View Full Version : Method of Carry
No this is not a workshop on to how to create telekenetic powers in teenage girls :knifecut: :nono:
I noticed some very varied and unusual carry methods for knife sheaths at the meet up .. For instance there were a few armpit carriers, Stuart was horizontal (or at least his knife was :wink: ) what's your prefered carry method and why and what benefits do you see in the method of carry?
I used to utilize the neck carry but I find that most knives are too heavy for that kind of carry and then went for the over the shoulder baldrick. However, in that configuration the knife is free to move about a lot.
What I now do is take a length of paracord twice the distance from my nose to fingertips and knot it into a loop. Then thread the sheath onto it and put the knife in my left armpit and take the loop over the left shoulder, cross if over on the back and put my right arm through the loop. it sounds confusing but in reality it isn't. Not perfect but a good compromise.
Yep, Adi, I noticed that one at the meetup and it is one of the reasons I asked the question ..... what benefit do you believe this has over a more traditional belt carry?
I find that the knife is easier to reach and withdraw/replace in that configuration. Also, I find belt carry makes sitting/moving more difficult. I also think it's more discreet.
I do like the idea of a horizontal sheath on a belt ... which I will be experimenting with shortly!
I like the idea of a horizontal sheath on a belt. i just wish there were more sheaths offered out there in this style.
:wink: You'll occasionally find there's a reason i ask such questions :naughty:
:wink: You'll occasionally find there's a reason i ask such questions :naughty:
Heh heh heh! And that reason is ....:wink:
14sqft of 8oz veg tanned :o):
14sqft of 8oz veg tanned :o):
:rolmao:
TheViking
04-09-2004, 15:37
Hi...
I carry my knives in the normal belt method, no matter the size. But in public areas, when traveling, I find it best to pack it in the rucksack. :wink:
Horizontal carry is one of my favorites. It stays out of the way when you sit and is always ready at the cross draw.
http://photos.imageevent.com/boynhisdog/realthings/Dozier3.jpg
Also a horizontal sheath turns into the perfect upside down vertical sheath for pack strap carry when on the move.
http://photos.imageevent.com/boynhisdog/companion/Clip1640.jpg
very nice use of the kydex glen .. like that open belt clip
Nightfall
04-09-2004, 16:14
When in the woods I usually where my knife around the neck. Usually inside the shirt.I know that its there,and it dont flop around.In town I put it in my pack. The only knife that I wear on the belt would be my kukare.[spelled it wrong] Glen,is that a Dozer knife you are wearing?
14sqft of 8oz veg tanned
:lol:
I like the idea of wearing it round the neck (or rather i did like the idea :roll: ) but i found the WS micarta to big for that kind of thing. So belt wear was best. I find a good way of keeping it discreet is to tuck the knife into your pocket while around your belt. I was suprised to see Ray Mears was doing this in the Arizona Desert. Its better to put it into your back pocket, but it makes it slightly uncomfortable while sitting down.
Baldrick is another alternative but it does move around a lot. What i plan is to replace the WS Micarta and then order the bison Bushcraft, i could see myself wearing one of those around my neck.
Cheers,
Jake
The main reason I want to play with kydex is because by designing my own sheath, while it might be rough :o): , will make me think more about carry and hopefully I will come up with something usable. Dunno though, still waiting for inspiration! :rolmao:
a small mora fitrs into my pocket quite well. I also like a belt carry with some sort of strap so that it can bend though this does tend to make taking the knife out a bit more tricky. I don't like horizontal carry as I tend to have a pack on and it gets in the way of a hip belt
a small mora fitrs into my pocket quite well. I also like a belt carry with some sort of strap so that it can bend though this does tend to make taking the knife out a bit more tricky. I don't like horizontal carry as I tend to have a pack on and it gets in the way of a hip belt
I agree with you about the hip belt and I feel a little bit uncomfortable strapping the knife to the backpack in case I get separated from it.
Glen,is that a Dozer knife you are wearing?
Yes, and the knives pictured above are actually two different Doziers. One is the Companion and one is the A G Russel Personal Utility. I really like his sheaths.
I don't like horizontal carry as I tend to have a pack on and it gets in the way of a hip belt
Not necessarily. I carry the Mountainsmith Wraith for a daypack these days and there are attachment points right on the hip belt if you don't want to carry the knife on the shoulder strap.
http://photos.imageevent.com/boynhisdog/realthings/DW5.jpg
Now this sheath is open on one side with a sort of C clip and while it is very secure it comes off in seconds when you want it to and goes on your trouser belt when not on your pack's hip belt or shoulder strap. I really like the choices it gives. I have literally crawled through thick brush on my belly and the knife stayed very secure.
