Review: Order of the Gael Kilt Kit

[Riverkilt]

There are a bunch of rigs out there for carrying your kilt and gear about. I own another one to too. But just got this rig from Order of the Gael. What impressed me right out of the box was QUALITY workmanship. I grew up in cut and sew and my minor in college was textiles. Everything about the workmanship and materials in this item is top quality. Even that yellow piping - difficult to sew well - is flawless.



Size open (you can fold it in half for carry on) is 40" long, 22" wide, and 5" deep. Material is ballistic nylon. Zippers and "velcro" are heavy duty industrial strength stuff. One side is embroidered with a logo of your choice or your name. Yes, embroidered, not screen printed.



The kit holds up to three kilts on Order of the Gael hangers - or any good hanger. There are three inside hanger hooks at the top so you can lay out the hangers three wide like this



And yes, the Order of the Gael hangers also hold a Prince Charlie or other jacket and vest and neckties or kilt hose or garter ties....

Or you can stack the kilts three deep with the hangers coming out the usual hole in the top with a strong velcro strap to hold the three hangers together inside the kit.



Underneath they have three large sporran pockets with a velcro strap to secure the sporrans in the pocket. They hold my L&M (bottom center), a standard sporran (top left) and my custom big buffalo sporran (top right). If you don't need three sporrans the extra sporran pocket can hold kilt hose, garter ties, flashes, whatever.





There are three velcro belt holders at the top. They could also hold a garter tie as above.



At the bottom is a large zippered shoe bag. Its large enough to hold my Z Coils. It can also hold kilt hose, garter ties, or flashes.

There's even a small pouch on the side to hold the free cedar block Joe sends with his Kilt Kits. AND, he even sends a free luggage tag....well, its got his logo on one side, but its free.

Once its zipped up you can use the carry strap with shoulder pad either open, or doubled up and secured with side buckles for carry on.

You can also use it for closet storage to save space. Just hang it up with up to three kilts, three sporrans, ghillie brogues, etc to save space and be packed and ready to go.

If I remember right the price is about $100. I can easily see $100 worth of quality materials and workmanship in this Kilt Kit. Quality at a fair price = Value. And the quality of materials and workmanship means this won't suddenly come apart on you in the airport or a taxi.

[Zardoz]

I've been using one of those rigs for a few years, it's a really great item

[azwildcat96]

Great review from a trusted advisor on the forum! Love the photo essay too.

[bdkilted]

You are right Ron. I've been using one for several years and it works great.
It is Joe Austin's company, so you are buying from a family member, as he is a Keith too.
What is more, if you get your clan crest embroidered on your Kilt Kit, he will give a donation to your clan!

[mookien]

I second everything Ron wrote. Over the years I have bought 5 Kilt Kits from Order of the Gael - 1 for me and 4 as presents to family and friends. They are truly a great way to store/transport Scottish attire. I took three kilts with me in one Kilt Kit, via air, and to CA for the Pleasanton Games. It helped me stay organized.

For weight-saving purposes I do not transport my shoes, hose, or garters in the Kit, but put those in my luggage - just my preference. The hangers also have a felt-covered rod that runs across the wooden frame on which you can hang a plaid, for example. Ron shows a tie hanging on the rod on his fourth picture, but it's hard to see the rod itself.

Joe Austin is a great guy to do business with and I highly recommend his products. I have several of his sporran belts, a sporran pouch, and a kilt hanger for every kilt.