Have you seen the price of a real kilt?
Eamonn.
(Yes I have one!! But have never wore it to any Scouting function - It is an Irish kilt with the County Meath Tartan)

I am a kilt wearer myself and am fully aware of the cost of a "real" kilt. However, there are reasonably priced kilts of decent quality available "off the peg" for about the same price as a pair of Scout pants.

Packhound; For the same price as a pair of Scout pants? I'm interested in that deal...where and whats availible? My Mums from Glasgow, so I'd be willing to wear a kilt...plus I've got the hairy knees!

If it would get my husband into a kilt, even just once, I'd be all for it.

=D

-Liz

Here is a popular place:
www.stillwaterkilts.com/

Another place to learn more about kilts and other sources/vendors is:
www.xmarksthescot.com

Anyone here have a utili-kilt. The carhart of kilts. You should see the look going into home depot. It is cooler, temp wise, than pants or shorts.

We had an association with a Scottish Venture group for a number of years. We started a kilted Scout honor guard to carry flags.

To get around the price issue and the fact that different kids would be wearing the kilts we had them made from tartan dress material which most Scottish vendors would have. We had them made with velcro fastenings so that the sizes could be varied easily. It was still quite expensive, because you need some accessories, like sgean dubh (ceremonial knife for the socks), sporran (the gizmo that hangs in front), socks and kilt pin.

You'll find a lot of Scottish vendors online, including Caledonian Imports, where we got ours.

You can find fabric at a local store in "suit" material that can be used for making your own kilts in tartan. However, a kilt doesn't have to be in tartan and a very functional kilt can be made of canvas (like the utili-kilt) and constructed using instructions for an X-kilt (can be googled and downloaded for FREE). Average time for someone with sewing skills and making enough for an honor guard would probably be about 5 hours each. (I would not suggest using the x-kilt instructions for a tartan/plaid fabric.)

I have considered making one or two x-kilts in hunter green fabric (ex. Scout green) for an activity uniform for next summer camp. It will make changing clothes at the waterfront much more convenient. I am one who tends to spend significant time there.

BTW,

Accessories can be found relatively inexpensively as well through the above links. A sgean don't (no blade to keep with BSA policy) can be made simply from a leather sheath and a carved wooden, bone, or antler handle attached to a wooden blade (or no sgean dubh at all). A tool belt from Home Depot can be dyed black and a sporran (think of it as a fancy hip pack) can be purchased for as little as $25.00 (or made yourself).

My personal kit includes a DIY traditional tartan kilt (about 40 hours and $30.00 worth of materials), a Stillwater sporran ($25.00), and a tool belt for Lowe's Home Improvement dyed black (about $20.00). All of the rest is my uniform parts.

You could probably skip the sporran and use a brown leather Scout belt with one of the large buckles (like the oval Philmont or one of the newer Wood Badge buckles.)

You don't have to get fancy its just another Masculine garment.

For those of you who are truly interested, check out xmarksthescot.com. You can find me there by the same handle.

" A sgean don't (no blade to keep with BSA policy) "

There is no BSA policy prohibiting sock knives.

Please excuse me. Let me be totally clear.

Local councils can prohibit fixed blade knives. My council is one of them.(This message has been edited by Packhound)

I do throw on a kilt every once in awhile with the scouts, and help one buy his own from Stillwater Kilts. For those who have not worn one, they are the most comfortable piece of clothing made for men, but due the mystery of what is worn under it you will acounter many strange looks and concerns from the parents. Heck I have been ordered never to wear them to work even though they are way longer than the ladies' skirts due to the mystery. This is why I think National will never make it Official, but as in many things in Scoouts people in authority will turn aa blind eye.

John
I own two Alpha Kilts Olive and Black plus buying a Stillwater Maclaren to celebrate my Woodbadge.

I would assume that the boys would wear the tartan that is appropriate to their family. What happens when the boy who isn't of Scottish descent? Does he wear whatever he wants regardless of the appropriateness? My tartan isn't a very pretty pattern, but I'd wear that over any generic attempts of the BSA to designate which family pattern would be appropriate for generic BSA.

And yes, there is a process by which a person is certified to wear a family tartan after proving their ancestry. Kinda like the boys declaring SAR or SUV without proper research. No one's going to toss anyone in jail, but being sensitive to other nationalities is something the boys should be taught to honor.

Stosh

"My tartan isn't a very pretty pattern, but I'd wear that over any generic attempts of the BSA to designate which family pattern would be appropriate for generic BSA."

If you're a wood badger, you can join the MacLaren society and thus be allowed to wear the MacLaren tartan. That would be my only motivation for going to wood badge.

There already is a Scottish Scout tartan, I'm sure that BSA could register their own.

However, if you lot start wearing kilts with your uniforms, I'll start wearing a big fur hat and crossed cartridge belts with mine.