In need of immediate sporran loan in Chicago

**KnittedReenactor** · 23rd October 21, 05:38 PM

Dear friends and fellow kiltees, I am making the weirdest most short notice request I probably will ever make here:
I have a gala event tomorrow morning (Oct 24) in Chicago and have a drastic need for a horsehair (or proper dress) sporran to wear with an official uniform. This came up on short notice and the post office left me flat with my purchase stuck in Oregon.
If anyone is able and willing to loan/rent me an appropriate sporran on such extreme short notice, please reply with the swiftest speed. I can come to you and pay/leave collateral to guarentee its safe return.

**Recon1342** · 24th October 21, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by KnittedReenactor

Dear friends and fellow kiltees, I am making the weirdest most short notice request I probably will ever make here:
I have a gala event tomorrow morning (Oct 24) in Chicago and have a drastic need for a horsehair (or proper dress) sporran to wear with an official uniform. This came up on short notice and the post office left me flat with my purchase stuck in Oregon.
If anyone is able and willing to loan/rent me an appropriate sporran on such extreme short notice, please reply with the swiftest speed. I can come to you and pay/leave collateral to guarentee its safe return.

Did you have any luck? How did it go?

**KnittedReenactor** · 24th October 21, 11:16 PM

Sadly I had zero luck finding a loaner sporran. Simply too little notice. I was able to use my leather sporran during the morning's mass, but had to switch to full dress blues with trousers for evening.
Disappointed with being unable to wear my kilt all day. I did look good in the blues though.

**Jock Scot** · 25th October 21, 03:28 AM

I am not suggesting that everyone should do this, but I have worn my black day sporran(my only one) to formal evening events without comment for some 40 years. Why? Although I am a shooting man, I really do not like sporrans with hair on. My friends have got used to it by now and those who don't know me, can think what they think. I have never been brought to task over doing so, although for the first year or so, I did expect comment from strangers. My friends knew of my misgivings over fur/hair sporrans and held their council. Anyway, I don't have the puff for formal and energetic evening do's these days, but I do still dress for dinner quite often and the black leather sporran suits me just fine and should a formal wedding invitation arrive, then the black sporran will be worn as usual.

**OC Richard** · 25th October 21, 04:11 AM

So sorry I'm not in the Chicago area! I would have offered a sporran. I've done it before here in Southern California a couple times: a Groom on the eve of his wedding, a piper on his way to a performance.

Others have done it for me! I had driven an hour to get to a performance only to find I'd left my kilt at home. A friend loaned me a kilt at a moment's notice.

Personally I probably would have done what Jock mentioned and just worn whatever sporran I had.

It's funny in the piping world how quite often pipers are over-sporraned for whatever outfit they're wearing (they've been doing that for a century) but from time to time pipers get caught out for a performance and have to wear whatever sporran they have to hand.

Here are two prominent pipers who were spotted wearing the wrong sporran, and in the case of the gent on the left his socks and shoes as well!

**McMurdo** · 25th October 21, 06:37 AM

Originally Posted by Jock Scot

I am not suggesting that everyone should do this, but I have worn my black day sporran(my only one) to formal evening events without comment for some 40 years. Why? Although I am a shooting man, I really do not like sporrans with hair on. My friends have got used to it by now and those who don't know me, can think what they think. I have never been brought to task over doing so, although for the first year or so, I did expect comment from strangers. My friends knew of my misgivings over fur/hair sporrans and held their council. Anyway, I don't have the puff for formal and energetic evening do's these days, but I do still dress for dinner quite often and the black leather sporran suits me just fine and should a formal wedding invitation arrive, then the black sporran will be worn as usual.

My dad has had one sporran for his entire life. He shakes his head at my collection of sporrans. He gave me his sporran and kilt when the kilt shrunk in the closet as they do and now if he needs one, which is rare, he would either borrow one from me or rent one. I did lend him a sgian dubh that he decided to keep as it is a functional knife. He said I'd get it back in his will and hope I don't see it for some time yet.

**OC Richard** · 25th October 21, 03:32 PM

Originally Posted by McMurdo

My dad has had one sporran for his entire life. He shakes his head at my collection of sporrans. He gave me his sporran and kilt when the kilt shrunk in the closet as they do and now if he needs one, which is rare, he would either borrow one from me or rent one.

That brings back fond memories of my dad!

He was dismayed when, in the late 1970s, I began putting kilt outfits together (Day, Evening, Full Dress) and said it reminded him of all the outfits my sisters had for their Barbie dolls!

He never owned a kilt and on the few occasions he wore one would borrow one of mine.