I like, but none that have a familial connection, which the Douglas has (my grandmother was a Douglas and quite proud of it). I am willing to forego this connection if the consensus is that PV will make for a better kilt than Poly/Wool, but if the opinions of the rabble here are that one is about as good as the other, I'll go with the fabric that offers the darker Douglas tartan that I really like.

If all goes well and I find the process as enjoyable as I hope, I would then look into purchasing the more expensive 16oz wool tartans for both 5 and 8 yard kilts, and I'd also be keen on finding a source for even heavier weight materials so that I can also go kilted during the brutal winter months where I'd be looking more at -40 degrees. I'm not really convinced that even an 8 yard 16oz kilt would be sufficient to keep me warm on those days.