Sporran pickpocketing?

[Màrtainn]

After my first night out in a kilt – with sporran – in sometimes very crowded bars, I couldn't help wondering how safe those sporrans in regard to pickpocketing.
My sporran is only closed with one, easy to open snap button, and it was open half the time, whenever I was using my wallet, change purse or – most likely – my smartphone. On one hand, I'd say that makes it pretty vulnerable, on the other hand, who would dare to pick to pick something in such a sensitive area?

Did anyone of the rabble ever had their sporran picked?
Or simply snatched off by a thief?

[Chas]

One of the Mods - Alex - was once a victim, but I have never heard of anyone else having their sporran picked.

Regards

Chas

[Tobus]

I personally don't worry about ever being pick-pocketed (pick-sporraned?). My sense of personal space precludes me from putting myself into situations where people are bumping or rubbing up against me. I shudder at the very thought. So there's just no way anyone could actually open my sporran - much less reach in there and grab anything - without my knowing it. Certainly a sporran is a much more secure method of carrying items than a pocket.

[artificer]

Some old brass cantle sporrans had intricate steps required to open the latch. You might have to slide one knob while pulling another to open it. Another had FOUR concealed pistols which would go off if the order of opening wasn't correct! (I don't think I'd want that anywhere near my front apron, thank you)

Historically it must have been an issue, but I'll bet that drink was a big factory in many of these theft. I'm with Tobus here, anyone near enough to me to actually get a hand into my sporran is going to be setting off plenty of alarms anyway.

I personally don't worry about ever being pick-pocketed (pick-sporraned?). My sense of personal space precludes me from putting myself into situations where people are bumping or rubbing up against me. I shudder at the very thought. So there's just no way anyone could actually open my sporran - much less reach in there and grab anything - without my knowing it. Certainly a sporran is a much more secure method of carrying items than a pocket.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

ith:

[McClef]

Perhaps we need a new word like Picksporran.

I know that Alex has been a victim but compared with pickpocketing it must be relatively rare proportionately speaking.

The most notorious area for pickpocketing in Barcelona is Las Ramblas and I walked up and down it kilted and with a pin lock sporran without incident. It could be that this is a more secure design than some or the shock value of being too obviously a tourist to have a novelty value I do not know. Just to make sure I only carried a limited amount of cash and only one card in it though.

[Jimmy]

I think the sporran is about the safest place to keep money, cards, camera etc.
Several years ago I was in Bucharest with the Tartan Army watching Scotland play, nearly every non-kilted person was subject to pickpockets, the poverty there was dire and pickpocketing tourists was literally one of the few occupations opened to its residents.
None of my kilted friends lost anything

[Piipriker]

I think the sporran is about the safest place to keep money, cards, camera etc.

Basically I'm with you. But now show me the sporran that holds a DSLR with battery grip and a 70-300mm Telezoom

[ForresterModern]

Sporrans are unfortunately potentially easy prey for a particular type of thief known in the old days as a "cut-purse", who would put one hand on the belt pouch/purse of the victim and then with the other use a sharp knife to either surrepticiously or openly cut the belt loop (sporran strap) and then make off with the whole pouch/sporran/purse to assess their booty somewhere they considered safe. A variant of this would be the cut-purse who actually cut the body of the purse/belt pouch itself allowing the contents (typically metal coins in the old days) to fall out of the pouch and into their waiting hand whence they would slip away into the crowd like your usual pickpocket.

Most of my sporrans are a bit of a nuisance to get into and thus not prone to the simple walk up, open your sporran, grab and go approach to theft while kilted. Depending on which sporran I am wearing and whether I am wearing a jacket/vest with pockets available for easy access items, I may at times wear a small black or brown belt pouch closely attached to my belt. The brown one has a rather intricate closure mechanism that even I have trouble getting into and out of, while the black one has a simple snap closure which could be opened by a would be pickpocket in a jostling crowd situation that they typically like to work in. I carry usually a small sporran wallet with just a few dollars and one credit card there, and possibly sometimes other items of value such as my cell or items of no real value such as eye drops, medication, or Chapstick.

I guess the guy I would fear most would be one with a sharp enough knife to cut through the leather parts of a sporran strap or chain (probably hard to do with sporran hangers being that there are two of them and they are right in front of your private areas) and make off with the whole sporran at a clip that the surprised kiltie might not be able to catch.

A potential problem, but one I doubt most modern day thieves would anticipate needing on a daily basis. Purse snatching seem far easier, even if one must cut the purse strap to get away with it. Hence the reason travelling women are taught to wear their purse straps across their whole body instead of simply slung over one shoulder, although this does not negate te thief who would cut the purse strap itself. Some women's purses specifically designed for travel actually have a steel cable wire sewn into the strap just to prevent the modern day cut-purse who would cut the woman's purse strap and then grab and go.

An interesting topic, maybe our resident sporran makers could chime in about potential design changes to combat this potential menace. I see Scott allready has.

jeff

[artificer]

Jeff,
There are several big differences between a purse strap and a sporran strap that a cut-purse would have to contend with.

1) The strap material and size. Sporran straps tend to be veg-tanned leather and fairly sturdy. Many women's purses have very thin straps, and almost all of them are soft, chrome-tanned leather. You'd need a VERY sharp knife and a very sturdy grip on a sporran strap to cut through it. In fact if I were to attempt it I'd probably use an EMT shears instead of a knife.

2) The position of a sporran strap and how it's worn. Being right around the waist and snug against the body would make it awfully difficult to fish a hand underneath it to cut through the strap.

3) belt loops. Many people either wear their strap through the kilt's belt loops or some apparently tuck their strap under their belt (which I don't fully understand). So even if the strap is cut, if it's not cut on the proper side there will be an issue of the sporran or buckle potentially catching.

These are the issues that jump immediately to mind for the strap-cutters out there.
As far as actually SLICING the bottom of the sporran open, if someone's anywhere near my crotch with a knife he's asking for a knee to the face, so I wouldn't be too worried about that situation.

ith:

[creagdhubh]

Interesting question. I think most people wouldn't dare to touch my Kate Macpherson animal-mask sporrans for fear of getting biten by a pine marten, badger, or otter!

Cheers,