Also those grommets are open so I have laced lanyard through and carried it as a necker at times.
14sqft of 8oz veg tanned :o):
Really may I ask where you get that from? I've just picked up The Leather Working Handbook by Valerie Michael and need some veg tat to get started with.
Cheers
Paul
bushwacker bob
05-09-2004, 01:23
Adi, from your description sounds like a string shoulder holster.I thought about that one before as they makem out of that lightweight cordura for mobile phones and the rigging could be adapted with the addition of kydex or Leather(SIMON) :lol:
ChrisKavanaugh
05-09-2004, 02:04
I'm fond of the Scandinavian deep scabbards with the leather loop on a swivel. I wear this crossdraw on my belt. It naturally twists out of the way if I sit. This also makes for a good draw. I grip the scabbard with my left hand and pull it sideways as I grab the hilt with my right. I also have a small knife on a neck carry. On horseback I look rather dangerous with a blade stuck in my boot top. The last thing anyone wants in case of a fall or sudden manuever is a belt and anything hanging on it. I saw a western barrel rider with one of those rediculous hubcap sized trophy buckles lacerate her liver on one. Another falling rider who bruised a kidney landing on a huge bowie convinced me to find another carry.
bushwacker bob
05-09-2004, 02:15
:o): at my age falling off a horse hurts regardless! But I'd never considered those injuries.Those huge buckles are very uncomfortable when you sit down so why they're belt of choice for cowboys is beyond me. Damned fashion victims :rolmao:
Really may I ask where you get that from? I've just picked up The Leather Working Handbook by Valerie Michael and need some veg tat to get started with.
Cheers
Paul
Paul, got mine from the identity store
http://www.pearcetandy.com/store/index.htm
can also get from
http://www.leprevo.co.uk/
there's also a leatherwork section on british blades with tons of info ... that book looks good .. I've got it on my Amazon wish list .. you've missed my birthday though ;)
that book looks good ..
It is :D
Al Stohlman's Hand Stitching Leather is another must-have IMO.
No-one has done one on Kydex yet, have they?
ANDYLASER
05-09-2004, 14:16
I would like to see a belt sheath, but with the loop halfway down the back of the sheath. And mounted at a 45 degree angle. This would keep the knife out the way when sitting and allow for an easy cross draw.
I would like to see a belt sheath, but with the loop halfway down the back of the sheath. And mounted at a 45 degree angle. This would keep the knife out the way when sitting and allow for an easy cross draw.
I've seen one of those somewhere.
I'll have to go have a search for it now....
:roll:
Mike Stewart
05-09-2004, 15:25
The Method of carry for me varies with the knife and the activity.
When Hunting Deer or Bear My knife( usually a small knife) is in it's sheath and the whole thing is in my hunting Jacket pocket. I like to still hunt. That is a combination of stalking into the wind while following track and waiting along known runs for your quarry. I don't like anything on my belt because I sometimes have to move through very heavy cover and don't want to catch anything on all the Secondary growth.
While Camping and Hiking I like my knife( again usually a 4 inch blade) on my belt behind my hip on the right side. I like a high riding sheath that won't interfere with sitting. When worn behing the hip, the knife while be less likely to snag when off trail.
For a larger knife, I like to have it on my pack frame. If I do have it on my belt It would be Crossdraw and If I chose to use a very large knife( Golok, Machete .etc) I would support it Baldric style. I don't like heavy items attached to my belt. When I used to hunt with a handgun I had it either on a seperate waist belt or in a shoulder rig, if it was a large , heavy pistol.
I have never tried to use a neck sheath ,but I will once we have the New North Star Sheaths.
It's very interesting how our combined experiances have influenced our preferences.
Mike........
It's very interesting how our combined experiances have influenced our preferences..
I thought it might be a useful question :wink: .. all in the name of research :lol:
I would like to see a belt sheath, but with the loop halfway down the back of the sheath. And mounted at a 45 degree angle. This would keep the knife out the way when sitting and allow for an easy cross draw.
I knew I had seen one (or 3)!
http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/dannyboy_Gene%5C%27s%20Cross-Draw.jpg
They're by dannyboy over at outdoors-magazine.
