First kilt help...?

[celticpride]

this will be my first kilt purchase that i will be buying from scotweb.com. i am looking for a kilt that can be multi-functional from walking around a highland games to a dressing up for a formal event, and had a few questions i needed help answering...

1. should i go for 13oz or 16oz? i live in the pacific northwest of the us and the weather can very from hot summers to cold rainy winters.

2. how much of a difference is there between The Balmoral Kilt, Traditional 8 Yard Kilt and The Essential Scotweb Casual Kilt other than price?

3. what opinions do you have on Batli Morven Heavy Weight? the website says it is a lil more coarse than some mills. how will that effect the kilt?

4. and last, ,most of the measuring guides recomend 1-2 inches above belly button but i was looking to keep it more at the pantline will this effect the look of the kilt? i am 6ft 160lbs...

i am sure you get these questions alot and i have read the posts on here but i find you get the best answers when you ask. thanks

[McClef]

Moved from kilt advice to Scotweb.

[robbiethepiper]

this will be my first kilt purchase that i will be buying from scotweb.com. i am looking for a kilt that can be multi-functional from walking around a highland games to a dressing up for a formal event, and had a few questions i needed help answering...

1. should i go for 13oz or 16oz? i live in the pacific northwest of the us and the weather can very from hot summers to cold rainy winters.

2. how much of a difference is there between The Balmoral Kilt, Traditional 8 Yard Kilt and The Essential Scotweb Casual Kilt other than price?

3. what opinions do you have on Batli Morven Heavy Weight? the website says it is a lil more coarse than some mills. how will that effect the kilt?

4. and last, ,most of the measuring guides recomend 1-2 inches above belly button but i was looking to keep it more at the pantline will this effect the look of the kilt? i am 6ft 160lbs...

i am sure you get these questions alot and i have read the posts on here but i find you get the best answers when you ask. thanks

PERSONAL opinion only:
1) 16oz feels hot above 25'C but good down to below freezing. 13oz generally better indoors or in summer.

2) You get what you pay for!

3) Don't know.

4) The higher rise is not only more traditional, but also more comfortable once your mind has adjusted.

Again, just PERSONAL opinions, others may differ....

[xman]

Welcome from just north of the border.

1. 16oz. Mine have proven superb in the winter wet around here and although I haven't tested them in the summer heat (if you can even really call it that here) I see many gents at the summer games looking perfectly comfortable in them. 13oz probably wouldn't be bad if you decide to go that way though.
2. dunno, but yeah, you get what you pay for and you really should try and get the best you can afford.
3. Probably only how it feels to your hand ... and other parts.
4. A traditional kilt wants to sit with the buckles at your natural waist with 2' rise above that for construction purposes. I would not recommend trying to 'better' the design.

[MacMillans son]

Welcome from just north of the border.

1. 16oz. Mine have proven superb in the winter wet around here and although I haven't tested them in the summer heat (if you can even really call it that here) I see many gents at the summer games looking perfectly comfortable in them. 13oz probably wouldn't be bad if you decide to go that way though.
2. dunno, but yeah, you get what you pay for and you really should try and get the best you can afford.
3. Probably only how it feels to your hand ... and other parts.
4. A traditional kilt wants to sit with the buckles at your natural waist with 2' rise above that for construction purposes. I would not recommend trying to 'better' the design.

All of the above!

I live in part of California where we are prone to a number of days above 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer. I own 3- 8 yrd kilts in 13oz and 3 in 16oz. To me, there is no noticeable difference between a 13oz wool kilt and a 16oz in the summer. The real temperature challenge for me is with the over the calf length wool hose! If all of the tartans I liked were available in 16oz, I would see no reason to own a 13 oz kilt. I have heard that dancers like a lighter kilt, but that is not something I can speak to from experience.

I would contact Scotweb directly regarding the differences in their kilt line.

Good luck!

[Sammac]

A casual kilt from Scotweb uses apx. 5 yds of material. I have one in 16oz really like it alot.

