Is there no such thing as a roomy full dress sporran?

[unixken]

I was reminded of this the other night, when I had occasion to wear my full dress sporran to an event, that I found it lacking. After wallet, keys and cell phone, there is room for little else (such as a small digital camera.) It just seems that dress sporrans in general, with their shallow gussets and generally small dimensions, are not very deep, and not very roomy.

Does anyone know of a manufacturer who makes a full dress sporran with a capacity more like a basic day sporran, and that doesn't cost the moon? Suit jackets of any kind are not conducive to wearing an additional piper's pouch on a belt, and I hate loading down the pockets of a good jacket with stuff that ideally could be carried in a sporran. Should I just consider a semi-dress sporran for all but the most formal of occasions, and otherwise forgo what amounts for me, to be a fur-covered codpiece?

[MizzouScotsman]

I have the same problems. I have a few more items, like a pipe and a tobacco pouch that just fill out a sporran with barely any room left for keys, phone, and tiny wallet. I'd love to have a roomy dress sporran.

[Zardoz]

I have the same issues, I've been using my Thorfinn skunk fur Rob Roy with formalwear, so far so good.



post about the sporran here; http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/f...sporran-70788/

[unixken]

I have the same issues, I've been using my Thorfinn skunk fur Rob Roy with formalwear, so far so good.

Zardoz - That's a nice looking rig. I don't know whether I'm keen on Rob Roy-style bags in general, given the relatively small opening, but I like the flap method of access rather than a hinged cantle top, and the skunk pelt on yours is very nice! I think a full fur sporran in a shape closer to typical daywear kit, may ultimately be what I desire. There's a bit to think about.

Might there be other roomy alternatives to the typical full dress sporran?

[Zardoz]

Zardoz - That's a nice looking rig. I don't know whether I'm keen on Rob Roy-style bags in general, given the relatively small opening, but I like the flap method of access rather than a hinged cantle top, and the skunk pelt on yours is very nice! I think a full fur sporran in a shape closer to typical daywear kit, may ultimately be what I desire. There's a bit to think about.

Might there be other roomy alternatives to the typical full dress sporran?

I know the opening dosen't seem that big in that photo, but I assure you it is quite large!





http://www.thorfinnsporrans.com/9.html

[unixken]

Well then, I may just have to rethink (again). Thanks for the graphic demonstration with the coffee. LOL

[OC Richard]

It just seems that dress sporrans in general, with their shallow gussets and generally small dimensions, are not very deep, and not very roomy.
...a full dress sporran with a capacity more like a basic day sporran...

I'm a little puzzled by the way you worded that, because, at least with the traditional canon of sporran styles made by the large Scottish sporranmakers since the 1920s, Day and Evening sporrans have exactly the same body dimensions and gusset design. (The exception being the "Rob Roy" design which has a huge pleated pouch.)

So, I have a fur Evening sporran and a leather Hunting sporran by the longstanding maker Nichol Bros Bankfoot, and both share the same body design, with wide gussets, and both are quite roomy. Ditto with various sporrans from Scott & Son, another longstanding maker. (I believe both makers are now gone, but there sporrans show up on Ebay all the time.)

For even more room, there's a style being made in Scotland today with a somewhat oversized pouch, around 6 1/2" wide and 10 1/2" long. It's the style introduced c1980 for the OR sporrans for the kilted Scottish regiments. You can pick these up all the time on Ebay for $200 or less, because with the creation of The Royal Regiment of Scotland these sporrans are obsolete in the military.

Here is one on Ebay right now; note that these sporrans always have that curved plain chrome cantle, and come in black hair (Queens Own Highlanders, Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders, HLI, Lovat Scouts) and white hair (Black Watch, Gordon Highlanders)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scottish-ARG...item2324d023a4

You can also pick up the current Royal Regiment of Scotland sporrans, some of which have that same big gussetted body, while some do not.

This style is also being made with a goathair front for a nice Edwardian look. Here's a rather pricey one on Ebay right now. I've seen similar goathair sporrans, with the same big roomy body, go on Ebay in the $200-300 range

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SUPERB-Scott...item232572ce9b

And here's the same style, huge roomy body, with a fox full mask, also quite pricey

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPECTACULAR-...item2322d59e28

Anyhow I bought one of those goathair sporrans on Ebay for around $200, took off the ugly modern cantle and put on a lovely vintage Edwardian cantle. This is the sporran I wear whenever I put on the kilt. It can hold wallet, keys, phone, camera, and even a bottled water. Here it is

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I have to agree with Jock on this one. How much do you really need to carry with you, especially to a formal event? You say you can fit your wallet, keys and cell phone in your sporran. What else do you need? A good question to ask is what you would expect to be carrying in the pockets of your formal trousers if you were wearing a tux to the same event. I imagine the answer would be wallet, keys, and cell phone.

Jock's point about only taking your car key (and not every key you own) in your sporran is another good point. I decided years ago that it was not necessary for me to take every key I owned with me everywhere I went. I now have a key ring with only two keys on it -- my car key and my house key. This goes with me whenever I am out and about, and takes up virtually no room in my sporran or pocket. If I am going to work, then I have a second key ring with necessary work keys on it. But for other forays, they stay home.

For formal occasions, one can expect to sometimes sacrifice function for fashion. This is why you don't see cargo pockets on dress trousers, or rubber boot soles on dress shoes. I think a big, bulky (though roomy) sporran would fall into that same category.

This is helped somewhat by the fact that formal occasions will also necessitate a jacket, and jackets have pockets. I have used the pockets in my jacket at various times for keys, wallet, event tickets, lip balm, check book, etc. In fact, I can recall some events where I had everything I needed in my jacket and my sporran was empty.

That all being said, some dress sporrans are roomier than others. If you are looking for a sporran that will serve you well at a formal event and still have quite a bit of carrying capacity, I would recommend one of the larger Ferguson Britt sporrans, made with black leather, in the fur of your choice. These won't have the silver cantle you might be used to seeing in a dress sporran, but they certainly look nice enough and have quite a holding capacity.

For some of the larger ones, I recommend the Glen Shire Mor model, the Inverarnan, or the Inverlochy.