Funny you should ask about that, i was thinking the same thing myself until i got my authentic horsehair sporran. if you look at pictures of real ones next to synthetic ones you will notice that they do not carry the same shape. I'm not quite sure why, but it almost seems as though the synthetic "hair" is cut to a different pattern, and does not have the same texture as real horsehair. One more thing to consider is the quality, there is an extensive amount of work that goes into making a horsehair sporran, and alot of it is the actual conditioning of the hair itself. Most the reviews i have read on synthetic ones have been negative, saying things like, the hair texture is not the same at all, and that it doesnt swish like the real ones do when you walk. I would say that it is definetly worth your extra money to buy an authentic, and like the other gentlemen have said, it can also one day become a family treasure.