tartan casual kilt: no belt no sporran?

[beloitpiper]

I'm with everyone else..sporran required.

the only times I don't wear a sporran is when there is obvious risk of it getting ruined, such as serious backpacking, swimming, soccer, or other such rigorous activities.

Yeah, that's true. When I play rugby, I don't wear a sporran. That's the only time I don't, though.

[Juggalotus]

I
the only times I don't wear a sporran is when there is obvious risk of it getting ruined, such as serious backpacking, swimming, soccer, or other such rigorous activities.

I would think that not wearing a sporran while playing soccer wouldn't be so much for protection of the sporran as for protection of the area under the sporran. But that might just be me.

I've got my first kilt coming to me from Alan H. I'll probably just wear it around the house until I get a sporran ordered. I couldn't imagine going somewhere without a wallet and keys and there's no where for that without the sporran. And even if you're a minimalist type person, its always good carry at least your ID on you, just in case.

[Blu (Ontario)]

.... but it makes it clear to people that you're wearing a kilt and not a skirt.

.... or at least that's the assumption many men make. There's no doubt in my mind that this is the primary reason guys wear sporrans. Most of them make a dang poor pocket. However, the sporran is a way to dress things up a bit.

I've given up on them for casual wear for the most part. I've never encountered any negative reactions to the lack of a sporran. And the kilt is a lot more comfortable without it that's for sure. I sometimes will wear one with a kilt jacket and tie to dress it up a bit, but not always.

As for the belt, I pretty much always wear one except with a dress sporran because the buckle scratches against the cantle.

[gilmore]

Would you go out without a sporran and without a belt?

Sure, especially if I am wearing a jacket with enough pockets to carry everything I need, a sporran is not at all necessary. You can even put a slim wallet , a cell phone, etc, in your kilt hose and leave your even more superfluous sgian dubh at home.

A sporran is hardly required. If you look at many photos of 19th and early 20th century soldiers, you will see quite a few wearing no sporran. The idea that one is de rigueur, that one isn't properly dressed without one, is, I suspect, a notion foisted on the public by the merchants who depend on our trade, as was clan tartans in the 19th century.

I really don't feel the need to proclaim to the world that I am wearing a kilt instead of a skirt by having this unnecessary accessory. I am 6 feet tall and have a very deep voice. If some one mistakes me for the ugliest transvestite they have ever seen, it wouldn't bother me.

As for a belt, a properly made kilt, even a Sport Kilt, should fit quite snugly on its own. In fact, a belt should not be worn with one through belt loops, since it will eventually cause the kilt to hang wrong. The belt is purely decorative.

[Caradoc]

Sure, especially if I am wearing a jacket with enough pockets to carry everything I need, a sporran is not at all necessary. You can even put a slim wallet , a cell phone, etc, in your kilt hose and leave your equally superfulous sgian dubh at home.

I rarely get to wear a jacket - I live in Arizona. Also, stuffing things into your hose doesn't work well if you're doing the boots and scrunched socks thing.

The comments about sporrans not carrying much are exactly why I don't buy sporrans via mail order - I like to make sure that I can at the very least get one hand entirely into the sporran.

That insures that I can fit the wallet, keys, and a couple of other items into it.

The cell phone doesn't go in the sporran anyway - I generally leave it on silent/vibrate, and that's just a bit shocking if it's in the sporran. So, it goes in a separate pouch/holster on the belt over on a hip. :rolleyes:

[neo71665]

I'm with everyone else..sporran required.

the only times I don't wear a sporran is when there is obvious risk of it getting ruined, such as serious backpacking, swimming, soccer, or other such rigorous activities.

Swim often kilted do ye?

[Blu (Ontario)]

.... a sporran is not at all necessary.... If you look at many photos of many 19th and early 20th century soldiers, you will see quite a few wearing no sporran. The idea that one is de rigeur... I really don't feel the need to proclaim to the world that I am wearing a kilt instead of a skirt by having this unnecessary accessory.... The belt is purely decorative.

Intelligent, logical, pragmatic, and correct.

On the other hand, if these accessories give someone the confidence boost needed to wear a kilt in public, then they are serving a useful function.

.

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Hmmh, this, like many decisions/issues facing a kilt wearer is very much a personal decision. Someone suggested that wearing a sporran insured that other people knew you were wearing a kilt and not a skirt. I would suggest that if they know that a sporran is typically worn with a kilt, they already recognize what you are wearing as a kilt, and if not, the sporran won't make any difference.

I will often head out of the house without a sporran, although I always (I think) wear a belt. Lets run through what I carry in that situation. I have to have a wallet (ID, money, family pictures, etc.), cell phone, and I have to have my car keys. That is a bare minimum for leaving the house, even when I am taking my morning bike ride!

So, if I don't wear a sporran, how does it work out? Well, cell phone clipped to the belt or kilt waistband, keys (I have a remote door opener) shoved into the belt/waistband next to the cell phone, and the wallet (a standard single fold type), is placed on the belt/waistband at the small of my back. It fits perfectly, will not get lost, and nobody will consider taking it away!

Just my approach. You can also stitch a small square of fabric to the underapron and make a holster for your wallet, keys, etc..

[Canadian_Kilt]

I'm not sure I'd wear a kilt without a sporran .. or a belt. I think it's more because I don't really like the look of a bare kilt - I think the sporran and belt really put the whole package together.

[Jimmy the Celt]

I'm not sure I'd wear a kilt without a sporran .. or a belt. I think it's more because I don't really like the look of a bare kilt - I think the sporran and belt really put the whole package together.

I tend to agree with that--I would feel a bit strange without the sporran, as if I had forgotten something. I have a Buzz Kidder Rob Roy sporran that is plenty large for a wallet, keys, cell, and a few other things [I once got two pipes and a small pouch of tobacco, pipe tool and lighter to fit in with the neccessary items].

There are functional sporrans out there. The SWK Nightstalker and Freelander sporrans are great examples of large capacity, practical accessories.

~James