Sporran Advice

[Ayin McFye]

Noticing a bit of a theme here but my response is: don't put so much in your sporran. It was designed for a poor people.
Maybe you have to simplify your life. BTW, my R-Kilt, old style, carries wallet, car keys (leave rest of keys in car), camera, sunglasses and moolah. Good enough.

Grandad taught me location is friendly but not uncomfortable, if you get my drift. When you sit down the weight of it will be slightly ahead of friendly so it will help the modesty issue.

Some sporrans are larger than others, so for me, I carry my smokes, lighter, wallet, and keys. Sometimes I'll carry a phone and or a camera, but like you said it starts to overflow pretty quickly. I don't know if I understand the "designed for poor people" comment, if you have some historical text on that I'd love to see it. I always just thought that unless you were wearing a great kilt, you didn't really have anywhere to put anything.

Anyone know the historical purpose of the sporran?

[Riverkilt]

Aye Turpin,

You're right. Some do. But its been my experience that most large sporranmakers and most sporran resellers don't show the size of their offerings. Leathersporrans, L&M Highland Outfitters, Alexis Malcolm, Scotland Yard, House of Edgar, Sport Kilt, USA Kilt, Scottish Tartans Museum, and many many more vendors for some reason never mention the actual size of the many sporrans they offer for sale and present photos of them with plain backgrounds. A new person couldn't tell if they were for dolls, children, or a type of sleeping bag.

It still baffles me how the sizes of sporrans for sale ever became such secret information.

Hopefully, sporran vendors will follow the lead of others and include sporran size with the photos and other information on their products.

As consumers, we need to know...wanna have some fun, ask a vendor's rep on the phone or by email what the dimensions of a sporran you're interested in are...baffles them.

No, I don't wanna buy a pig in a poke, I wanna know the pig's size to see if it fits my needs....

Ron

[cacunn]

I suggest the "popcorn" rating for sporrans. The site selling a sporran fills it with un-popped popcorn and then publishes the weight of the popcorn the sporran can hold. The second question would be can a softball easily fit into the opening of the sporran. If a softball will fit in the opening then most hands, with something in it, will also fit.

Low cost test and if everyone uses it it would be comparable.

[Archangel]

The "poor people" comment was exactly that. You should probably realize that I usually try and get to the reality of the shortbread tin highland wear. Most of our "rules" are from 1780's England so I try to figure out from there.

The fashion of the time was trying to formalize what Rob Roy's wearing in the picture. (I know it's whatisname, Aslan, but he did a good job so I buy it.)

People simply wouldn't have carried that much.

Riverkilts post is something to keep in mind. Nobody gives the thickness of the sporran, I got burned on ebay on that. (No bad feedback, he never said, I didn't ask, there you go.)

Something you might be interested in, and it has come up before in other threads and kilts. My army surplus kilt has a large pocket sown in to the kilt under the apron (not on the back of the apron). I'm thinking it would have been for a paybook but I think it's actually more recent than that. I don't know when the Canadian Forces stopped using paybooks but the kilt may have been copied from earlier British models. Anyway, it's a good place to keep tickets and programs, although it does scare people when I reach for them.

[mkmound]

. . .

An alternative to the strap would be the "sporran hangers" offered by several retailers. The pair in that link are from Ocononee Leather which is, of course, run by our very own Cavscout.

I have a set of these and swear by them - I highly suggest them as they make removing and putting on the Sporran a very easy task. That and not having to deal with the chain makes them well worth the money.

The only drawback I have thus far discovered, is that if you have a heavy sporran, and/or tend to carry a lot in your sporran, they have a tendency to pull my belt down in the front and I find myself hiking up my belt a bit more than normal.

There is another drawback . . . if you indulge in Scottish Country Dance, Highland Dance, or other vigorous activities with up-and-down motion / jumping, the sporran has a tendency to swing more than if it's on a strap! OUCH!!!

[MacWage]

BADASS!

The Rob Roy "look" could EASILY be achieved using Cavscout's belt and belt strap (mentioned above), as well as one of Freelander's or Turpin's sporrans.

[turpin]

I suggest the "popcorn" rating for sporrans. The site selling a sporran fills it with un-popped popcorn and then publishes the weight of the popcorn the sporran can hold. The second question would be can a softball easily fit into the opening of the sporran. If a softball will fit in the opening then most hands, with something in it, will also fit.

Low cost test and if everyone uses it it would be comparable.

Would that be fast-pitch or diaper ball?

[obuchiteck]

The Rob Roy "look" could EASILY be achieved using Cavscout's belt and belt strap (mentioned above), as well as one of Freelander's or Turpin's sporrans.

Uhg.. Well I don’t have to worry to much about room for money in my sporran. You all are getting me Jonesing for more stuff to buy making me quite poor.

[Big Paul]

Uhg.. Well I don’t have to worry to much about room for money in my sporran. You all are getting me Jonesing for more stuff to buy making me quite poor.

That is a problem most of us have!!

[12stones]

Okay, to revive this...what are the rules on no sporran v. sporran, day sporran v. semi-formal sporran, before 6pm (tradition?) and after?

Thanks in advance for the help.