Any feedback on the 5.11 TDK?

[MacKenzie]

MultiCam on the way. These things are great for knockabout wear.

Their kilt timeline is... interesting.

http://www.511tactical.com/kilt-2015

[uncle remus]

I also liked the video ad they have on that sight. it's in the lower right corner.

http://www.511tactical.com/kilt-2015#10

[tundramanq]

Snagged a brown and a grey to try them out after all the knowledgeable assessments here.
2 inches less than kilt size - Right? I have no idea of what size pants I wear, almost 5 years of only kilt wear.

[MNlad]

Sounds about right. My waist size is 35"-35.5", so I ordered a 36" last year—should have gone with a 34". That's what is now on order in black. It's a great knock-around kilt in warm weather.

[tundramanq]

I got my two 511's. Gave them their first wash and dry - this is ripstop poly/cotton. These 32 pant size are still a tad loose on my 33 kilt waist and actually measure 34.5 inches post washing. The length shrank from 24 to 23 3/8. Am hoping that this material behaves like Utilikilt's ripstop Poly/Cotton and will lose a total of 1 inch in the waist 1.5 inches in length, over a few washes, putting the hem at the bottom of my knee cap. Feeling a little Goth right now. With the 8 inch wide box pleat in back, I doubt this puppy will ever know a swish but maybe a waggle. Not bad for a $80 durable utility kilt with slash pockets.

UPDATE: Two more warm ( 105 F ) wash and dry cycles for both kilts.. One warm tumble dry and one hang dry. The hems are now 22 7/8 and 23 inches. Goth-ism is now reduced to acceptable. Noted that these have less wrinkle-age and fabric is more pliable with the tumble dry. Will cold tumble these for 5 minutes with my dozen tennis balls to fix that.

Just noted that I posted on the wrong string yesterday. Copied to correct string. This is in answer to the other string:
The current issue TDK has two side slash pockets and two cargo pockets. The slash pockets aren't exactly hidden but not obvious either. There are inner pouches inside the removable cargo pockets attached on the back fabric panel. All 5 inches deep. One pocket has two sections that are 3 3/4 wide ( Iphone size?), the other has 3 that are 2 1/2 ( clip sized ?) wide.

NOTE: I have no issues using my 2 1/4 inch kilt belt even though the copy says the loops are sized for a 1 3/4 inch duty belt.

[vader7071]

Tundramang, you are close for the reason of the inner divisions of the pockets. Due to forum policy, I can't say WHY they are there, but to guide you in the right direction, realize that 5.11 tailors to military and police. Those divisions are there to help carry spare "tools" (wink wink) for the officers or soldiers. The reason for the 2 different sizes is one pocket carries the bigger "spare tool" (only 2) and the smaller carries the smaller "spare tool" (3 of them).

[tundramanq]

After three wash and wear cycles, I notice the pleats on my TDKs don't lay as well as they did new. I cold wash and hang dry with normal clothes pining on the pleats. Although a lot less pronounced than the Utilikilts and without visible curl, these guys need the pleat tug and weighted clothes pins on the pleats for the dry to return to that new neat hang.
I don't know how the TDKs react to tumble drying is I never have done it to any kilt (why wear and fade the fabric when you don't need to), but following the Utilikilt trend, the pleats need tugging after drying to stretch the threads and counter the stitch shrinkage pulling on the pleat edges.

[ratspike]

After three wash and wear cycles, I notice the pleats on my TDKs don't lay as well as they did new. I cold wash and hang dry with normal clothes pining on the pleats. Although a lot less pronounced than the Utilikilts and without visible curl, these guys need the pleat tug and weighted clothes pins on the pleats for the dry to return to that new neat hang.
I don't know how the TDKs react to tumble drying is I never have done it to any kilt (why wear and fade the fabric when you don't need to), but following the Utilikilt trend, the pleats need tugging after drying to stretch the threads and counter the stitch shrinkage pulling on the pleat edges.

My guess would be that it's just the way the fabric is, at least without some intervention with an iron. Some nyco or poly/cotton ripstops don't behave as well as others when sewn up into a kilt. I've noticed Pencott fabric is a lot more prone to not wanting to lay flat than, say, Multicam.

[tundramanq]

Both of my TDKs are solids - (brown and grey) that have this afore mentioned tendency, but seem wrinkle proof. Not a wrinkle in four days of use. They state they are made from Taclite poly/cotton - implying more poly than cotton.

But all of my Utilikilt "100% Cotton" rip-stop digital camos ( desert and sage) curl and wrinkle like crazy needing ironing every other day at least.

Thinking out loud:
Wonder if the TDK camos have more cotton than polyester. Or are a different printable weave. Cotton takes inks better - I think - than polyester.
Polyester is very wrinkle proof as it is so pliable - shy of partial melting it can't be creased. It is also non-shrinking.
And as you said these are two different mills with Patented weaving techniques, making a products with properties that are not kilt specific.

I've run out of ideas - must be refreshment time - Slainte

[ratspike]

5.11 never seems to give specifics about Taclite but I'm guessing it's 60/40 or 65/35. In my experience ripstop doesn't drape or behave as nicely as twill. It's hard to say about the camouflage patterns they've used for the TDK. Muiticam fabrics used for apparel are typically 50/50 nyco, though I suppose 5.11 is a big enough company that they could have their own fabric printed with Crye's pattern. It's also entirely possible that the Multicam TDK is nyco, since at the end of the day they're pretty comparable fabrics.