[beloitpiper]

I'm a piper and I wear an 18" horse hair sporran while piping at weddings, funerals, etc. Is it common to wear the long sporran while not piping, or should I just wear my semi-formal? Example: Burn's supper. I'm not going to be piping, so should I wear the horse hair (my favorite sporran) or the semi-formal (rabit hair, 3 tassles with clan badge)?

[cavscout]

Personally, I think the horsehair sporrans in a non-military or non-band outfit look odd. For civilian wear the rabbit and leather sporrans look super.

[HeathBar]

see my post below, I had a connection problem.

[HeathBar]

I posted this question some time ago. Basically what it boils down to is that the hair sporrans available today are mostly geared towards pipers, such as yourself. I am talking about the sporrans with the shiny chrome cantles. They are fine when they are worn with a uniform, such as a pipe band, but look out of place in a normal formal setting. However, I am still on the look for one with a plain leather cantle with one or two tassles. Nothing flashy but would look Victorian. I know they are not practicle to wear because of the lack of storage in them, but when worn with the right outfit, it can look like it belongs.

[Hamish]

The white/black horsehair sporran the bottom of which is worn in line with the bottom of the kilt is essentially part of a piper's uniform and, as such, is inappropriate for wear without the rest of the piper's uniform.

Apart from any thing else, the wearing of a casual or otherwise 'civilian' kilt outfit with a piper's sporran looks incongruous, overdressed and, to be honest, ridiculous. I would not touch that combination with a proverbial bargepole, unless I wanted to be mocked by those in the know!!

Sometimes a bit of mixing-and-matching can work - but not in this case. Sorry!