Utilikilts?

[Minnow]

What can you guys tell me about standard utilikilts? You know what I'm asking about: the pros and cons... how to wash/dry them without ruining the pleats. I've never had one before, but I got drunk last week and ordered one. Since I have one coming my way I'm kinda curious what you guys have to say about them.

-Minnow

[sdc]

I've got three now, and enjoy them; for cleaning, all I do is run them through the wash, then make sure the pleats are folded properly when I hang them up to dry. You'll probably want to get a couple of the coathangers with spring clips on them, so you can keep them hung up and looking good when they're not in use.

[Raphael]

I have one for over 4 years and it held up very nicely. The pockets are big and the fabric have seen blood, alcohol, and grease. I wore it last night a fund raiser and it still looked good.

[Spc. Scott]

Well sdc pretty much covered it right there. I can't imagine they can be too different than my AKs and that is just what I do. At most I'll do a bit of light ironing on them but nothing more than that.

And that is how I ended up ordering my first kilt as well.

[Ozman1944]

I have two UK, one Standard, one Mocker; plus 2 Amerikilts. Bought them all back in Sept '07. I don't wear them often, as I favor Tartans.
The UK's are still in great shape.
But one Amerikilt has shrunk, pleats all curled, so after only a few months is ready for the rag bag. The other Amerikilt is not too bad, but pleats do curl horribly.
The Utilikilts however, prove to be much more durable, and still look great.

[Retro Red]

I have 4 standard or Original Utilikilts. Had 'em for over 4 ½ years now & they're holding up very well! Not everyone on this forum likes 'em, but I think they're great. They're my daily wear kilts; wear each of 'em at least once or twice a week. I consider 'em the unbifurcated equivalent of jeans - comfortable (& like Levi's, more comfortable the longer you wear 'em), long-lasting & easy to care for.

Living next-door to Hades, I do plenty of sweating here (today will be our 9th consecutive day of +110°F [+43.3°C] heat - but it's a "dry" heat... so is a blast furnace ). Anyway, that's why I need a daily wear kilt that I can wash the sweat stains out of. I wash my UKs, PRN, in cold water, hang it up with a clip hanger, then while still damp, smooth the pleats from top to bottom (sliding one hand all the way under each pleat with the other hand on top of the pleat, convexing the pleat slightly to follow the curvature of the body), let dry (which takes about half-an-hour here) & you're good to go. I would strongly recommend avoiding the dryer as this may cause shrinkage of the thread used for stitching, causing puckering & curling - & you know how guys want to avoid shrinkage! After I take the UK off, I do a quick smoothing out of the pleats. If any of them are crinkled up too much (& hey, it's made of cotton, it's going to wrinkle some), I spray some water on the crinkled area, smooth & it'll be good to go for next time.

For an off-the-shelf garment, it's a great idea & a good product!

You've chosen wisely, Minnow.

.

[ardchoille]

I consider 'em the unbifurcated equivalent of jeans - comfortable (& like Levi's, more comfortable the longer you wear 'em), long-lasting & easy to care for.

I have 11 tartan kilts and have been thinking about getting a Utilikilt.. and your statement just pushed me over the edge.

[TheBlueCow]

There'll probably be some care instructions included in your package - there was when I got my last 2 UK's, somewhat recently. But they basically say what's been said above (washer, no dryer, smooth the pleats).

You could get a kilt hanger - but I just unbutton them and fold them in half twice. The pleats kind of wrinkle with wear no matter what you do.

[Monkey@Arms]

After washing mine (cold water only) I run a bamboo pole through the belt loops and hang it to dry. The important thing is to smooth each pleat before it dries. If you do a search you'll find Riverkilt's method, which involves hanging clip-on weights on the bottom of the pleats.

Best regards,

Jake

[Finn]

I swear by 'em. I have three and will get more. One shrunk (yes, it isn't my growing) and is now too short to wear. Saving it for my son (who is only 7 mos. old).
Let's just hope you got the measurements right!