4-5 yard kilt good for a first timer?

[setboy]

Hi

i am looking into buying a kilt. would a 4-5 yard kilt make a good start?
could any one run down the pros and cons of a 4-5 yard and a 8 yard kilt?


Thanks for any help

I'm really digging this site


Raphael

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

4-5 yard would be a good start, depending on where you want to wear the kilt. But the pros and cons of 4-5 yard vs 8 yard is too much to put into one thread. You should check through search and past threads and form your won opinion as it is a very personal thing and everyone forms their own opinion.

[setboy]

But the pros and cons of 4-5 yard vs 8 yard is too much to put into one thread. You should check through search and past threads and form your won opinion as it is a very personal thing and everyone forms their own opinion.

That is what i have been doing

[Blu (Ontario)]

I personally like the 8 yard wool kilts for the mass, the swing, and the look. They are also quite a bit more money. The 4 yard kilt I tried on felt uncomfortably light by comparison. THis topic was discussed recently here...

http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=18167

.

[ronstew]

I got my first kilt, a 4-yard PV casual kilt a few weeks ago. It is a good kilt. Well made. Exactly what I ordered. Fits perfectly.

First day I wore it, I passed a fellow going the other way wearing an 8-yard, Edinburgh-made Sunderland tartan tank. It moved sooooo elegantly. I have to tell you, I don't regret this casual kilt, but at that moment I knew that I am not likely to get another. Worsted wool, and lots of pleats from now on.

But an affordable first kilt is a very good idea. You don't want to spend a week's pay on a kilt without knowing how much you like wearing them.

You are going to ask what a tank is. Check the faq.

[Rob Wright]

A 4-5 yarder makes a great knockaboot kilt, I have one in a 13oz wool which is great fo those days when even a tank is just too much for the heat.

Rob

[elijah]

King kilts is great for 1st Time Kilt Buyers:

http://kingkilts.adamsweb.us

[NewKilt]

I think a 4 or 5 yard wool kilt is an excellent choice for a first kilt. If you go this route, I would suggest 16 oz wool. You will have a very durable kilt for everday wear, a nice weight distribution front to back, and at the same time have a kilt that you can wear as formal wear. On 8 yard wool kilts I like them at 13 oz, since 2/3 of the weight on the 8 yarders is in the back. I have 6 wool kilts. Four are 16 oz, 5 yard, and 2 are 13 oz 8 yarders.

It all comes down to personal choice, but regardless of the yardage a wool kilt is hard to beat.

Darrell

[M. A. C. Newsome]

When you are comparing 4 or 5 yard kilts to 8 yard kilts you need to make sure you are comparing apples to apples.

Too often when someone says "4 yard kilt" what they think of is an inexpensive "casual kilt" or "fun kilt" that is probably machine sewn, bought off the peg, and made from a light weight wool or perhaps a non-woolen fabric. So of course these will not compare as favorably to a traditional, hand sewn 8 yard kilt.

But if the 4 or 5 yard kilt you get is hand tailored, made to measure, and made from heavy weight Scottish wool by a competant kilt maker, the real difference between it and an 8 yard kilt is actually rather slim.

Here is what you'll notice. First and foremost the 4 yard kilt is lighter! This is usually a good thing! It means it will be more comfortable for you to wear, and will have more balance on your body, meaning you won't feel any weight in the back. The only down side is if you really want that "swing" you see when kilted men march in parades, or dance. All the extra weight in the pleats of an 8 yard kilt make the back swing back and forth almost like a pendulum. Yes, you do get some swing in a 4 or 5 yard kilt, but just not as much.

Visually, the more yards are in your kilt, the more pleats there will be, and the visible part of the pleat will be more narrow. So your 5 yard kilt might have 12 pleats that are 1.5" wide, whereas your 8 yard kilt might have 22 pleats that are .75" wide. (I'm just throwing those numbers out there as examples).

That's about all the difference -- again, so long as you are comparing apples to apples.

I tell people that there is absolutely nothing inferior about a hand tailored 4 or 5 yard kilt made from heavy weight wool. In fact that is my kilt of preference for general and formal wear. I have an 8 yard kilt and I wear it on occasion, but mostly when I'm going to be marching in parade and want my "swing" to match the other kilts!

Aye,
Matt

[setboy]

Thanks everyone


got to think this over