So, I tried a couple of experiments last week to help alleviate some of the issues I have in the kilt department. Two issues that have been bugging me for some time (completely unrelated to one another). Issue 1: under-kilt hygiene (as addressed in another XMTS thread here: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/k....html?t=48166&) and Issue 2: Utilikilt Original curling at the apron corners and pleats. Anyway, I tried tackling both problems and here are my results.

Issue 1. Naughty bits. I don't like them sullying my kilts -- when I spend most of the day standing and running about, it's not a big deal. But more often than not, I spend a good part of my day seated. As such, it pays to have a way to keep the kilts clean and fresh.

In the other thread, I mentioned wearing silk boxers -- a good solution to be sure, but someone else mentioned taking apart the boxers by cutting through the bit of fabric that joins front and back flaps at the bottom so it becomes unbifurcated. So, that's what I tried. After I put on the modified boxers, it felt really great! Even though silk boxers are really nice as-is, they feel completely different when you un-bifurcate them...

However, now the bad news. Everyone's body geometry is a bit different, and this was a huge bust. Whenever I sat down, the "under-kilt" would ride up so that the very problem I was trying to solve just got more complicated and my "bits" still ended up on my kilt. The front "flap" of the modified boxers would have to be significantly longer to prevent that from happening -- but I don't really want that either, as adding length may make them visible and I really don't want a front flap hanging down almost to my knee. For now, I think I'll just stick to un-modified silk boxers. That seems to work reasonably well.

Results of experiment: FAILED

Issue 2: Curly kilt

This has also been brought up numerous times on XMTS. Many say it doesn't bother them but it just cheezes me right off. I hate the curl in my Utilikilt. There are two curls -- the front apron corners tend to curl up, and the pleats themselves do this little "taco" thing, and the corners of the pleats also (like the apron) curl upwards.

I took out the handy ol' steam iron and a can of regular spray starch (like you might use on shirt collars). I found that ironing the kilt inside-out, for starters, reduced the curl. A bit of starch stiffened it and made it stay more like that: flat. I also ironed the pleats as much as I could, inside-out, and used some starch between the pleats. This took away the taco shell effect, and reduced the curl on the pleat corners. Then, putting on the kilt, it (first of all) felt a lot more like it did new when I first bought it, but the curl all-around was significantly reduced. Notice that I didn't say "gone" because it wasn't, but it WAS a fair sight better than it was before.

Results of experiment: PARTIAL SUCCESS