Oconee Leatherworks Comes Through!

**Captain** · 31st August 07, 09:21 PM

Well, I posted this over at Brotherhood of the Kilt and thought I'd share another rave review of Cavscout's wares:

So Thursday my box from Oconee Leatherworks arrived. And I am more than pleased!

I ordered 2 normal belts with roller buckles, one 1.75" wide for use with my God-forsaken pants and/or cargo shorts which I am forced to wear when at work, and one 2.5" to wear with my kilts. I've never been a fan of the look and ornamentation of a traditional styled kilt belt, so I just got a normal everyday kind of belt with no ornamentation. I also got one of Cav's new Sporran Adapters to replace the chain that came with my Buzz Kidder.

Upon opening the (much smaller than I expected) box I found three works of art. All three pieces are thick, yet pliable leather. In fact both belts are nearly 3 times the thickness of the Old Navy belt I was wearing at the time. I don't know about you guys, but as a man of hefty proportions, I have a hard time finding a belt in a store that lasts more than a few months... they're all crap. Steve's belt looks like it'll last a lifetime.

So first, the trouser belt. I promptly removed the belt I was wearing (the aforementioned Old Navy special) and tossed it in the trash, donning my new hand-made belt with a flourish (which caused more than one comment in the office). By the end of the day I noticed something startling... my pants weren't sagging. My belt had not stretched and warped during the day! By the end of today I was shocked... Two days and the pants were riding exactly where I had situated them that morning... unheard of with the scraps I find in retail stores. But the fun doesn't end there.

I had forgotten the kilt belt last night, so I brought it home today. Mind you this is my first large kilt belt. Previously I had been wearing the same Old Navy belt with my kilts (FOR SHAME!). My wife took one look at the monstrosity that is Cav's belt, snickered, and said, "This looks like Santa Claus' belt!". I, of course, quickly snatched the belt back and marched up stairs to try it on. After a few minutes preening in my USAK Clark kilt the wife finally called up, "You ever coming down in that thing?" So I walked downstairs and, will wonders never cease, the wife's jaw dropped open.

"Wow, that kilt has never looked so good. If you had told me that's all you needed to make it look better, I would have let you buy one of those a long time ago."

Now to fully appreciate this, you have to realize that my wife and I have had knock-down drag-outs over the kilt wearing. In fact she has never said one complimentary thing about the kilt ever. She normally starts conversations with strangers something like this, "Here's my husband, wearing his stupid/silly kilt. What can you do?"

So, thanks to Cavscout I have the first real compliment from my wife concerning the kilt. Thanks! Not only does the larger belt look amazing, but it feels great on. Again, it's a thick, sturdy, pliable belt... right across the upper part of the lower back... it actually encouraged me to sit up straighter and provided a measure of support... which is great for those of us carrying a little extra weight! Once I get the buckle I have intended to wear with it (don't ask, it's a secret until I get it... and it's another reason I wanted a regular, trouser-style belt), it will be the perfect kilt belt for darn near any occassion.

And now, the adapter. To be honest, I have only (until today) used the serviceable, yet unattractive chain that came with my Buzz Kidder Inverness sporran. It worked, but it undercut my gut and slid down to the point that it looked really bad... add in the fact that the chain was wearing on my kilt, and I knew something needed to change. I had originally ordered the normal sporran hangers, but had read reviews and grew concerned about the sporran not being able to be moved out of the way easily, if need be. On top of this, I've never been a fan of having a large, heavy leather bag bouncing on top of my man parts... it just didn't seem wise. Then Steve mentioned the fact that he was thinking about making an adapter to make the sporran more of a belt pouch... much like the original Jacobite-era sporrans would have been. So I jumped at the chance to try one. In short... I love it! The sporran doesn't hang down where it's slightly awkward getting into it, it slides easily out of the way (already used whilst driving my wife around for our date this evening), and feels better supported than it ever did on the chain. I can't see wearing a sporran any other way!

Here's the pics! I took pics of me wearing the adapter right side up and upside down so you could kind of see how the sporran would hang from either the top or the bottom of the adapter.

Kevin