box pleat vs knife pleat & WIND!

[jthk]

Comrades in kilts,

As has been mentioned before, I have completely fallen in love with my Tewksbury 4-yard style box-pleated kilt. I have several other kilts -- 8-yard style and 5-yard style knife pleated kilts. Is it my imagination but does the box-pleated kilt actually stay "down" more in the wind than the knife-pleated kilts? I realise that there are different "winds" -- the gusty urban winds that can cause a "Marilyn" to happen and then the winds that are simply pressing the kilt against your body. Today and yesterday have been extraordinarily windy here in rural western Massachusetts but my box-pleated kilt has barely lifted up at all. I wore a 5-yard style knife-pleated kilt from Rocky and the gang today as well -- for comparison -- and that definitely received an intimate boost from the wind that the box-pleat did not.

If I may ask for your own opinions on this matter?

Regards,
Jonathan

[Jock Scot]

I am afraid that I cannot answer your question as I have never worn a box pleated kilt. However from purely an academic point of view, I do wonder if a heavy weight cloth made into an 8 yard knife pleated kilt might solve most of your problem? In passing, you will never solve the problem completely anyway and if it helps at all, I have experienced a "Marilyn" moment twice in a fairly long kilt wearing life and frankly, it happens!

[Tobus]

I can only compare my 4-yard box pleat (16 oz wool) to my 8-yard knife pleats (also 16 oz wool). In my personal experience, the box pleated kilt is much more apt to move in the wind simply because there is less material back there and the pleating arrangement acts like a parachute of sorts. Box pleats expand open and outwards in a billowy fashion, where deep overlapping knife pleats don't. Sometimes the outer layers of knife pleats may lift up, where the under layers stay put. But on occasion, no matter what the pleating arrangement or amount of material, the wind is going to pick it all up.

[Liam]

If it is windy simply have your arms stretched along your thighs to keep your kilt in place.

[jthk]

I am afraid that I cannot answer your question as I have never worn a box pleated kilt. However from purely an academic point of view, I do wonder if a heavy weight cloth made into an 8 yard knife pleated kilt might solve most of your problem? In passing, you will never solve the problem completely anyway and if it helps at all, I have experienced a "Marilyn" moment twice in a fairly long kilt wearing life and frankly, it happens!

Jock,

Thanks for the reply. Like you, I've rarely experienced those moments wearing a 8-yard style kilt and would consider that to be a good solution. In the context in which I was referring, it's usually quite warm and I find the 8-yard style kilts to be too hot. (FYI: the box-pleated kilt is heavyweight 16 oz fabric.) I was thinking and planning for my usual summer in Ireland and how the 5-yard style kilts have been much more comfortable than the 8-yard style -- at least, during LAST summer's visit but then again, last summer was quite unusual, wasn't it?

When I was in Edinburgh in August, on a very warm day, I left my friend's flat to go wander around the city and avoid some of the Fringe traffic. I wore a 5-yard style, 16 oz wool kilt and within minutes was regretting it. While the temperature was fabulous, the gusty winds were going to be an issue. I returned to the flat and put on the heaviest kilt I had with me (I had three with me) -- a beautiful Tewksbury 8-yard (but 13 oz wool) kilt. This solved my problem but I was definitely too warm.

It was interesting to me that the box-pleated kilt did NOT demonstrate the same "revealing" behaviour that the 5-yard knife-pleated kilt did.

Best,
Jonathan

[jthk]

I can only compare my 4-yard box pleat (16 oz wool) to my 8-yard knife pleats (also 16 oz wool). In my personal experience, the box pleated kilt is much more apt to move in the wind simply because there is less material back there and the pleating arrangement acts like a parachute of sorts. Box pleats expand open and outwards in a billowy fashion, where deep overlapping knife pleats don't. Sometimes the outer layers of knife pleats may lift up, where the under layers stay put. But on occasion, no matter what the pleating arrangement or amount of material, the wind is going to pick it all up.

I've not thought of the different pleating arrangement as a parachute but that got me thinking. I'll have to monitor that carefully as I venture out into the world on my adventures. Thanks for the reply.

There are few situations where I've had trouble -- hill-walking in north-west Donegal, strolling through Edinburgh, and walking out to an airplane on the tarmac. For all situations, I quickly wrapped a zipped hoodie or whatever around my waist and that helped keep my underwear a secret from observers.

Best,
Jonathan

[Jock Scot]

I've not thought of the different pleating arrangement as a parachute but that got me thinking. I'll have to monitor that carefully as I venture out into the world on my adventures. Thanks for the reply.

There are few situations where I've had trouble -- hill-walking in north-west Donegal, strolling through Edinburgh, and walking out to an airplane on the tarmac. For all situations, I quickly wrapped a zipped hoodie or whatever around my waist and that helped keep my underwear a secret from observers.

Best,
Jonathan

I cannot help but wonder why it has not yet dawned on you that the kilt is not always the best option!

[jthk]

I cannot help but wonder why it has not yet dawned on you that the kilt is not always the best option!

You'd think that from my posts! But no, I am not always in a kilt. Sometimes trousers are the better option and I wear them without *much* hesitation. But the costs of wearing a kilt while hill walking are far surpassed by the benefits!

[Bad Monkey]

personally I've never been 'too hot' due to whatever kilt I was wearing at the time. Very little of the kilt is actually in contact with my body at any time other than directly around my waist and then the difference between a couple layers of 16oz v. 13oz is acedemic at most. Anyways, that's not the point of the OP...

If the problem to be solved is keeping the wind from 'helping out', the tried-and-true elastic trick the regiments use will make wind effect a non-issue. Robert MacDonald has a pretty good video explaining the whole deal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-QgfKmvecY

[jthk]

Thanks!

It's not that I'm encountering a problem, it's that I've noticed something that confuses me: the smaller-yardage box-pleated kilt seems to stay down more than the heavier 5 yard knife pleat.