Kilt Blog

It has been too long since I have reviewed anything, so here is a sporran review. I bought this Buzz Kidder Celtic Knot Day Sporran with my Ramsey Casual from USA - Kilts last year. I have since worn it a couple dozen times. I previously blogged about the bloody chain that came with it damaging a cheap acrylic kilt.

Unlike that chain, however, this sporran is well made, works well, and is a good value. I paid $55, which is fair enough for a quality leather day sporran. It is ample in size, and closes with a strong magnetic clasp. I can easily fit more in this sporran than in a pair of trouser pockets, it will hold my phone, wallet, keys and even a few additional essentials that I occasionally need to carry.

The leather is heavy enough that it should last a lifetime, however it was a little stiff when new. The pewter celtic knot adds a stylish touch. The sporran hangs well, and is comfortable to wear. One minor disappointment, however, is that I must use two hands to close it, one to lift the front edge of the sporran and the other to move the flap down in to place. The magnet holds closed with a small post that actually carries a significant amount of the weight, this I presume, is the reason I need to lift and align the sporran part of the closure.

Overall: A-

Quality: A

Comfort: A-

Value:A-

Include Chain: Avoid using it

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My lovely wife, who just make me the “knucks” fingerless gloves in these pictures, let me splurge on a slightly used Utilikilts Workman’s kilt for the holidays. It arrived yesterday. I should note that the temperature outside was in the single digits (fahrenheit) with a bitter wind, so I am wearing long-johns and heavy wool hunting socks. Subjectively the kilt is warmer than cargo-pants, given the same other clothing.

The kilt was advertised was having been worn for a week-long festival, and was obviously used but in good condition. It saved me enough money to make it worth buying used, though the used utilikilt market on eBay offers surprisingly strong resale prices.

The first thing I noticed when putting it on was that it curls the pleats, just as my UK Demin does. The second was that the fit, for the same size, was exactly the same. The third, was that the pockets were somehow smaller. I love my other UK’s huge pockets, which are squared off at the bottom, but here they were cut diagonally, which pushes all my pocket stuff together, but gives a more pleasing aesthetic. Living well outside of normal police patrols, I often carry a S&W J-frame in my UK’s pockets. It fits comfortably in the UK Workman’s pockets, so I suppose I am happy enough.

I was surprised by the construction of the hammer loop. It is a strip of leather which attaches with snaps, for adjustment, to the inside of the inner apron. I wonder about the practicality of that, basically one must reach up under his kilt to adjust it… at least I live out in the boonies where this wouldn’t offend anyone who might one day be close enough to see.

Of course, the outside of the pockets have handy miniature pockets, as with many toolbelts. These snap down for flexibility and are nicely sized for the various screwdrivers, etc, which I might need to carry while working in my kilt. It also features “modesty snaps” for the shy to bifurcate on ladders and roofs. I suppose, if one must, they could be useful, however they do make the kilt look and feel like a bizarre pleated diaper (pictures intentionally not included).

Overall I like this kilt better than my UK Denim or Original, but I do start to wonder about the value. The retail price of the UK workman is current $225, making it seem an expensive garment to wear doing construction. The savings from buying on it eBay make that a bit easier, and oddly so does the fact that its already used. The material is the same as is used in carharts, and should wear well, even with heavy use. I’m not sure that I could work sans tool-belt all of the time in this kilt, but surely I could most of the time. Its also certainly more fashionable that the Denim or Original, and for some that I a primary concern.

Overall: B+

Service: N/A

Quality: A-

Comfort: A-

Value:B+, would be lower if I’d paid full price

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One thing with going kilted is that none of my old socks work. They were made for wearing with trousers, and even with a Utilikilt, they are pretty ugly.

I read a month ago, in a post at X Marks The Scot, about SockDreams.com and placed an order. Its getting colder, and I need more long, warm, kilt-able socks, yesterday I placed another. I figure its time for a basic review.

Traditionally, kilts are worn with, what else, kilt hose. And I bought a pair of those too. But since I am doing a less formal look, I like the Sock Dreams stuff better.

I had ordered a pair each of O Basics ($6), Diamond Rib Knee Highs ($8), and O Marled ($12). The O Marled seem to be the same ones that Utilikilts is offering for $14. Sock Dreams also offers FREE SHIPPING for most online orders! The kilt hose I bought needed to be shipped from Scotland, and let me tell you, that cost nearly as much again as the kilt hose.

