View Full Version : Kilts?
grrickar
11-08-2004, 22:47
Kilts: are they easy to make?
JimSproul
11-08-2004, 23:09
Kilts can be as easy as folding 9 yards of wool, a Great Kilt. If you want a modern kilt made of modern fabric with pleats that are easy to manage you will do much better with a kilt from a kilt maker. See www.BearKilts.com he has a bunch of kilt links.
I am not un biased, I have two kilts on order from Bear, one for hiking, one for Irish Dancing.
My last one, from "I'm going to make a kilt" to "Ok, I have a new kilt" was about 3.5 Hrs. not counting having to go buy velcro (I thought I had some).
Keep in mind I have now made 5 kilts, so have a few practice kilts under my belt. FYI: The first one took me 2 days :-)
I am making a few new ones in a week or so, I'll try to take notes. I do it by "feel" more than anything, so couldn't really tell you now how I do it step by step.
Kilts rule, pants drool :jump
Doctari.
Mr. Clean
11-09-2004, 07:36
I can't really sew so I bought a Sportkilt. I'd sure hate to had the stitchin' come loose and be left without a stitch!
MadAussieInLondon
11-09-2004, 09:28
i have two sportkilts. they rock. wore one the whole time i was on the at this year
titanium_hiker
01-06-2005, 14:07
any tips on finding a particular family tartan (mine's macay (ok, so I don't know how to spell it) )
thanks!
titanium
http://www.scotclans.com/whatsmyclan/m_list.html
titanium_hiker
01-06-2005, 14:54
thanks.
for future reference: click on the letter of your last name and it will tell you your clan. Unless your non-Scottish of course :)
-titanium
Finally made another kilt. This one specially made for hiking. I took notes, need to transcribe them so others understand what my notes to me actually mean. I may even be able to post a picture of the completed kilt, forgot to take pics while making it. Sorry.
Doctari.
dougmeredith
05-13-2005, 11:45
Why bother with all the pleats to add weight? It seems like you could come up with a much simpler skirt than this.
Doug
ps. Yeah, okay, that was a dig at kilts, but they really are skirts. Look in the dictionary. :)
Finally made another kilt. This one specially made for hiking. I took notes, need to transcribe them so others understand what my notes to me actually mean. I may even be able to post a picture of the completed kilt, forgot to take pics while making it. Sorry.
Doctari.
OK, translation complete. I'll post instructions on the "Homemade gear" forum. If you sew or know someone who do, it is fairly easy.
kilt #6 took me 2.5 hrs.
Doctari.
Why bother with all the pleats to add weight? It seems like you could come up with a much simpler skirt than this.
Doug
ps. Yeah, okay, that was a dig at kilts, but they really are skirts. Look in the dictionary. :)
The pleats add weight, but allow for more fredom of movement. Possibly solvable with stretch fabric, I'll never know :p
Dig away, as "Only REAL MEN wear kilts" :bse
Doctari, real man & wearer of kilts :jump
On my hike last summer I had a terrible chafe problem. Started using Bert's Res-Q Ointment and vitamin I. Later purchased compression shorts, which were spectacular. How do kilts compare to compression shorts in this regard?
On my hike last summer I had a terrible chafe problem. Started using Bert's Res-Q Ointment and vitamin I. Later purchased compression shorts, which were spectacular. How do kilts compare to compression shorts in this regard?
My experience, & this may well apply to me only, is that I chafe mostly when/because I am hot in that area. I keep cool, I (mostly) don't chafe. To my mind shorts are much like a tent compared to a kilt as a tarp. Much more ventilation, especially if you go traditional (no undies :o ).
Example: I wore kilt on a saturday at rehersal, temp around 80f no chafing. Sunday I wore my hiking shorts, same temp. On both days the activity levels were similar; lots of running, walking & dancing. Sat: NO chafing. Sun: I could barely walk by end of day. Notes: I showered sat night, same as friday night. That was the day I decided to hike in a kilt.
Doctari.
grrickar
05-30-2005, 11:20
On my section hike two weeks ago, in the 45 miles I hiked I saw 3 men wearing kilts. They must be increasing in popularity...
Is "sportkilt" an actual brand, or a type of kilt made from hiker friendly material?
If a brand, any online links you can suggest to buy one without a long wait?
Mr. Clean
05-30-2005, 14:28
I have a sport kilt, Black Stewart tartan. Check out their site at
www.sportkilt.com
They have even more tartans to choose from now than when I got mine a few years back. Also check for bear kilts. Don't know much about them, but many are getting them. I'm wearing my sport kilt right now, actually. :clap
JimSproul
05-30-2005, 14:39
I placed an order with Bear Kilts, 8 months, several phone calls and a number of emails later I got my kilts. In the mean time I bought a kilt from Stillwater through Ebay, got it right away, it cost about half the cost and the quality was as good as Bear.
The Stillwater kilt have straps instead of velcro. I have hiked in both now, the straps are not a problem but I would replace them with nylon instead of leather on a long hike.
By the way, I pack a 2 oz pair of silk boxers for those times when high winds and proxcimity to the young or weak at heart might cause a problem. :eek:
By the way, I pack a 2 oz pair of silk boxers for those times when high winds and proxcimity to the young or weak at heart might cause a problem. :eek:
:clap
I pack a 2.5 Oz pair of nylon shorts for the same reason. And double duty as: doing laundry, swimming, sleeping, etc.
