Fabric Weight?

[Mickydee]

What would be the best weight for a mans traditional kilt? I read about more formal kilts use 16 oz weight and more "Day to Day" use lighter weights. Is there a rule to follow or can you build a formal kilt from any weight you want? Also is there a difference in weights between kilts for men and ladies?

Thanks
Dee

[Father Bill]

The heavier the cloth, the better the swish and swing, the better the pleats hold their shape, and the better they resist and recover from wrinkling. Mine are all 16. If I could have obtained heavier at a reasonable price, that would have been my choice.

[California Highlander]

I have a 4 yard "day-to-day" kilt that is 16oz Lochcarran wool. It's great! Recommend it even for a "casual" kilt.

[Father Bill]

California makes an important point; if you want a lighter kilt, reduce the yardage, not the fabric weight.

[Cyd]

Great advice Father Bill/California. Do a little maths. When people say, e.g., 13oz or 16 oz they are referring to the weight of one yard of double width fabric. For an 8 yard kilt that is a difference of no more that 12 oz total (everything else equal) in the finished kilt. The difference between a 5 yd and a 8 yd kilt of the same 16 oz fabric is going to be 24oz! (with waste, the weights will actually be a little less). The greatest source of heat retention in a kilt is in lots of deep knife pleats (tartans are made from wool that is WORSTED and tightly woven, not WOOLEN and loosely knitted like a sweater, so differences in tartan fabric weights are going to have much less effect on respective insulating properties). So if you want a lighter kilt, go with less yardage. If you want a cooler kilt, go with less yardage (fewer and shallower pleats) or an entirely different fabric. Changing wool weight is not going to have a big effect on weight or "coolness" unless the change is dramatic and light wools are more prone to wrinkle and don't hold a sharp pleat nearly as well.

I would also say that while it is certainly true heavier wool is less prone to wrinkle and holds a pleat better, frequently I think far too much is made of the difference in "swish" between a 16oz and a 13 oz kilt. A trained eye might notice, but most won't and you will be very happy with either product. So unless you can go to 20oz, don't worry about the difference between 16 and 13.

You will notice the difference in weight of a 16 v a 13 oz kilt however, as some have noted. I personally prefer the feel of a heavier kilt, but after wearing it for awhile I certainly can't say I even notice the difference with a 13 oz kilt. Besides, unless you weave your own cloth, you may not have a choice as many tartans, and almost all mills doing custom weaves, are only done in 13oz fabric.

[The Wizard of BC]

The topic of fabric weight comes up quite often.

A little background.

Over the past couple hundred years kilts have been made from just about everything imaginable. I have seen kilts made from fabric like a Hudson's Bay Blanket and kilts made from amazingly light silk. Now I'm not talking about some modern kilt like garment, I'm talking about real, Tartan kilts made for traditional wear.

Today we think of the premier kilt made from 16oz Worsted wool.

Most weaving mills today weave Tartan in three weights. 16oz, 13oz for kilts and 10oz which is usually used for ties, vests and ladies skirts. Very few mills still weave 22 or heavier fabrics as not even the current military kilts are made from 'regimental' weight fabric.

I wouldn't say that lighter weight fabrics are more 'day-to-day'. I do know that many in hot climates appreciate a kilt from a lighter fabric. Not because of the total weight of the kilt but because it is less sweaty in the Fell area or the back, sewn down area.

I wear the kilt everyday and prefer heavier weights but others I know prefer much lighter kilts. One of my former employees prefers a 4 yard box pleated kilt made from 12oz Poly/Rayon. My kilts weigh just more than 4 pounds while his weigh just slightly more than 1 pound.

So I would not say that fabric weight is as big a deal as some would suggest. Yes, a 16oz wool kilt has impressive swish. But then so does a well made 12oz synthetic kilt.

[Barb T]

I agree with the advice above. But, the most important thing is that you have the tartan you want. Not every tartan is commercially woven as a stock item, and most tartans are available in only one kilting weight and are woven by only one mill. The exceptions are the most common tartans, which are available in multiple weights from multiple mills. If the tartan you really want is only available in 13 oz, then that's the weight for your kilt. My husband's kilt is the New Hampshire tartan, which was available only in 13 oz, and it is beautiful and looks great. You'd have to feel the fabric to be sure what the weight is.

[CaptainDave]

Barb T, wherever did he find the fabric? I want a Maryland kilt and it's tough to find. New Mexico isn't easy either.

[Barb T]

Barb T, wherever did he find the fabric? I want a Maryland kilt and it's tough to find. New Mexico isn't easy either.

The tartan was available through the St. Andrew's Society of New Hampshire (still is, actually).

[OC Richard]

I have kilts in 13, 16, and the extra-heavy military weights.

I usually wear my 16oz IOS; it's my go-to favourite. It has around 7 yards so it's not overly heavy. To me that's the ideal kilt: nice 16oz cloth but slightly reduced yardage.

My 8-yard military weight kilt is considerably heavier but is quite comfortable to wear. I love it.

Once in a while I'll wear my 13oz and it feels flimsy and insubstantial. I suppose people get used to something and then anything else will feel strange.

There's a tartan I want, Portree, which only seems to be available in 11oz. I'm hesitating because I don't know if I want a kilt that's that light.