What's the story on the huge hairy sporrans

[Mike_Oettle]

The one thing about big, hairy sporrans that I have reservations about is that, according to what I have read, many of the traditional ones had no pocket space.
It is good to know that nowadays they generally include a spacious pouch. Without storage capacity, any sporran is a pointless decoration.
Regards,
Mike

[beerbecue]

I like bringing back a tad of the panache of the old days. Besides looking great, this sporran is extremely roomy.



In this I'm just following my piping forefathers... here are some Kilberry pipers back in the day...

Truly beautiful sporran. This is timeless and classic on all accounts.

[JSFMACLJR]

I've always liked hair sporrans. I had one made several years ago. It is a treasure.

[davidlpope]

I've always liked hair sporrans. I had one made several years ago. It is a treasure.

Really wonderful, Sandy.

[CopperNGold]

I like mask sporans as long as they are not TOO realistic (snarling open mouth type). Long horse hair sporrans have me intrigued as there are many I think look absolutley stunning, and they look most natural on a piper in full regalia. Of the hores haire sporrans I have personally viewed in hand (mostly military or military style) I have come to the conclusion that they are almost purely decoration as they have no or little actual storage space designed into them. Some more modern sporran makers have altered this to actually make them useful as a carrying device, but then a loaded hair sporran would deform the drape of the hair itself defeating part of the purpose I guess.

I still think that for most of them, particularly the darker versions, you only need to add a pair of dark "cheap" sunglasses and, voila', you have a full mask ZZ Topp sporran.

My personal favorites among the horsehair sporrans are those that are neither pure white or pure black with contrasting tassels, but rather those of a middle grey or grey-tan that are less of a striking color clash and more subtle in their appearence. I think Matt displayed one in a recent thread that I was particularly envious of.

jeff

They *do* remind me of ZZ Top now that you mention it!

I might like to see the long and hairy sporran framed in a shadowbox and put up on a wall as decoration, for that is what it is. It just feels too over the top for me, and I always wonder if the gentleman is wearing the sporran or the sporran is wearing the gentleman.

The full-mask sporrans remind me of my grandmother's daytime mink stoles, with the full mink head peeking out from one shoulder and the tiny feet dangling from the opposite side. Eek! Those things used to scare me to death as a child! I don't think I've recovered from that spectacle yet!

Sorry, gents, no hairy or full-mask sporrans are liked by this lass!

[creagdhubh]

Marvelous looking sporrans gents! I am indeed fond of the look, and plan on commissioning Kate Macpherson to complete a bespoke goat hair sporran, in white goat hair, no tassels, bespoke hallmarked silver cantle from Ian Grant of Edinburgh, and smooth, black bridle leather back - with no pocket. I can't wait to get the commissioning process going on that one!

I have always seen the sporran molach (hair sporran) as a purely decorative centerpiece for Highland evening attire, with really no need for a pocket. At most formal occassions I attend, especially in Badenoch, and whilst wearing Highland dress, I am dancing so much the sporran is turned to my right hip - not to mention it woul dmost certainly weigh a wee bit more if I had car keys, wallet, etc stuffed into it. To hold my valuables (i.e. - credit card, debit card, business card(s), cash, etc), I prefer to use a slim, black leather card case (which is a companion piece to my bifold - same collection), placed into my inner doublet pocket, or even my waistcoat pocket, which no doubt eliminates the superfluous use of a hair sporran rear pocket. Just my opinion, mates.

Cheers,

[pugcasso]

I like some of the sporrans here quite a bit ... my favourites tend to be the ones which don't look neatly cut across the bottom .


I think the long-haired sporrans match better with more elaborate outfits like pipers in full dress where the large sporran doesn't stand out so much. Worn with simpler more casual attire they seem to stand out too much to me.


Hmm, I wonder what the longest hair sporran is (is their a Guinness record?). Maybe owned by the tallest kilt wearing (what was Angus MacAskill's sporran like, if he had one)

[Downunder Kilt]

There is a photo around the forum somewhere of John Brown wearing a whopper of a hair sporran that I think would be up there with the longest, hairiest one.

[Downunder Kilt]

Manage to find these two of John Brown

[McMurdo]

Kenneth McLeay should get a nod as well