I was initially a bit disappointed with the Diamond Rib Knee Highs. They had little loose threads at the top. Fortunately, my wife knits and knew just how to tuck them in, without her I’d have been lost on that point. Fortunately, the Diamond Ribs were cheap enough and nice enough to make up for that. I’d say that they are dressy enough for semi-formal wear, even formal wear if most people there are ignorant about kilts. They are very soft, stay up very well, and are available in 5 colors. At 8 bucks they are a sweet deal. The style goes very well with most kilts.

These are really women’s socks and are sized for a woman’s legs. So, the O Basics, which would go easily over the knee (if not cuffed) for most women, don’t on me. Still, for 6 bucks they are nice, cuff nicely, and do barely cover my knee on a cold night. Covering the knee makes a big difference in comfort when its cold, since they run up under the kilt.

The O Marled sock are great. They go well up my thigh and are nice and warm. Bunched and worn at the upper calves, they look great with a utility kilt. They are thick. Sock Dreams has them in 6 different colors, and two sizes - guys will want the large. These are definitely the warmest of the three pair I bought. Many items are available in a normal and large size.

Overall, I am very happy. I especially recommend the Diamond Rib Knee Highs and the O Marled. I like those enough I ordered more.

Overall: B+

Service: A

Quality:B

Comfort:B+

Value:B+

I recently received my USAKilts Casual Kilt in the mail. Wishing to get it while it was still warm enough to wear an 11oz kilt, I sprang for the extra $25 rush charge. Sure enough, it was shipped in just under two weeks! The price, without the rush charge or shipping varies with hip size, from $99 to $140. The normal wait is 6 to 8 weeks. It is custom made to the buyer’s waist, hip and length measurements and represents an excellent value for a custom tailored kilt.

I chose the Ramsey tartan purely for its looks. Actually, from what I understand, this is a Ramsey Hunting tartan, the original Ramsey tartan being red rather than blue. I had it pleated to the black stripes to darken the appearance. I also had it made with oversize belt loops, normally it fits a 1.5″ wide trouser belt.

Being a casual style kilt, it is machine sewn. The pleats are sewn along the outer edge, which is unusual for a tartan kilt. The fell is sewn with those pleats exposed at the belt line. USAKilts calls this their “PermaPleat” system. The pleats certainly hold in well after a warm afternoon sitting on a leather office chair! For comparison, the pleats hold in noticeably better than on my Utilikilts Original, and much better than on my Stillwater Economy. The 11oz poly-viscose has a nice hand, and is teflon coated for stain-resistance.

The kilt closes with velcro, making it somewhat adjustable. The hem is tightly stitched with the edge frayed. For some reason there is a line of sewing holes directly above this bottom fray, only visible when inspecting it. There is a USAKilts patch where one would put a kilt-pin. This, I suppose, is meant to help weigh down the corner of the apron without the need for a dressy kilt pin.

This kilt is very comfortable and looks quite nice. It fits beautifully. It is light weight and cool, however it does not do very well in a breeze. As I have mentioned previously, where I live is often rather windy. Fortunately it is also remote because this kilt has flown up twice in wind gusts of just 15mph next to my cabin- think Marilyn Monroe. I would hesitate to wear it out on a windy day. There is, of course, a trade-off in terms of weight and wind-resistance. On a hot and wind-free day this would be the coolest piece or clothing I own.

Overall this kilt is well made, the pleats hold in very well, it is light weight, and very reasonably priced for a custom tailored garment. If you are looking for a light weight kilt for casual wear, it would be hard to go wrong with a USAKilts’ Casual Kilt.

Overall: A-

Service: A

Quality: A-

Comfort: A

Value: A-

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About a month ago I purchased a Stillwater Economy Kilt in Irish National tartan. I chose the tartan partly because I do know that I have some Irish ancestory, but mostly because I thought the tartan was nice. At a mere $37.95 plus shipping it was quite a deal. It is definitely a cost reduced garment, but it was still an excellent value.

The first thing that I noticed, unfortunately, was the odor. It had a mild, but distinct, smell of some kind of chemical. It reminded me of a dry cleaners or maybe moth-balls. I kept catching wiffs of the smell though-out the day, but fortunately after leaving it to air out for the night the smell vanished. My wife said that she has smelled acrylic clothing like this before.

