Leather sporran strap etiquette

[Guiness gets my Irish up]

I am making my own leather sporran strap. I am using a length of heavy harness leather and a Conway buckle to eliminate moving parts and sharp edges. I also plan to run the strap through the back of the sporran to eliminate the metal clips and D-rings altogether. My question (silly as it may sound to some) is not about the construction, but rather about how the strap is generally worn. Should the buckle be worn in the back, or should it be placed up front behind the sporran itself to conceal it, or perhaps positioned somewhere on the wearer's side to provide access for donning/doffing?

[OC Richard]

I don't think anyone has ever really considered the position of the buckle.

One just buckles the strap while getting dressed, and goes on with one's day.

For me, perhaps because I'm righthanded, the buckle ends up being on my right side.

As with lacing Ghillie brogues, it's fitting to keep in mind that Highland Dress is clothing, not costume.

It's not all that often that the buckle can be seen, one such is in The Highlanders of Scotland (1860s) with the gent on the right.

[Father Bill]

I've always stuck it at the back. Be sure that the leather stain is a fast and solid one.

[McMurdo]

I have tried it at the back, the side and the front. I prefer leaving it at the back it's simple and keeps the sporran where it ought to be.

[Guiness gets my Irish up]

As with lacing Ghillie brogues, it's fitting to keep in mind that Highland Dress is clothing, not costume.

Amen. I live in the very Deep South where a "good" pair of blue jeans (ones without holes or excessive fading) would probably pass for formal attire at most social gatherings. People wearing kilts are not seen here every day (hardly ever, really). I try to make sure that I'm "doing it right" so that folks don't confuse the way that I choose to dress with someone parading around in costume.

[Tobus]

I like Conway buckles for sporran straps too, for simplicity of buckling/adjusting as well as the way they lay fairly flat. And I too prefer to just have it run through the loops on the back of the sporran rather than using any sort of termination points with clips at the sporran. That way, the sporran strap is essentially just a one-piece narrow belt.

I usually buckle mine up and make the adjustments on my right hip, then rotate the whole thing around so the buckle is in the back.

[OC Richard]

Maybe it's because my kilts don't have belt loops (I order them that way) or because I'm too lazy to reach all the way around to the middle of my backside, or the fact that I can't see what I'm doing back there, but I've always buckled the strap on my right side, just as the kilt itself buckles there.

[Tobus]

Maybe it's because my kilts don't have belt loops (I order them that way) or because I'm too lazy to reach all the way around to the middle of my backside, or the fact that I can't see what I'm doing back there, but I've always buckled the strap on my right side, just as the kilt itself buckles there.

Indeed it's just a matter of preference, especially if one is wearing a jacket that covers up the strap. I wear mine in the back whether my kilt has belt loops or not (some of them don't). And again, I don't fumble with buckling it at the back - I buckle it on the side and then turn it. In some ways, it does make sense to have it on the right side with the kilt buckle(s). I have no real reason why I put it at the rear except that it seems centered that way, and perhaps I just don't want more bulk on my right hip. But I may try it your way and see how I like it.

I will admit that for my sporrans that have chains that clip to the cantle, the sporran has to buckle in the back. And it's not easy to do when I can't see back there!

[tripleblessed]

I've always buckled in front for visual access, then turned the belt and sporran to the front, buckle in back between but not through the belt loops. No identifiable reason, but it works well
in what passes as my mind.

[Guiness gets my Irish up]

I dress casually most of the time, and I only wear a jacket as Louisiana weather allows, so the sporran strap will almost always be exposed. My sporran chain buckles in the back (that's a no-brainer.) Donning a leather strap on the dominant hip and rotating the buckle to the rear seems to be a pretty natural progression. I had considered leaving the buckle on the right hip for ease of access but couldn't help thinking that a matching buckle on the left hip would be necessary for the sake of symmetry. On the other hand, buckle on the dominant hip rotated forward (behind the sporran) to hide it, seems to offer a "clean" option that wouldn't affect symmetry or snag on upholstery. Thanks for the responses!