"Best" kilt for a Highland Games competitor?

[ThinBlueLine]

Hey all,

I would like the opinion of those of you who throw heavy things around for fun and sport. Which kilt do you find to be the best for when you compete? I understand that the Sport Kilt is considered the sweatpants of the kilt world and that would fit with the less-than-clean nature of competition. Any advice as to which kilts to go for and which to avoid?

[HeathBar]

I favor the USA Kilts casual model. All velcro. Looks nice. Machine washable. Breaths well. And the owner is a sponsor of xmarks.

Sportkilts are probably the most used, but they have been around a long time.

I would avoid acryllic kilts. They tend to get hot and your choice of tartan isn't as large as PV from USAK.

[Detroitpete]

I wear either a Sport Kilt or a Stillwater Economy. There are slight differences between the two, but nothing drastic. They both wear well and can take the beating I give them. The acryllic Stillwaters are fine and not as hot as one might think. The Sk's fit at jeans waist however, so its a matter of choice as how you wish to wear it.

I wouldn't put too much thought into it--a good and inexpensive kilt is the thing to wear because cabers and tacky can make a mess of things.

[Alan H]

Waht Detroitpete said. You're going to get tacky on your hands from cabers and hammers and the handles of your weights. That tacky will probably get on your kilt.

That said, most of the athletes around hereabouts wear Sportkilt standards. They're great on a hot day. I happen to wear a Gold Brothers kilt because I totally don't care what happens to it. However, if I was buying a kilt to throw in, my own personal preference would be for a USA Kilts casual model.

It's easy on-easy off. It looks good, way better than a sportkilt IMHO.... the USA Casual model has actual pleats, pleated to stripe. Sportkilt seamstresses seem to sort of pleat to the random whatever. You can get The USA kilts casual in a mess of clan tartans and non-clan tartans. The material has a teflon coating so in fact, in time that tacky will come out. I know....got some on my old USA kilt and while it took a few weeks and two washings, it DID come out. That'll never happen with an acrylic kilt. However, Sportkilt does have a few nice tartans that other folks don't have. For example, two guys here in NorCal are USCG vets and wear sportkilts in the USCG tartan. The stillwater kilts economy model has them all whacked on the price point, if that's super-important to you.

The only downside is that the USA Kilts casual model costs a fair bit more than either the Stillwater Economy or a Sportkilt.

[ThinBlueLine]

HeathBar,

I figured that acrylic would be uncomfortable. I am, however, surprised that Poly Viscose is that much more comfortable since it is also a synthetic.


Detroitpete,

I am sure they get quite messy. I am just trying to make sure I know which kilts are the "good" out of the multitude of "cheap" kilts on the market.


Alan H,

A Sport Kilt in my size would cost the same, if not more, than a USA Kilt so it would be pretty much a toss up between those two. I have a Stillwater Thrifty Kilt that I just purchased so I will be seeing how that feels after wearing it around for a while.
I did not know that the pleating for Sport Kilts was so dodgy.
In regards to tartans, if I had to choose a Sport Kilt I would probably go with the Linda Clifford/John Yestrebsky law enforcement tartan instead of a tartan that I am blood related to. For a USA Kilt I would probably choose the Gordon Modern.

[bricelythgoe]

I vote for Sportkilt.

[seanachie]

HeathBar,
I did not know that the pleating for Sport Kilts was so dodgy.
.

I have had very good service and support from SportKilt. If you had an issue with the pleating I would be pretty sure they would address it should you let them know. Seamus has been super responsive when ever I have contacted him.

I guess why I feel a little strong on this subject is that I just received a new kilt from them a few days ago. This was a delay of a few days because they were all set to ship it and in the QC process discovered a small blemish in the fabric (something obviously not their fault, happened at the mill). I was grateful for them catching it and the courtesy to call me and explain the situation.

[Alan H]

Oh, I'm not saying that Sportkilt is a bad company. Absolutely NOT! IN fact, I think they have a great service ethic and every interaction I've ever had with Seamus has been positive.

It's just that their kilts are made for a specific purpose, and designed a specific way and I personally am not terribly keen on them. That said, half the athletes here in Nor Cal wear them, and there you go.

[Nighthawk]

Oh, I'm not saying that Sportkilt is a bad company. Absolutely NOT! IN fact, I think they have a great service ethic and every interaction I've ever had with Seamus has been positive.

It's just that their kilts are made for a specific purpose, and designed a specific way and I personally am not terribly keen on them. That said, half the athletes here in Nor Cal wear them, and there you go.

Yeah, as Alan said, I'm not too keen on the way the kilts are made. In fact, I only own one and will never bother buying another. I personally thought it was a waste of money to be honest. A USAK would have been a much better bargain- same price and a much better product. I don't throw heavy objects- you guys are NUTS!- I'm in the reenactment side and just swing swords. I honestly prefer to wear the heaviest kilt I can because some of the guys I fight with hit hard and an 8 yard 16 oz kilt is almost like body armor, BUT- that having been said, I do prefer to wear my Sport Kilt when I fight because it is so much lighter. However, in the future, I will be buying a USAK casual for the festivals.

I would be quick to point out that it has nothing to do with the customer service. That end is great. Also, their womens clothing is really nice, and would not hesitate to buy their skirts for my wife. She owns several, as a matter of fact.

[g koch]

USA Casual is what I wear all the-groundskeeping-summer-long.