NEW COLOR Elkommando Kilt - Shark

**Tarheel** · 29th January 15, 06:27 AM

I believe they are considering more than the color to the name. Durability, sleek, light weight seem to be included in the description. I see a great daily use kilt in this product. Thanks for the lead.

**tundramanq** · 29th January 15, 12:44 PM

The steely gray Shark looks nice. It will heat a lot less from the sun than a full black. I find gray also goes with everything.

Tag! You got me.

I just bought one. The gray will look as good in town as it will fishing and camping.

**tundramanq** · 5th February 15, 07:52 AM

Update: I received wore and washed my new Shark ElKommando.

The design and fabric seems identical to my original Otter color. Compared to the Otter the Shark weighs exactly the same. The only differences I can spot are, with the Shark, the Mountain Hardware logo on the lower left apron is in color matching grey instead of the light grey and yellow of the Otter and the belt is solid black instead of the black with grey stripes of the original Otter.
My Shark fabric seems slightly more pliable than the original first run Otter. Ergo the weighing.

I think this kilt looks better than the dark olive Otter and will see more use about town. Like the USAK Sterling tartan, the Shark grey goes with everything.

Looking over the Otter, 5 years old, used in several camping/fishing trips and washed a lot, I am quite impressed with the spotlessness. Only a slight amount of fuzziness is visible from wear and tear! The DWR treatment on the fabric has shed all stains from coffee, cooking, cleaning fish and frying bacon. It still sheds water well. DWR must mean Durable Water Repellant. I am either careful around grease or the finish also keeps grease from setting in this nylon microfiber.

Update: Got curious - It looks like the Otter can only be had in XS and S on line - wonder, is closing out or will it be remade as the season progresses? The Shark is available in all sizes from MH directly, REI and quite a few other outdoors suppliers.

**Tarheel** · 5th February 15, 12:51 PM

Naught to do now but post a before and after photo. This is not to encourage getting your kilt grungy, but if you must, well okay then.

**brewerpaul** · 5th February 15, 03:45 PM

@tundramanq and others. Try REI for various sizes, I just checked out their availabilty. They have all sizes in the Shark up to XXL. By them now as there are never any mid season runs of sports wear products. These are bought during the fall for the spring and made once. This is the bad thing about the outdoor retail clothing business, which I was once part owner of a store. You buy for your next season and hope you can special order extra items as you sell out. Likely what you see online is what is available so dont hesitate to buy now.

**tundramanq** · 5th February 15, 04:49 PM

Originally Posted by brewerpaul

@tundramanq and others. Try REI for various sizes, I just checked out their availabilty. They have all sizes in the Shark up to XXL. By them now as there are never any mid season runs of sports wear products. These are bought during the fall for the spring and made once. This is the bad thing about the outdoor retail clothing business, which I was once part owner of a store. You buy for your next season and hope you can special order extra items as you sell out. Likely what you see online is what is available so dont hesitate to buy now.

These are mass produced in Vietnam. Yes the curse of mass production of seasonal items requires a very good crystal ball if you want to stay in business. The factory orders the supplies, "tools up", makes the kilt run and then starts retooling for some other fabric product several times a year. Mountain Hardware is now owned by Columbia Sportswear and they do not own the factories. Their quality control seems very good based on the 9 Elkommandos I have had my hands on. Hardly a stitch out of place. Thread tag ends already trimmed etc. Things you would have to look for even in many of the bespoke kilt houses. All on a fairly complicated kilt that retails for 79 bucks? Wow.

I just added another line to my last post to clarify. The last paragraph was referring to the old Otter color and whether it would also be produced for this season along with the Shark. This kilt is slowly catching on with the hiking/camping/fishing crowd and seems like the demand could keep both colors in production. Maybe?