Quality of a Tank vs other kilts

[Lyrd]

After reading literally a couple hundred threads here i have a question about the quality (hardiness) of tanks. I keep reading that there is nothing like a tank. That others are just so called knockoffs but good for just kicking around. Invariably statements about how great some tank is and how the person just loves it, are followed by some version of " But it cost like $600 so i only wear it to weddings".
Ehh? Isnt the point of a "real" tank that it's made from good scottish worsted wool? Shouldnt it be pretty much indestructible? Well, almost anyway? Especially strome. If i paid $600 for something..and i will be soon (a Kathy Lare kilt yea!) i better be able to wear it in pretty much anything but the armageddon. Why do people talk about knocking around in their cheap kilts instead of wearing what should be a superior product as far as hardiness goes? Just curious. Are tanks that fragile?

Be Well
Marc

[JakobT]

After reading literally a couple hundred threads here i have a question about the quality (hardiness) of tanks. I keep reading that there is nothing like a tank. That others are just so called knockoffs but good for just kicking around. Invariably statements about how great some tank is and how the person just loves it, are followed by some version of " But it cost like $600 so i only wear it to weddings".
Ehh? Isnt the point of a "real" tank that it's made from good scottish worsted wool? Shouldnt it be pretty much indestructible? Well, almost anyway? Especially strome. If i paid $600 for something..and i will be soon (a Kathy Lare kilt yea!) i better be able to wear it in pretty much anything but the armageddon. Why do people talk about knocking around in their cheap kilts instead of wearing what should be a superior product as far as hardiness goes? Just curious. Are tanks that fragile?

Be Well
Marc

The tank is perhaps one of the hardiest garments you can find. But in an age of mass-produced cheap clothes the tendency is to use something so finely crafted only for "best", I guess. I'm with you though - at that price I'd want my money's worth!

[davedove]

The "tank" can be worn anywhere. I have worn mine for everything from a beer festival to formal nights on a cruise. It is indeed a hardy garment and can be dressed up or down to any level.

I think the main concern is not whether the tank will hold up to the wear, but whether it is likely to get dirty. If a person knows that the kilt is going to get dirty, I can certainly see wanting to wear a kilt that can be machine washed.

[Paul Henry]

I suppose I am in a lucky position where I make my own kilts, both traditional- Tanks types and the more contemporary denim/camo types. But with each kilt I wear I want to make sure I could wear it whenever I want , and not be too concerned about wear and tear.To me the kilt is an everyday garment.... not a costume....
Of course if a tank did get marked I;d be upset , but at least I would have had the enjoyment of wearing it, but of course I have a few that I do keep for best!!!

[ThreadBbdr]

My mom has worsted wool suits (probably about 10 oz weight) that were made for her in the 1940s when she was in college. Still going strong (both the suits and the lady LOL). If you take care of it, good worsted lasts about forever. Mr. C at church can still fit into his father's kilt. He's my mom's age, so that kilt has to be going on 100 years old!!!

But they also doesn't wear those garments to garden in. If you kilt a lot, you'll want some 'jeans quality' kilts, too, to mow the lawn in, work in the garage, stuff like that.

[Tattoo Bradley]

Ok, so I've got some thoughts here. I agree with Dave that a lot of it is folks worrying about it getting dirty. The other part of it, not yet menitioned, is that a lot of folks feel an 8 yard kilt is too formal or "nice" for every day wear. I have an 8 yard kilt ("tank") and I wear it just like anything else: whenever/wherever I'd wear any other kilt.

I would like to plug Matt Newsome's 4 yard box pleated kilts here. I can't help it. I'm just THAT much of a fan. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to steer you from Kathy Lare (she's great btw, a real class act.) I'd just like to show you the other "real kilt" option. Scottish wool, but low yardage and box pleated. This makes these kilts the most versatile, IMO.

[James MacMillan]

My day-to-day activities often contain messy and dirty activities that I don't want to expose my tanks to. I also don't worry very much if I sweep the pleats or spill something on a casual kilt. While I am in a tank I do.

I would not think of puttering around in the garage or yard in a tank. I would not want to sit for a few hours in front of the boob-tube in a tank.

My tanks are my "Sunday-go-to-meeting" kilts. When I want to look my best I wear a tank.

Around the house I am in one of my two sport kilts, or one of many SWK's. When I run to the store or go to a low-level committee meeting at my Lodge, I wear a USA or higher-end casual.

When I go out to dinner with the wife, or to a Lodge function, then I wear a tank.

[Jerry]

I wear my tank just about anytime I go out in a kilt. I have a couple of lower yardage, lighter weight casual tartan kilts, a USA semi traditional, and several Stillwaters, but compared to the tank, the others are almost like wearing(dare I say it) skirts. The kilt I wear most though is an old Sportkilt. I wear that one every day around the house and working in the yard. I wouldn't crawl under my house to work on the satellite cables or my home computer networking cables in my tank, but I have in my Sportkilt. It's not that I don't think the tank would stand up to such use, but I have way too much respect for a fine hand sewn garment to treat it that way.

[David Thornton]

Might I suggest a kilt night where you can see a a wide range of kilts, hopefully. While I am well pleased with my tank, I can tell you that I wear the 5 yard, marketed as casual, much more often. Several vendors, here and in Scotland, sell them. Some custom fitted like mine, others are off the rack sizing.

David

[McMurdo]

A well made 16 oz 8 yard kilt, or tank, is a hearty garment that with proper care will outlast the wearer and become a family heirloom, however if one does not take care of it I'm sure that it will not last as long as it should. I know this for a fact because my first kilt was my fathers, he gave it to me as it in his words "Shrunk in the Closet" it was made in 1950 by A&J Scott, now Alex Scott and co.

I own several hand sewn kilts, some are what we refer to as tanks, others are the 4 yard box pleated variety that Matt Newsome specializes in, I have no qualms about wearing any of these to the pub, going dancing or wherever, and yes I do wear a kilt on a daily basis. In my estimation the "cheap kilts" from ebay, the Gold Brothers, etc. will not stand the test of time, they do not hang the same, they do not swing the same and they do not hold a pleat the same way, but I suppose they are fine for spilling ale on.

I think that going to Kathy Lare for your first kilt is a good decision, while I do not own one of her kilts I have heard nothing but good things about her work.