Belt size

[sharpdressedscot]

OK, I'm thinking of getting another belt, but I'm kind of debating with myself on this. How small could a belt be for a kilt? I have a 2 1/2" belt and it's a bit uncomfortable to sit down in for a while. I was wondering if I could go smaller, but how much? I don't want a wee belt to hold it up, but I really don't want a huge one.

Would 1 1/2"- 2" do it?

[Highland Logan]

According to Thompson So You're Going To Wear The Kilt!, and I agree, it should be 2 1/4" - 3". I think that any less it it looks odd.

Frank

[Alaskan Kilted Guy]

Amerikilt sells some nice 2inch belts. Good looking belts, and affordable.

http://www.amerikilt.com/beltsblack.php

[cavscout]

The key to belt width is visual proportion and keeping everything balanced. On contemporary or casual kilts that are much shorter than a traditional high waisted kilt, it's possible to get by with a narrower belt. I used to wear a 1.75" belt with my USAK casual and it looked just fine as the kilt was about 22" long. When I wear a 24" long kilt 1.75 looks like a piece of string around the waist so to keep the proportions in balance I wear a 2.5" belt. Very tall guys can go up to a 3" belt and stay in visual proportion.

[robthehiker]

SDS, I think something like this would work for you. It's just under 2". These belts are available fairly frequently on eBay and usually at a decent price.

[Bugbear]

I had to go measure my belts after I started reading cavscout's post. I have a brown belt and a black belt that are 2.5". However, I found a 2" black belt at Home Depot. It, like my brown belt, has the two prong buckle and is easy to quickly adjust the size. Ehh, your belt shouldn't really be holding up your kilt... Anyway, those Home Depot, and Lowes belts are around twenty dollars. Hint hint, if you know you are going to be sitting a long time, go to the restroom and loosen your belt a hole or two...
Guess if it is a tab and buckle type belt, there ain't much you can do about it unless you find a way to put a second tab on the belt somehow...

[Galb]

I think the belt buckle also has a lot to do with it. If the belt buckle is of significant size, then a smaller belt will still look OK. For instance, I always wore my larger belt up until the time when I bought this belt buckle: This thing measures 4"x3" and takes a 1 1/2" belt, although I am sure I could find a larger belt if I could find one that had a tapered area for where it attaches. But in the end, I was very pleased how it looked with my kilts.

[thescot]

What CavScout said, and he knows leather.

One additional comment. Taller people look better (I think) with a wider belt, especially if one is waistline challenged (portly). If you're a bit shorter, then 1 3/4 - 2" will probably suffice. You can look at the Sportsman's Guide website for lots of really cheap military surplus belts that would look fine with a kilt, but you won't find anything wider than about 1 3/4" I think.

[sharpdressedscot]

I had to go measure my belts after I started reading cavscout's post. I have a brown belt and a black belt that are 2.5". However, I found a 2" black belt at Home Depot. It, like my brown belt, has the two prong buckle and is easy to quickly adjust the size. Ehh, your belt shouldn't really be holding up your kilt... Anyway, those Home Depot, and Lowes belts are around twenty dollars. Hint hint, if you know you are going to be sitting a long time, go to the restroom and loosen your belt a hole or two...
Guess if it is a tab and buckle type belt, there ain't much you can do about it unless you find a way to put a second tab on the belt somehow...

I've been thinking of getting of those belts.

[sharpdressedscot]

SDS, I think something like this would work for you. It's just under 2". These belts are available fairly frequently on eBay and usually at a decent price.

That doesn't look bad, thanks.