Formal or dress sporran

[Spartan Tartan]

I try to carry as little as possible WHENEVER I go out...kilted or otherwise. This translates to my sporran (formal or daywear). My wallet is a simple bill-fold with a spot for my credit card and my ID. That fits into both my sporrans and is thin (I moved away from a bulky wallet when I realized I didn't want to carry it in my pocket due to it's awkward size). In addition to my wallet, I will carry my phone and the key to my car. That's it. And if I'm wearing a jacket, my phone ends up in the inside pocket of that...for even greater ease of access.

I have considered a change purse of sorts as well. But to be honest, I would not use it. When I receive change, I just toss the change into the bottom of my sporran and collect it at the end of the day/night. I don't dig down for a penny, dime or quarter.

With that in mind, if I were getting a new formal sporran, I would like to keep my wallet and a spot for my key-essentially the same as what I currently have. I could use a smaller one if necessary since during a formal event I would be wearing a jacket and could use the pockets there for my phone. I could also just as well leave my phone at home or in the car depending upon the event. Nothing is more bothersome than to be trying to enjoy company and socializing at a nice event than having people constantly disengaging form REAL social life to engage in social MEDIA...but that of course, is not germane to the conversation at hand.

[Mike_Oettle]

Richard, your goat-hair sporran (is it Angora?) is much smarter than the horse-hair one next to you!

[OC Richard]

Richard, your goat-hair sporran (is it Angora?) is much smarter than the horse-hair one next to you!

I have an equal affection for both! I love my Black Watch piper's sporran... but it holds next to nothing, having one of those nearly useless tiny pockets on the back.

[Jack Daw]

No doubt several on this website are aware of the sporrans I've gone through to try to get it right. For semi-formal (black tie) wear, I now wear a vintage A&S badger mask. This has no storage space to value, so I use the pockets of my jacket to carry a money clip, a thinned-out wallet, car keys, and a comb. I leave my cell phone and house keys in the car, or put the phone in the wife's purse.

[OC Richard]

I now wear a vintage A&S badger mask. This has no storage space to value

That surprises me! I used to have an Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders sergeants/officers badger mask sporran, and the body was a big gusseted pocket, just like normal Day and Eve sporrans, but bigger because the body of the sporran was a tad wider and quite a bit longer than normal sporrans. As I recall the body was the same as the goathair sporran I wear, which is 6 1/2 inches wide and 11 inches long (the body itself, not including the length of the hair).

[Jack Daw]

That surprises me! I used to have an Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders sergeants/officers badger mask sporran, and the body was a big gusseted pocket, just like normal Day and Eve sporrans, but bigger because the body of the sporran was a tad wider and quite a bit longer than normal sporrans. As I recall the body was the same as the goathair sporran I wear, which is 6 1/2 inches wide and 11 inches long (the body itself, not including the length of the hair).

Maybe that depends on when and who made it. I got mine a few years ago from Bugpiper on eBay. It has Janet Eagleton's name on it. There is a pouch, but it's somewhat of a narrow fit for much.

[OC Richard]

Yes it's odd. The one I had, and many vintage ones I've seen, were quite larger than our ordinary Day and Evening sporrans, in the size of the pouch itself.

Difficult to get access to, a bit, because you have to pull the head all the way up to get your hand in there. I think it's why you often see excessive wear around the nose.

[Dileasgubas]

http://www.secrid.nl/en/

As a frequent international traveller, I have come to use this, which shields the smart chip in cards from being read and has room for a few bills as well. It fits nicely in a sporran.