quality versus quantity

[Alan H]

If you're talking about spending twenty dollars, or forty or maybe, *heavens*...sixty dollars, then your options are limited. You're NOT going to get a kilt that you pass down to your grandchildren for sixty bucks. A kilt of that quality is going to cost you at least four hundred dollars, unless you make it yourself. These guys that are telling you to wait until you have enough money to buy a kilt that's handmade of the finest worsted wool...well, that's fine for them. However, it sounds to me that you're not rolling in wads of dough, and it's going to be a very long time before you have $400 of disposable income to blow...errr...invest in a kilt.


If you wear a kilt, you need a sporran. I mean, you sort of HAVE to have both of them. So if all you can afford for now and maybe for the next couple of years is under a hundred dollars, total, then get a kilt AND a sporran.

Look, I'm not a big fan of the Stillwater Thrifty's. I'm sorry, I'm just not. If I were you, I'd counsel waiting until you had eighty bucks to spend on a Stillwater Standard. But that's EIGHTY BUCKS, and even Stillwaters cheapest sporran, which will send lots of guys around here into apoplectic fits because it's made in Pakistan...is fifteen bucks. By the time you've paid for shipping you've spent over $100. If you don't have it, then you gotta do what you gotta do, if you want to be wearing a kilt.

The flat-out truth is that you can make a kilt for $40 worth of material that is a LOT better than a Stillwater Thrifty. However, that requires patience and some self-confidence and the ability to take on a project and stick to it.

[Tartan Hiker]

The flat-out truth is that you can make a kilt for $40 worth of material that is a LOT better than a Stillwater Thrifty. However, that requires patience and some self-confidence and the ability to take on a project and stick to it.

And might I add that if I can teach myself how to make a decent kilt, anyone can.

[Alan H]

And might I add that if I can teach myself how to make a decent kilt, anyone can.

Tartan Hiker is pretty darned good at it, too. The same goes here. I've made some pretty darned nice kilts, kilts which I could not in all good conscience have justified spending the money on, if I'd had them made by someone else. I just can't make myself drop $400 + on an article of clothing, I don't care HOW long it's supposed to last.

Look, I've been lifting weights and working out hard for the Games. I do a LOT of core work. Now my waistline measurement is easily 2 inches bigger than it was two years ago. Kilts that I made two years ago don't fit. What if I'd saved and saved and saved and pinched pennies and pinched nickels and waited for four years until I had that $400+ to get a really nice nice.

Then I get bigger. Ooops, DARN, but now I can't wear it!

For the guy on a budget, IMHO the best route to go if you want a really nice kilt is to spend $15 on Barbs book.

Make an X-Kilt from the instructions you can download over in the DIY forum. This will cost you about $20.

Now make a tartan box-pleat kilt from some stuff you get off of ebay or off of Fraser and Kirkbrights remnants web page. Adapt the X-Kilt instructions.

Now buy Barbs book...$16

Dive into the project, stay patient, stay focused, and after probably 40 hours + of work, you WILL have a nice kilt that is way, way better even, than a Stillwater Standard.

[MacLowlife]

Of course, with a little patience and a lot of luck, you might find a good- to- better used kilt, made of wool, maybe even handmade, in a size that will work for you, for about $100. I agree that one good (of anything ) is better than five not-so-good, at least until you need two at a time. If you were going to wear a kilt every day, even the finest handmade kilt would show age pretty quickly. But, if you are planning to wear it 25 times or less yearly, like most of us, you can find a middle path somewhere between the cheap and cheerful and the custom and elegant.

But it seldom hurts to save and think and research for a little while.

[fshguy]

Perhaps I may be able to lend a bit of clarification on behalf of Rawlinson. He had posted earlier that he was involved in a Larp activity and was wanting a kilt to wear during battles.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/c...268#post801268

It is sage advice to save and buy the absolute best quality for normal clothing. But, in this case, a tank would probably be a poor choice. I know we have a rich history of military kilts; I'm not saying that a 16-18 oz. handsewn wouldn't take the abuse. It just seems to me that, for this activity, something more akin to gym shorts would be appropriate.

I have a SW thrifty that I wear to play ultimate frisbee. It works well with a pair of slide shorts underneath due to its light weight. My only complaint is that I do wish it had a sewn fell so it didn't look so much like a cheerleader skirt. I would never subject one of my tanks to the playing field.

This is the reasoning behind my sending the lightweight kilt his friend will be using.

My advice for your application and budget would be the SW economy.

Best,
fshguy

[The Guy in the Kilt at UC]

Buying lower quality kilts always left me wanting. I saved and bought a nice "tank" as they call it. I love it, and even though I can't afford any more kilts, I don't want them. I love it.

[Rawlinson]

Now buy Barbs book...$16

It costs over twice that, following the link in her signature. It's even more on Amazon. Is there some secret way of getting it cheaply? (I didn't see it on eBay.)

He had posted earlier that he was involved in a Larp activity and was wanting a kilt to wear during battles.

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/c...268#post801268

I probably should've mentioned that I do plan on wearing this kilt while fighting through mud and grappling people who're wearing armor (ouch... definitely need to find some sliding shorts). I hope it'll hold up well enough to wear for other purposes, but the main goal is to have an easy-to-wash kilt that I won't be too upset about tearing (I'd still be upset, but it's easier to part with $20 than $200).


I'm leaning towards buying the Economy (you know there are problems when a nearly broke college student can buy the economy) and attempting to make a sporran.

A friend of mine has a couple of kilts his fiancée made him, but no sporran. He said he's somewhat familiar with leatherworking, so I'm going to see if I can get my hands on some scrap leather (or pigeons) so we can make a sporran or two (or three... or a hundred... or a thousand...).

[Hothir Ethelnor]

I've made a few sporrans, if you want a few tips go ahead and PM me or start a thread in the DIY section. I am sure other people who have made more and better sporrans than me will also chip in.

[davidlpope]

I probably should've mentioned that I do plan on wearing this kilt while fighting through mud and grappling people who're wearing armor (ouch... definitely need to find some sliding shorts). I hope it'll hold up well enough to wear for other purposes, but the main goal is to have an easy-to-wash kilt that I won't be too upset about tearing (I'd still be upset, but it's easier to part with $20 than $200).

Rawlinson,

In light of your explanation, disregard my former advice. For your specific purpose I think you're best to go with the cheapest kilt that SWK has. I had wrongly assumed that you were planning to wear a kilt as part of Highland Dress.

Cordially,

David

[Rawlinson]

I had wrongly assumed that you were planning to wear a kilt as part of Highland Dress.

I'd like to on a daily or almost-daily basis, but I won't have money to buy or time enough to make a good enough kilt for a while (I blame college for both). I am, however, expected to soon lead a Celtic unit that seems to be adopting the Black Watch tartan and name and am therefore expected to start showing up kilted.

Making a sporran on a budget thread