Doctari
Jester2000
05-31-2005, 03:42
Bought a skirt, NOT a kilt, to hike in for a dollar at the Salvation Army in Erwin in 2000.
Most likely cheaper than any nonsensical Sport Kilt, took less time than making one, had a fabulous blue floral print, and pockets! Pockets!
Stopped wearing it (in town) when all sorts of people decided (as happens in high school) to be different by. . . doing what that guy's doing!
But in all seriousness it helps chafe (but so does wearing pantyhose). Just don't go around talking about your family tartan when you can't even spell your family name. It's sad.
Thanks for the links. Can you tell me a bit about the chafing. Did you find that it was LESS in a kilt than in shorts?
Also, how about for the Sport kilts, seems like they'd be a long time drying, and heavy. true? I'd like to know which are the lightest, didn't see any weights mentioned on the sportkilt site..
I'm thinking for summer and maybe it's just the tartan, but they look really hot - experiences?
Thanks for the links. Can you tell me a bit about the chafing. Did you find that it was LESS in a kilt than in shorts?
Also, how about for the Sport kilts, seems like they'd be a long time drying, and heavy. true? I'd like to know which are the lightest, didn't see any weights mentioned on the sportkilt site..
I'm thinking for summer and maybe it's just the tartan, but they look really hot - experiences?
See my post above for chafing.
Sport kilt has poly as well as cotton, go with the poly & dry time should be similar to nylon shorts. Stay away from cotton. As to weight, sport kilt states (I asked, not on website) 16 Oz for an average size. Another kilt avalable is the Utili Kilt @ www.utilikilt.com, but is made only of cotton. Probably similar weight.
Kilts are cooler than shorts, see my post above on chaffing.
Doctari
Can't stand hiking in them, (antifungal powder spray ala tinactin and some pantyhose are better for chafeing) but they're great for starting fights in town! I always like to bring a few kilt wearers with us when we go to the Rendezvous in Erwin...
Jester: It figures you were the one who started the skirt-wearing fad, but why did everyone have to go all scottish with the whole thing? OH! Um...is "scottish" some sort of code or something....?
Another kilt avalable is the Utili Kilt @ www.utilikilt.com, but is made only of cotton. Probably similar weight.
Kilts are cooler than shorts, see my post above on chaffing.
Doctari
As a former Utilikilts employee I have to disagree, some of their kilts are 100% cotton, others are a 65%/35% poly/cotton blend which I have hiked on the AT while wearing numerous times and found that they dry quite quickly because of the very small amount of cotton in them. I have also hiked in the poly Sportkilts which are also quite nice but they dry no faster than the poly/cotton Utilikilts. Utilikilts has also just released a new model, it isn't on their web site yet (hmm... they laid me off, I was the web master, and now they don't seem to be able to figure out how to add new products to their web site, mighty strange coincidence :D) but you can call in to order one. It is called the Spartan, made completely from the same kind of nylon material found in the shorts boxers wear in the ring. It has an elastic waist and a single rear pocket. I haven't seen one of the production models yet but the prototypes I saw were very light weight and looked like they would be great for hiking in, might have to invest in one for myself.
As a former Utilikilts employee I have to disagree, some of their kilts are 100% cotton, others are a 65%/35% poly/cotton blend which I have hiked on the AT while wearing numerous times and found that they dry quite quickly because of the very small amount of cotton in them. I have also hiked in the poly Sportkilts which are also quite nice but they dry no faster than the poly/cotton Utilikilts. Utilikilts has also just released a new model, it isn't on their web site yet (hmm... they laid me off, I was the web master, and now they don't seem to be able to figure out how to add new products to their web site, mighty strange coincidence :D) but you can call in to order one. It is called the Spartan, made completely from the same kind of nylon material found in the shorts boxers wear in the ring. It has an elastic waist and a single rear pocket. I haven't seen one of the production models yet but the prototypes I saw were very light weight and looked like they would be great for hiking in, might have to invest in one for myself.
See, they need to put you back on the web page, all that is on the site (that I could find) is the cotton kilt :p
Doctari.
NICKTHEGREEK
06-02-2005, 16:15
What's next a gaiter belt? The victoria's secret section of you favorite outfitter should have them soon.:rolleyes:
What's next a gaiter belt? The victoria's secret section of you favorite outfitter should have them soon.:rolleyes:
What do you mean "next"?
All that Gaiters are is Garter belts worn way too low, Ah, but I see you know that, as you spelled Garter "Gaiter". Victoria secret carries them, but I find them just a little flimsy for extended trail use :p
Doctari.
Jester2000
06-03-2005, 15:26
Jester: It figures you were the one who started the skirt-wearing fad. . .
Nah, Dude, the Bills didn't start the fad. I saw many people doing it before us, including Sailboat to name one just from 2000, and I'm sure there were others in previous years.
What we did was get drunk and win the Trail Days talent show wearing them. So maybe we made it more possible to wear them in small Southern towns without, as my fellow Bill "Moose" once put it, "getting your a** shot off."