Help with sporrans

[Chaps]

I just ordered my first kilt from a local shop and it is currently being made. It is an 8 yard Welsh Edwards tartan. I purchased a charcoal colored tweed kilt jacket on e-bay. I am now running a bit low on cash as I start considering sporrans. I am thinking of starting with a couple of lower end sporrans (one day and one dress). Any suggestions?

[Spartan Tartan]

First off, from Rhode Island. I also used to live on 10th Street in Coronado... my son still loves it there.

I have an economy day sporran from the Scottish Tartan Museum (advertiser link above). It is very well made, just no frills... exactly how I like it! It does not have tassles ither, which is perfect for me since I do not care for the drumming noise tassles usually produce when walking.

Dress sporrans are harder to come by at inexpensive prices while still being of good quality.

Best of luck!!

[Nathan]

Low priced sporrans that have been manufactured in Pakistan can be obtained online through e-bay and a multitude of resellers. A word of caution about these sporrans is that they are often made of inferior materials (leather board rather than solid leather, faux fur...) and after you've seen a few, you get an eye for the rather cheap look of them. If you go this route, in my view, it won't be long before you are not satisfied with the look or quality of the item and will end up paying more in the long run when you inevitably upgrade to an heirloom quality sporran.

If you watch ebay for vintage sporrans, you should be able to find a couple that are far better quality and have stood the test of time. These can often be obtained for a fabulous price but patience is key. It's important to familiarize yourself with the various sporran designs and vintages so you know what you're looking at as you can't always trust the auction description.

You should also be careful with some of the low end import vendors as often the photos they list aren't of the actual item being sold. Do you have the luxury of time or do you need to get your rig together for a particular event?

[Scout]

Welcome from Maine.

My $.02 worth would be to buy the best quality daywear sporran you can afford right now and hold off on a dress sporran until you're able to afford one you'll really be happy with. I'd hazard a guess that there are an awful lot of cheap dress sporrans in bottom dresser drawers and shoved in the back of closets, never to see the light of day again, because their owners realized too late that "you get what you pay for." You're better off saving that money and putting it towards a better sporran, even if that's somewhere down the road.

[OC Richard]

I'm not a fan of Pakistani sporrans. All the low-cost sporrans being sold on the internet and in shops even in Scotland are made in either India or Pakistan. Their quality has been getting better, and some of the Pakistani sporrans being sold by major shops in Scotland and here in the USA are decent.

But I myself will never buy one. I would much prefer to, for the same price, buy a high-quality sporran by a legitimate Scottish or North American maker, used, on Ebay or what have you.

Like this Janet Eagleton sporran for well under $100

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Brown-Leathe...item43c635e37a

or better yet this fantastic vintage sporran for around $100, a wonderful classic look you don't see any more

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scottish-Vin...item2a3842eb2c

That's what I would get were I in the market for a sporran.

And for evening? A wonderful seal evening sporran with silverplate cantle, the finest quality, and already here in the USA so no worries about importation

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Scottish-Vin...item2a38429f2b

My Prince Charlie, my black Argyll, my two tweed Argylls, my various sporrans, are all high-quality vintage items got very inexpensively on Ebay.

Buying a used sporran isn't like buying a used car... high quality sporrans are built to last several lifetimes.

[creagdhubh]

Buying a used sporran isn't like buying a used car... high quality sporrans are built to last several lifetimes.

Excellent point here Richard, and I couldn't agree more!

[McMurdo]

I agree with the others, the day sporran I use most often is one my father gave me, it was his when he was a lad and was made in 1950. They just don't make them like that off shore. Try to get the best sporran you can looking online is a great idea, you can also look for ex-rental stuff at a local tartan shop if you have one nearby.

[BCAC]

I just ordered my first kilt from a local shop and it is currently being made. It is an 8 yard Welsh Edwards tartan. I purchased a charcoal colored tweed kilt jacket on e-bay. I am now running a bit low on cash as I start considering sporrans. I am thinking of starting with a couple of lower end sporrans (one day and one dress). Any suggestions?

There's a thread around somewhere on these forums (use the search function) for the "Freedom kilts carry all sporran". Buy one of these (there are several models available) and save up to buy a dress sporran later. You don't need a dress sporran every day and you don't need to have all your kit all at the same time.

[Dileasgubas]

Saw this on a local Canadian classified section - looks like a decenet leather sporran for $20:

http://ontario.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-s...AdIdZ569852016

[WillowEstate]

Richard is exactly correct, you do indeed get what you pay for. And it isn't just sporrans from the subcontinent. I have a cheap day sporran from Heritage of Scotland (the company, not the tartan!) which is stamped "Real Leather" and "Made in Scotland" and while these both are true, the quality is, shall we say, basic. The back was rough and pilled the front apron of a PV kilt. Artificer identified the leather on the back as "split" - see my earlier thread: http://www.xmarksthescot.com/forum/s...d.php?t=79473& (28 May 2013).

The back was lacquered and heat stamped, and the melted lacquer was partly responsible, as was the hard edges on the edge of the back and the belt loop. I was able, using the advice in the thread, to smooth out the lacquer and round off the edges but it was a slow process. Better to avoid the problem in the first place.

If you look at the back of the first link that Richard posted, you'll see the edges are piped around and the makers mark is pressed into the leather with no rough edges. Compare with mine before I worked on it.

I concur with the general comments above, get the best day sporran you can afford and wait to get a dress sporran until your finances have got over the "sticker shock" of your kilt!