Sporran Straps: Leather vs Chain?

[OC Richard]

GENERALLY speaking, if you get a quality sporran, it should come with a quality flat link chain and there should be no burrs to snag the kilt.

I'm with Rocky. Traditional chain straps by legitimate makers are smooth as glass and couldn't abrade anything.

Trouble is, the market is now flooded with improperly made stuff. Many of the cheap straps (both leather, and chain) have sharp edges that poke the kilt. Many of the cheap sporrans themselves have sharp edges on the back.

In any case, I'm in the leather strap camp. One reason is practical: when standing relieving the call of nature the sporran can be slid to the side. Oftentimes this is more difficult with a chain strap.

The downside is that the sporran can work itself to one side while walking.

Interesting how chain straps have evolved over the years. Back 100 years ago the long-link style was very popular. When I started kiltwearing in the 70s everyone sold the dog-chain style. More recently big ornate chains have become popular, especially with pipe bands. I don't care for this trend myself, and I wear a long-link one when I do wear a chain.