Which is best kilt for daily/driving wear

[chrisupyonder]

My wife is partially disabled and cannot walk far at all so when we go on holiday, I have to do a lot of driving and I want to be kilted all the time. So I am thinking of another kilt in 16oz fabric. I know about box and double box etc and some have said that they don't crease as much. Has anyone had any experience of using a box pleat in this way compared to a knife pleat.

Chris.

[Nighthawk]

In 16oz? I haven't noticed a significant difference. The 16oz tartan rights itself on virtue of it's own weight. As to lighter weight fabric, knife pleated kilts seem easier to maintain to me.

[Highlander31]

MacMillan of Rathdown recently did a thread on his new Kingussie kilt. According to MoR, it's very comfortable.

....because of the way in which the pleats radiate out from the centre of the kilt, it is incredibly comfortable when seated....

Here's the link to the thread. http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...newsome-66515/

[Whidbey78]

Like Nighthawk said, a 16oz wool fabric will pretty much pull all but the worst crumpling out by itself. While I don't have one in any kind of tartan(yet), box pleats seem to be the easiest to lay flat under the backside in my experience, but that is mostly because they tend to be much wider than knife pleats and Kingussie pleats. As far as comfort while seated goes, I can't say that I see much difference between any pleating types. They all beat p@nts though!

[xman]

Although I don't currently wear one, I think I would put in a pitch for a 16oz box pleat kilt. I suspect that would be easier on the 'seat' than even a Kingussie. Perhaps others can weigh in.

[Iain Robb]

Although I don't currently wear one, I think I would put in a pitch for a 16oz box pleat kilt. I suspect that would be easier on the 'seat' than even a Kingussie. Perhaps others can weigh in.

That was precisely my thought. I do own a box-pleated kilt, and I find that it is the most comfortable kilt I have for sitting.

[cessna152towser]

I've not had any problems with wearing heavier knife pleated kilts for driving.

[Father Bill]

Depends how you get into the car. I have 16 oz knife pleats and leather seats which slide easily. I get in butt first, and then turn around to face the wheel, smooth it out one more time, and it's great. My PV casual needs a bit more settling after I'm in, but it also does well.

[Tobus]

I have two 16-oz wool kilts. One is an 8-yard knife pleat and one is a 4-yard box pleat. I agree that 16-oz wool tends to do just fine in terms of pulling itself straight after being wrinkled.

However, I do find that the high-yardage knife pleats hold their shape better than a box-pleated kilt. This probably has to do with the fact that the pleats overlap each other and act as a group to hold each other in place. Since box pleats are kind of "individual" pleats, with no support from neighbors, any one of them can get wonky.

I have also noticed that box pleats tend to need more attention in terms of keeping the pleats pressed to look crisp. My high-yardage knife-pleated kilt has never had a problem with the pleats staying crisp. But my box pleats tend to want to open up by themselves (again, because they have no overlap to hold them down), and the crispness of the pleat just doesn't hold itself.

This could, of course, be a function of different weaves/makers too. I dunno. But in my personal experience, while I do find box pleats to be lighter and cooler when walking (a sort of bellows effect due to the shape of the pleats), I still prefer my knife pleated kilt for most activities. Especially if I have to sit for a while. I never have to worry much about keeping my knife pleats tidy when I sit. A simple fluid motion with my arm as I sit, and my pleats are aligned just right. Not so much with box pleats.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Tobus,

It could very well be a difference in the cloth, depending on who wove it. I own several four yard box pleated kilts, mostly in either Dalgleish or Lochcarron 16 oz cloth. I hardly ever have to repress the pleats to keep them looking neat.

I, for one, find the four yard box pleated kilt more comfortable to drive in than my 8 yard kilts, for the simple reason that I am sitting on less fabric!