kilt weights

[macgreggor]

Can anybody tell me what a good range for the actual weight of kilts is. Money being very tight right now, I keep looking on ebay. everybody claims "heavyweight wool" or Middle weight wool etc....when I ask what the actual weight of the kilt is, the answers are all over the ballpark.

Riverkilt, I know you just got a new heavywieght kilt, what is the weight?

there has to be a way to narrow down the field.

Thanks much,

macG

[Miah]

I know 22oz is Very heavy, some of the Military kilts are made of that weight.
If I am not Mistaken a 13oz is a good weight for a traditional kilt it is not overly heavy but not very flimsy.

[yoippari]

Generally accepted minimum weight for a traditional kilt is around 13 oz. This is also usually called medium weight. Most will agree that lower than 13oz becomes flimsy and the wind likes to play with your kilt a bit too much. Heavy weight usually refers to 16oz but military weights are sometimes much heavier, though those weights are mostly found only in military tartans. Many lower cost kilts come in 11 or 9 oz. I think that economy and standard kilts are in this light range, but for the price it is hard to argue. Poly viscose is a bit lighter than stillwaters acrylic but is also an accepted material.

Some places might call 13oz heavy weight because compared to their normal stuff, it is. However others might call 16oz medium weight and reserve the term "heavy" for the 18-24oz range.

I know that I am using words like "usually", and "mostly" very often in this post but the terms in question are relative, and there are few absolutes.

[prattw]

I live in Las Vegas, NV, in the Mohave Desert. It's a very windy and also a very hot locality. (As in 30 mph winds are listed as "breezy" and 105 degrees Fahrenheit in July merits the comment "We're having a slight cool wave through".) All my kilts are 11 oz, both top-quality wool tartan and alternative fabrics, and I've never had any problem with the wind. Mind, a strong air current blowing from BELOW would be a different matter, I expect. I understand that 11 oz is the lower end of suitable kilting material; lighter weights simply don't hang well and are also more subject to blowing up.

Will Pratt

[Archangel]

The other thing to keep in mind with weights is that the standard has moved several years back. Somebody can help me with this.
An older military heavyweight is far heavier than a modern military equivalent. The middleweights are also lighter.
The point is that without specific weights, you would also need some context to compare whatever standard is being discussed.

[Kilts_Knave]

I live in Las Vegas , [and] all my kilts are 11 oz

What is it like to be "used" to that kind of heat and to be wearing this weight? Here in SE Florida it feels like it is 105 many months out of the year. I have read both that heavyweighted material is ideal for hot weather and also that it is unbearable in hot weather. I am curious to hear from another hotblooded individual's opinion about it.

[macgreggor]

Sorry guys,

I guess i didn't make my self real clear. When you put the entire kilt on a scale what would the weight range be for say a 16 oz. 8 yard kilt?I sorta worked it in my head last night and the total weight should be in the 3-4 pound range. Is that a reasonabel thought?

It seems that when asked many sellers reply "it feels like a heave fabric". Rather vague.

I have my eye on an "ex-militatary" kilt. However it looks to be in , my personal dream, MacGregor tartan. I didn't think there was such a beast. Military weight perhaps.

Trying my best to realize my fondest wish. Trying not to get burned real bad.

macG

[M. A. C. Newsome]

You are right. An 8 yard kilt, made from 16 oz cloth, would end up weighing slightly more than 4 lbs. (The wool itseld would weight 4 lbs, assuming the kilt uses exactly 8 yards -- then there would be the additional weight of the straps, buckles, lining, etc.).

In general, when a reputable kilt maker says "heavy weight" they mean 15/16 oz per yard. "Medium weight" means about 13/14 oz per yard. "Light weight" means anywhere from 10/12 oz per yard. And nothing lighter than a 10 oz wool should be offered. "Military weight" or "Regimental weight" typically means anywhere from 18 to 22 oz (though I know some regiments, such as the London Scottish, have recently gone to 16 oz cloth).

The problem is when you get a non-reputable dealer, or someone selling a kilt on ebay who really doesn't know what they have.

For instance, if they are selling a kilt as ex-military, but it is in the MacGregor tartan, something is wrong, because no military regiment, to my knowledge, ever wore that tartan. What it could be is a MacGregor kilt made in a military style. I have one that I got off of ebay years ago. It's the MacGregor tartan, made from a very nice old heavy weight cloth (probably 75+ years old), pleated to the stripe, etc. Looks like a military kilt, but more than likely it was worn in a pipe band or something similar.

Post a link to the page and I'll take a look at what they are selling (or PM me, if you don't want the masses trying to outbid you!)

Aye,
Matt

[macgreggor]

Thanks matt,

Here is the link, perhaps I just don't know the questions to ask the owner or they don't know the answers. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEBI%3AIT&rd=1
thanks,

macG

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Unfortunetly, that's not a very good picture, so I can't tell too much about the quality. It would be nice to see a picture of the back.

It's not an ex army kilt, though, that's for sure!