A question about 5.11 TDK

[joek]

I ordered a multicam kilt in May. Main issue, other than it's weight that is about 2.5 pounds (standard length), is that it is quite stiff. Washings haven't loosened it up much, if at all. Is it supposed to be stiff?

[FinnKilt]

I ordered a multicam kilt in May. Main issue, other than it's weight that is about 2.5 pounds (standard length), is that it is quite stiff. Washings haven't loosened it up much, if at all. Is it supposed to be stiff?

Whereas many utility kilts are made of a heavy drill cotton, the TDK is "Built from lightweight, all but invincible Taclite® ripstop fabric, with reinforced triple-stitching and a TEFLON® finish", and that teflon(r) finish must be likely to make the fabric behave more rigidly. The Taclite(r) ripstop fabric itself is a poly/cotton mix, much like what other manufacturers use.
The Utilikilt, for example, "is constructed out of an 8oz, 65/35 Poly/Cotton Twill." And the Sport Kilt muticam is made of "65/35 poly cotton ripstop".

I don't know if the multicam colouring might actually reinforce that stiffness even further – but maybe not. I have several TDKs, and I'd agree that they certainly don't have the swirl of a woolen kilt, but I find them comfortable to wear, and hardwearing. I rather doubt whether washing will soften that fabric much.

[ratspike]

In my experience making kilts with these fabrics, the colors that are going to really stiffen up fabric are blacks and grays. The black camo fabrics from Kryptek and A-TACS are crazy stiff. I haven't sewn with Taclite but regular MultiCam from Crye can vary quite a bit, I think depending on when that particular run of fabric was printed. I've had some that was pretty stiff and heavy in the hand, while other fabric orders were almost floppy feeling. All nyco ripstop, all legit MultiCam, but I believe the beefier feeling stuff was a much later production run.

Will your TDK loosen up over time? My guess is that it will, but it could take a while if you only wear and launder it occasionally. You could try the tennis-balls-in-the-dryer trick, but IMO it's not as effective as it is with canvas.

[Michael A]

I ordered my 5.11 TDK as a 36" waist, the same size I wear in UtiliKilts and others. The waist fits just fine, but I have found that the TDK has less taper/flare than other kilts; it's tight in the hips. This in turn reduces the capacity/utility of the slash pockets. I also do not fasten all of the snaps on the L side of the kilt.
With the rip-stop fabric, I'm not interested in using a kilt pin. This is one utility kilt that despite the number of pockets, I routinely wear with a sporran.

Yes I have noted that too. My normal pants size is 33, so the TDK size 34 is loose, and when I am particularly thin I can fit 32, but it does get tight around the bottom. The difference between the true waist and seat is known as the fall, which is usually 4-6 inches. 5.11 make their kilts with a small fall, so I usually wear a 34, pinched in a bit at the sides, with a rigger's belt.