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 Still-water 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-
