In which way is wool and other kilt-making material's durable?

[Quart Bernstein]

This may be fueled by watching the mass graveyard of war-torn jean's and falling off a bicycle, seeing shredded clothing afterward, paved across the pavement;
but something that alway's worries me about wool is, particularly,
How abrasion resistant is it.

I've commonly heard how an heirloom kilt can last more than a lifetime, and that the biggest enemy of any kilt is, like most fabric's, the washing machine.
But I also notice how cautious a person is after spending a month or more's worth of food on a kilt.

Personally the thought of sitting on like concrete make's me cringe with a kilt on. Unfortunately, when the Black Watch regiment wore kilt's during war, the concrete jungle didn't exist like it does today. I'm just not that perceptive when i'm in the moment (let's just say I don't need a beer to act like the town drunkard), so perhap's it's worth contemplating this through and through before deciding.
So I have my reason's for wonder.

I'm specifically referring to 15-16 oz wool, and I realize there's different qualities. This is a consensus nonetheless.

If any observation's can be made, then I will be able to successfully be able to slap myself in the head if a mistake is about to be made.

And I suppose if this should be ranked; then using a few marker's for the specific's of durability
Washing Machine Resistance (Depend's on blend's)
Abrasion Resistance
Weave Strength (Depend's on maker)
Average lifespan
(Add anything if one wish's)


Perhap's other people may want to chime in as well in the durability, and in which way's the other material's are: hemp, leather, polyviscose, cotton, etcetera.

[auld argonian]

The washing machine thing is invalid because you would never put a wool kilt in a washer...hand wash, yes...washing machine, no.

I also think that the worsted wool is pretty durable but can't give any real first hand "I fell off the scooter and slid fifteen feet on asphalt" experiences...I've done that in leather and denim and trashed a jacket but didn't rack myself up too bad. I'm sure that there are other members who'll have some horror stories to tell.

We tend to forget how much clothing was made of wool in the past and how well it held up. The stuff is remarkable and the swing toward synthetics was made because of cost more than a lack of durability in wool. I'd also point toward the "permanent press" aspect of synthetics and marketing as things that took the market share away from wool. Still, if you think about it, when you want a GOOD suit, you look for wool, nicht wahr?

Best

AA

[sydnie7]

Keep in mind that much of the durability of a well-made wool kilt comes from its inner construction (hair canvas, stabilizer, etc.). Sewing a length of wool, attaching buckles and calling it a kilt will not yield long-lasting results, as you can see from several recent threads.

Wool itself can be rather easily damaged -- by insects, tears and snags from rough edges on sporran chains/kilt pins etc., and the wrong cleaning methods.