How long will a Poly-Viscose kilt last?

[sadkingbilly]

I know a well made and well cared for woolen kilt can last longer than the person buying it but what should I expect from a PV kilt? I resent buying clothes and treat them carefully so some of my jeans are at least six years old. I hope to get at least this much lifespan out of a PV kilt since it won't be worn daily (I think).

Anyone has an answer or an educated guess?

(oh, and should I store a kilt hanging or rolled up?)

[brewerpaul]

I store all my kilts hanging with some sacks of cedar wood to ward off the moths from the wool kilts. Pants hangers work well, some vendors sell longer hangers for kilts but they are few and far between.

[Chas]

On the face of it, I would have thought that a PV kilt would last longer. Each thread of a PV kilt is made with continuous filaments, whereas woollen threads are made of individual hairs that are no more than 4" long.

As far as I know, most people will store their kilts hanging up rather than rolled.

Regards

Chas

[Laird_M]

I concur with Chas having been a materials scientist.

I prefer my kilts hanging, but would avoid the 'spring steel clamp' style of hangers as they are a &*^%$£ nightmare to use. go for the type with a bulldog clip type of arragngement to spare your fingers...
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=kil...r:13,s:0,i:120
http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?q=kil...:22,s:46,i:297

[flyrod6057]

I don't have a scientific answer to your question, but I think a PV kilt will last you for quite a long time, depending on what you're doing with it. If you're just wearing it around the house from time to time, PV should last decades. If you're running around in the bushes, perhaps much less. I own a couple PV kilts, but they don't get much love from me: one's a tad short, and one's for playing in the woods. They both look exactly like they did when I bought them. You might PM Riverkilt and get his take; that dude's got a bazillion kilts and will probably know from experience how PV weathers.

[Thomas H]

I have a PV kilt and it still looks new and I have put it throught the test.
I would think the PV would last longer.

On the other hand , I Have an Arylic kilt and it might stand up to time but
I am about to throw it in the trash where it belongs -so it may not last long at all lol

[sadkingbilly]

Thanks all I might indeed PM Riverkilt and ask; might be a good addition to this thread. I hoped to get at least a few years' worth out of it before deciding if I'm ready for a real kilt (might buy one if I get to spend my holiday in Scotland in the next couple years) but that might need some saving..

As for how I think I'll wear my kilt, well for just about anything. Shopping, day out to the zoo, the park, hiking.. I'll treat it like every other item of clothing I have. Might take some wear over time and that's fine.

Thomas, why would you throw out a good kilt? Or is it not made correctly? Perhaps you can find it a new owner here

[RockyR]

The answer really depends on YOU. How often will you wear it? How often will you clean it? Are you dry cleaning it or washing it? Are you using a dryer or laying flat to dry? Are you wearing it daily, once a week, once a month or once a year?

I have 3 PV kilts that are 6 to 8 years old. I only wear them probably 10 times a year, but when I wear them, I work in them (mostly worn in the summer when mowing the lawn or washing my car, etc). They still look very good and show almost no signs of pilling. They ARE softer than when I first made them (the PV coating has come off over repeated washings), but they are still in good shape otherwise.

I hope this helps!

Edit: I agree... Riverkilt is probably the best one to comment on this.

[Riverkilt]

Huh? Who me??

Jeez, I don't know....have had so many that each only gets worn a little bit. Only thing I've noticed is that the PV kilts I've owned the longest seem to be softer - as Rocky says.

Since Viscose is the English word for Rayon (synnthetic cotton - what many aloha shirts are made of) it would be like asking how long a poly cotton shirt is gonna last.

Just depends. I bought my oldest PV kilt seven years ago (Ireland's National). Wore it yesterday for Proscription Day. Only thing different about it from my newest PV kilt (Three weeks old) is that the 7 year old kilt is softer now.

I think the softening makes it look even more like wool.

Here's the most recent picture of the 7 year old kilt taken four weeks ago.



Here's a pic of the same kilt when it was new in 2005



I don't see any difference to the casual observer. The softening is only evident to me since its my kilt.

And, for the record - I haven't babied this kilt. Hike in it A LOT.... I live in country where there's a LOT of sand. I don't know if blowing sand has softened it any when I'm out hiking...maybe.



I don't think we have to worry about anything from PV. I paid $230 for this USA Kilts semi-trad back then. Over seven years that's about $33 a year. If I wear it multiple times a year - and its still good for a lot more years - that's what we call VALUE.

And, since kilts hold their value well if you decide to sell it later chances are you'll get a lot more of the original cost back than with any other article of clothing you'd want to resell.

Getcha a PV and field test it yourself!

Hope that helps...just one kilt addict's opinion. And, if it means anything, I was skeptical of all the praise heaped on USA Kilts PV. When I finally ordered one "just to see" I love it and I've now purchased 25 PV kilts...

[sadkingbilly]

Thanks a lot for your much valued opinion - and the photographs! Well, one of these days my (first) kilt will arrive and I'll see how it behaves. It comes from buyakilt so it's only about $75 but I guess that does say more about fabrication and eye for detail than fabric.