The kilt is made of acrylic tartan. It is not a kilt to wear to a wedding, but it is cheap enough that you won’t scream if you ruin it working in the yard. That is really nice. It cost no more than a cheap pair of jeans.

The length, as with all Stillwater Kilts, is 24 inches. That is a little too long for me, so I end up wearing it a little high, maybe 3 inches above my navel. Stillwater advises that a blind hem stitch will not show and one day I might try it, but it requires a special foot my wife’s sewing machine does not have. As it comes, the bottom is to the selvedge, and the selvedge came slightly damaged.

Saving substantial sewing, and keeping it cheap, the pleats are not sewn down at the fell. If I had realized how nice that would have been when it arrived, I might have sewn them down myself. I have read about other people sewing them down, and it seems to be reasonably easy. I blame the un-sewn fell for the funny way that the left side of the apron and adjoining pleat lays, and for the pleats getting messed up a bit too easily. The acrylic does not hold a pleat as well as poly-viscose or wool, but is machine washable.

The straps are real leather, and the buckles nice enough. I am glad that I chose to purchase the Economy rather than the Thrifty which uses velcro instead of straps. The right edge of the outer apron is frayed, which is correct and a nice touch at the price.

It has been cool in the summer heat, but the waist is a little scratchy, so plan to tuck your shirt under it. It has stayed down in 30 mph winds, but the over-apron did flap around quite a lot without a kilt pin. I would hesitate to wear it in a real storm.

All told, I am very happy with my Stillwater Economy Kilt. The price of $37.95 is more than fair, less than 10% the cost of a “real” kilt and a quarter of the price of a utilikilt. If you are searching for a kilt to wear when you can’t risk your expensive clothing, this is may be exactly what you need.

Overall: B+

Service: A

Quality: C

Comfort: B+

Value: A+

About a month ago I ordered my first kilt, a tan “Original” from Utilikilts.com, in a size slightly larger than I would like to admit. The ordering process went well, aside from an email which never reached me telling me that my first choice, a black, was out of stock. I telephoned them and the salesman who I dealt with was friendly and sent me out a tan, which had been out of stock but I preferred.. My kilt arrived a few day later. I should point out, for those who do not know, that very few kilt-makers carry a stock of kilts, that a Utilikilt may often be ordered off-the-shelf is wonderfully convenient for those of us not used to waiting the weeks or months a custom tailored garment requires.

Never having owned any kilt before I was hesitant to shell out the $141 price tag. It is one of the more expensive garments I have owned, but was definitely worth the price. Each pleat is sewn down the length at both the front and back, which is nice since I don’t look forward to pressing clothing. The whole kilt is heavily built and I am sure it will last for years. It is also considerably cheaper than a traditional 8-yard tartan kilt.

Following Utilikilts’ measuring instructions I did get a kilt which fit properly. However, I wonder if I should have gotten the “beer-gut cut”. I had considered this, but as I am working off the beer-gut I decided against it. Still, it has been no problem wearing it properly when standing, walking about, etc. After hours hunched over a computer, however, the front tends to fold over at the top, and I must straighten it when I stand. If someone else is in a similar situation it could well be worth spending the few extra dollars and having one made with the beer-gut cut… a feature which does not seem available from most other utility-type kilt-makers. Utility kilts are normally worn with the same waistline as pants, whereas more traditional kilts are worn near the navel and would never need a “beer-gut cut”.

My Utilikilt has been amazing comfortable. Living in New Mexico, the days can be quite hot, and the kilt does offer, as the saying goes, “built in air-conditioning”. I am actually surprised at how cool it is to wear, because it is a rather heavy garment. The weight really helped yesterday, while running around preparing for a storm in 50 mph winds; my kilt flapped around fiercely, but I never felt in danger of it blowing up and exposing me.

Lastly, in my opinion one of the benefits of a utility style kilt is the pockets. The pockets are huge. I could easily fit a book or a couple bottles of beer in each of the two cargo pockets. I almost never use a back pocket in ~gasp~ pants, and have not in the Utilikilt either, but it seems similarly sized. The pockets use the same size large snaps which hold the kilt closed. It does take a little practice to quickly unsnap the pockets with one hand as the pockets hang loose from the lower edge of the fell.

I have been quite impressed with my Utilikilt and will almost certainly be purchasing another.

Overall: A-

Service: B- (due to net gremlins, actual humans rate a solid A)

Quality: A

Comfort: A-

Value: A-