Question about UT Kilts?

[VirginiaHighlander]

Hello all...I was wondering what experiences anyone has had with UT Kilts? I like the looks of their products and since money is very tight right now I'm looking for another cargo/utility kilts to knock around in. Interested in your thoughts on construction and durability as well as any other info. Hope this post doesn't violated forum rules and thanks in advance for any help.- John

[Liam]

Hello all...I was wondering what experiences anyone has had with UT Kilts? I like the looks of their products and since money is very tight right now I'm looking for another cargo/utility kilts to knock around in. Interested in your thoughts on construction and durability as well as any other info. Hope this post doesn't violated forum rules and thanks in advance for any help.- John

Good reseller of utility kilts made in Pakistan.

[VirginiaHighlander]

Thank you Liam. I'm not crazy about the whole Pakistani made thing so thanks for that. Any other ideas for an affordable non-**** utility kilt in the $75 or under range?

[The Wizard of BC]

I guess I'm one of the odd ones as I don't really have a problem with kilts made somewhere else.

If you factor in the cost of fabric purchased in N. America, and add the labor rate of a skilled kiltmaker, you will very fast exceed the cost of any product made where a good working wage is $4.00 per day. This is exactly the same reason why 90% of everything in your closet is made somewhere else. We in N. America have simply priced ourselves out of the market.

The only thing I object to is the business practices of some of the companies you see on the web and the products they offer. If you look at the tags inside almost every kilt made in Pakistan they say "Designed in Scotland". No where does it say where it was made.
The tag also says "Authentic woven Tartan". But what Tartan? And did the weaver get the thread count from the Scottish Register of Tartan or did they guess from a photograph taken by stealth at a Scottish Trade show?
These kilts often carry a care tag that will say something like 6-8 yards of 100% Acrylic Wool. What? Do they have plastic sheep?

A few of these companies, (and there are hundreds of little, tiny operations, all in the same town) have a totally different concept of intellectual property rights. It is not uncommon at Scottish Trade shows for the Scottish Companies not to have any products out on counters or anywhere that someone can walk by with a cell phone, take a photo and send the design of any new product to the middle east. Within a week thousands of knock-offs have been made and can be sold for a fraction of the price of the original.
This is normal and an accepted business practice in these cultures. They expect others to steal their ideas. It all comes down to who can get the product made and on the market first.

Where this business practice hurts us is that there are now hundreds of copies of Scottish or N. American products and the average ebay buyer has no idea of what or what did not go into it.

But these inexpensive products do fill a niche. Ebay is full of them and they are selling as fast as they can put them on-line. There are tourists on a fixed travel budget who just want to be able to say "I went to Scotland and bought a kilt". They have no intention of wearing it but once or twice. It may get pulled out at Halloween or for a local Highland Games.
These tourists want and a kilt. They are willing to pay $100.00, but cannot afford the cost of a 16oz custom made kilt.

[tundramanq]

Amazon is suffering from the same issues as eBay now. It's always "buyer beware" with kilts regardless of where they are made.
But Steve is right on the mark. The low production numbers plus the complexity of a utility kilt's construction precludes it actually being made in North America for less than $100.
Some like the 511 TDK are very well made of quality material in Vietnam for $75. I have several other clothing items made in (South) Vietnam that are well made. I think they and South Korea get the North American quality ethic and sizing much better than the rest of continental Asia.

The feel I get on social media about UT kilts is they are OK unless the owner also has the gold standard, expensive, Utilikilts also. Then the fabric is light weight for windy or daily use. I don't have any UT's but I have sampled a few kilts from US sellers and they seem in the same boat. The curse online is they avoid telling you the weight of fabric or any other "not so great" details. I will not consider buying a kilt unless there are product pictures from all sides first. ( This still doesn't protect you from shallow pleats - I have seen some that are down right symbolic and the kilt will act more like a ladies hobble skirt than a kilt. They will splay the front aprons any time you try to sit or take long strides. I bought one and returned it. Another policy to look for...

[ratspike]

Thank you Liam. I'm not crazy about the whole Pakistani made thing so thanks for that. Any other ideas for an affordable non-**** utility kilt in the $75 or under range?

Not going to happen unless you get super lucky with something used. If you're skinny and like box pleats I have a black Stumptown Kilt that I want to get rid of.

Honestly though, the Pakistani kilts are what they are - cheap kilts that are sorta-to-reasonably well made. They absolutely have a place and serve a purpose. Not everyone is willing or able to spend the kind of money that a domestically produced kilt goes for, and that's totally cool. If you like the styling and it fits your budget then go for it. Your closet is already full of clothing made overseas anyway.

[VirginiaHighlander]

Thanks all for the input. To clarify, I own an expensive "formal" kilt made for me by MacIsaac Kiltmakers in Cape Breton and a 5.11 TDK for casual wear and love them both. I'm just looking for another casual kilt to knock around in and rotate with the 5.11 at longer festivals, etc.. I'd like a Utilikilt or something comparable but unfortunately those are out of my price range at present. While I'm not a snob, I've read some bad press about the **** kilts and cannot afford to waste ANY amount for junk right now. I'm now looking into a Damn Near Kilt 'Em casual and even if it's a **** (anybody know??),it looks like they guarantee satisfaction so I'd feel a little more comfortable paying for that at the same price as the UT. This should satisfy my needs at least until the new batch of 5.11s come out in the spring or I can grab a Utilikilt.

[tundramanq]

You do know that the new batches of 511s come out April 1st or shortly after? There is a story behind it

[ratspike]

While I'm not a snob, I've read some bad press about the **** kilts and cannot afford to waste ANY amount for junk right now. I'm now looking into a Damn Near Kilt 'Em casual and even if it's a **** (anybody know??),it looks like they guarantee satisfaction so I'd feel a little more comfortable paying for that at the same price as the UT.

The cheap utility kilts are all more or less the same and come from more or less the same place. If you're concerned that a UT Kilt will be junk, a kilt from Damn Near Kilt 'Em won't be any different. If it's customer service you're concerned about, I've seen mainly VERY positive comments about UT Kilts in that respect.

[Taskr]

Seems to me that the adage 'get what you pay for' remains true. I heard once from a mentor that people without much money should not buy cheap things. It makes sense, really, since 'cheap' and 'inexpensive' are not the same thing when it comes to quality. Something cheap may not last very long for knocking around in, but something on the higher end of affordable may last far longer and thus not need replacing (as often)
But, since you have your MacKilt (as do I) and your 5.11TDK, if you have access to anyone with even moderate sewing skills at all why not have Alan's XKilt fabricated for knocking around. Its what many of us have done. https://web.stanford.edu/~ahebert/X_Kilt_adobe.pdf Inexpensive and direct quality control with choice of materials.