[lethearen]

this will be my first kilt purchase that i will be buying from scotweb.com. i am looking for a kilt that can be multi-functional from walking around a highland games to a dressing up for a formal event, and had a few questions i needed help answering...

1. should i go for 13oz or 16oz? i live in the pacific northwest of the us and the weather can very from hot summers to cold rainy winters.

2. how much of a difference is there between The Balmoral Kilt, Traditional 8 Yard Kilt and The Essential Scotweb Casual Kilt other than price?

3. what opinions do you have on Batli Morven Heavy Weight? the website says it is a lil more coarse than some mills. how will that effect the kilt?

4. and last, ,most of the measuring guides recomend 1-2 inches above belly button but i was looking to keep it more at the pantline will this effect the look of the kilt? i am 6ft 160lbs...

i am sure you get these questions alot and i have read the posts on here but i find you get the best answers when you ask. thanks

My thoughts and opinions...

1. I live in Texas, and I don't have any problems with my 16 oz woolie in the heat of summer here. If you're going to have only one kilt, and you're going to be wearing it often, I'd go with 16 oz, especially for your winters. I don't have an 8 yd in 13 oz, so I can't say whether one is any warmer than the other, though. BUT I do have a 5 yd in 13 oz, so what I can tell you is that heavier material will hold crisper pleats for longer.

2. Biggest different, methinks, is that the 8 yd Balmoral is well.. 8 yds The "casual" Essential is only 5 yds. There may be some stiching quality differences, but I doubt anything untoward. Scotweb is very solid when it comes to quality. If you're wanting something for formal wear, go with the 8 yd. It's easier to dress down a traditional kilt than to dress up a casual. That said, I HAVE worn my 5 yd kilt to formal events, and get nothing but praise still. In any case, more material = deeper pleats = more swish!

3. Not familiar with that mill. Personally, I saw the disclaimer about it being coarser and chose a different mill. In a guess, the only issue I would see would be how it feels against your skin and how sensitive you are. Get a swatch and rub it over your legs to find out

4. 1-2 inches above navel is more traditional. If you're going to wear a jacket with it at ANY point in time, keep in mind that kilt jackets are designed to be worn with a kilt at the natural waist, not your pants waist, so unless you get something bespoke you might wind up with a PC that doesn't reach your kilt. Pants waist is fine for a casual look, but if you want to be able to go a bit dressier, definitely consider the natural waist. To me, the natural waist is also a little more comfortable when sitting, as well.

[Ryan Ross]

It looks like all of your points have been covered, but like the other posters, I'd like to try and convince you that trying to have a traditional kilt tailored to sit where your p@nts do is nearly an abomination. When a kilt is tailored as it should be, sitting at your natural waist with a bit of rise, the kilt will stay in place, via the tailoring, by sitting on your hips. If you try and have one made to sit at your "p@nts waist" not only will it look sloppy at best, it will need a lot of pressure from your kilt straps and belt to stay up.

There is also the issue of jackets not working correctly with a kilt that low, as has been mentioned before, but there is another side to the coin- If you have the kilt come to your p@nts waist, but also have it made to the correct length (meaning no lower than the bottom of the knee cap at most), what you'll end up with is a kilt that looks WAY TOO SHORT. I've seen this before at many a highland game, and my heart always goes out to the poor soul wearing the kilt that looks like a mini-skirt.

Please, good sir, do consider ordering your kilt for wear at the customary and traditional height.

...end of rant/plea.

[oldscubaguy]

First off - below are personal opinions

1. I have both 13 and 16 oz but I prefer the feel of the 16oz.
2. Having both the 8 yard and the 5 yard kilts, I must say I prefer the 8 yard.
3. I have no idea.
4. I'm 6'2"/ 170lbs and I feel more comfortable in an 8 yard traditional kilt because the kilt straps align with waist. Being tall and thin I don't have much in the way of hips.