ring belt?

[Robin]

Maybe a silly question, but why on earth are these belts so rediculously long?

[Mr. MacDougall]

Maybe a silly question, but why on earth are these belts so rediculously long?

Because that's the style among the Ren Faire crowd. There's a popular belief that our ancestors wore them that way, though to the best of my knowledge, it's undocumented.

Oh, and do look around that site... they have some very nice stuff, though the belts are a little silly.

[Sir Robert]

I saw a beautiful hand full of buckles from a middle ages archaelogical dig. Little buckles, big buckles, plain, fancy, every material, brass, bronze, copper, iron, tin, but nowhere was there a ring with out a tounge. Look at my avatar for a typical example.

[Tukaram]

My belt has a regular buckle (but large/round) but ties and hangs down like the ring belt. It may be a bit Faire'ish but I like the look. I really don't like the standard kilt belt/buckle personally. Since I wear the kilt for me, I wear what I like.

It may not be kosher for something like a formal, kilted wedding but I've never been to one (and probably won't be anytime soon)

[escherblacksmith]

I have done the ring belt on a great kilt. Didn't like it one bit.

If nothing else, the extra belt length hangs funny with the kilt.

of course, these days I wear a 4" belt with my kilt, which would necessitate a HUGE ring.

[Knocko]

If nothing else, the extra belt length hangs funny with the kilt.

With my great kilt, I use the ring belt to hold up my sporran, and I have the extra length going along my apron edge...that way it serves as something to hold it down, instead of a kilt pin. I don't have any problems with it there as it goes down my thigh.

To the gentleman whom asked about the length, and the subsequent response; it was explained to me, regardless of historical accuracy, that it is purely a status thing at Ren Faires. The longer the belt, the more money you had (or the more well-off you were), as that much more leather would cost a pretty penny more than a shorter length.

[Brasilikilt]

I use something very similar to this

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/p...umber=12331-01

I think this is a very versatile design which might not be the most historically accurate, but looks appropriate with every thing from Rennaisance to Mid-1800's Mountain man era.

Hope this helps

[JRB]

With my great kilt, I use the ring belt to hold up my sporran...

I use a ring belt as a sporran strap with my belted plaid too. I also hang my dirk and (sometimes) a leather jack from it. IMO, it's too much of a pain in the a$$ to belt my plaid with all that stuff hanging off it. I just use a wide belt similar to what Brasilikilt uses to don my kilt, then I put on my ring belt along with the other stuff. I hated the long tail on my ring belt, and cut it off so that it only hangs a few inches down from the ring. I also slide the ring buckle around my waist so it can't be seen.

[Woodsheal]

The ring belt is what's known in the hobby as a "reenactorism" : an anachronism that's been used for so long by reenactors that it's accepted as historically correct... but ain't. There are many examples...!

[furrycelt]

i use a ring belt for holding up my sporran when i am dressing modern and casual. for my historical great kilt, my sporran hangs from the main belt that holds my great kilt together. ring belts slip too much for anything important as keeping your great kilt about you.