Paul, got mine from the identity store
http://www.pearcetandy.com/store/index.htm
can also get from
http://www.leprevo.co.uk/
there's also a leatherwork section on british blades with tons of info ... that book looks good .. I've got it on my Amazon wish list .. you've missed my birthday though ;)
Thanks for that m8 I'm thinking about betting myself on one of Valerie's courses, thanks again
Paul
I knew I had seen one (or 3)!
http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/upload/images/dannyboy_Gene%5C%27s%20Cross-Draw.jpg
They're by dannyboy over at outdoors-magazine.
that set up is cooler than Roald Amundsen's S :censored: T!!!!!!! .. shame i've already put my belt loops on my sheath or i might have gone for that :biggthump
I'm almost tempted to make another one :wink:
Here's the link to the thread about the sheaths if you want to read some more. There's some more pics on there of some similar styles as well. Cross-draw sheaths (http://forums.outdoors-magazine.com/viewtopic.php?t=1239)
For those who are interested in carrying your knife horizontal (or any other weird way), you might want to check out Tek-Lok. I know Fällkniven has these for some of their knives. The bad thing is that you will have to have a kydex sheath that is comatible.
http://kis.net/009/teclock.jpg
You don't *need* a Kydex sheath - leather works too ;)
RovingArcher
06-09-2004, 00:35
I carry my Khukuri cross draw, but my primary I like high and tight just in front of where my right arm naturally hangs the blade rides in the sheath as if for cross draw, but verticle.
Andrew Middleton
06-09-2004, 08:39
I wear my Woodlore Baldrick style, but I have attached a short piece of paracord through the hole in the bottom of the sheath, to which I've attached a mini karabiner. The karabiner is then clipped to my trouser belt loop behind my back. This stops the knife smacking my in the face when I bend down!
What about pocket sheaths for little knives? I carry my little DB three-finger knife in a cargo pocket - unobtrusive, and there when I want it.
My flecktarn trousers have a little knife pocket inside the cargo pocket on the right-hand side, into which the knife and sheath fit perfectly :wink:
I carry my Puuku on the belt via the loop and swivel and place the sheath in my pocket. Nice and secure, easy to get to.
Just wish I could come up with a way of carrying my Opinel. Currently it's carried in a pocket, so I just have to hope like mad the flap doesn't come open.:-(
Anyone got a better way? Or seen a sheath for Opinels?
Kydex neck sheath?
How would you make that? I'm not familiar with the stuff, and as the blade is held within the handle when closed, would you just make a tubular pouch and close with a snap or something?
I have tried a bit diffrent way to carry my knife, a bit of paracord tied to the sheath and then have the sheat in my leg pocket ( not the whole knife) and let the knife and tie the other end to my belt. This way it is always easy to reach but not in the way when carrying a backpack.
How would you make that? I'm not familiar with the stuff, and as the blade is held within the handle when closed, would you just make a tubular pouch and close with a snap or something?
Heat it, wrap it round & whack it in a press. With the Opinels, I'd probably use thin Kydex & wrap around the butt end of the knife, so you get good retention. It would just snap in & stay put, then haul on it & the natural spring of the stuff will allow the knife to be drawn.
Just wish I could come up with a way of carrying my Opinel. Currently it's carried in a pocket, so I just have to hope like mad the flap doesn't come open.:-(
Anyone got a better way? Or seen a sheath for Opinels?
This is a great thread. I like all the different ways that everyone carries and at times use some of them as well. I do carry a Mora on my ruck. It is easy to reach with the pack on and I don't take the ruck off and walk away. I also back it up with some sort of pocket knife. As for the Opie carry. This is my solution.
http://photos.imageevent.com/boynhisdog/illusionsoflife/Clipped.jpg
Glen, that's WAY too smart! Not to mention obvious!
(Guess it just goes to prove, intelligence has no correlation to IQ! Boy do I feel dumb!!!)
I feel a quick workshop session coming on...
Cute! Can't remember - do Benchmade sell those clips still?
(of course, a piece of annealed hacksaw blade, bent and re-treated would work well)
Pete,
That's fine so long as you have a forge Or a brother who has a forge...:wink:
How would those of us not addicted to beating the **** out of red hot metal do this? Could you use a pencil torch?
For small stuff like that, a standard plumbers torch will work. If you've got a soldering mat as well, that will help it get to temperature. Not sure that a pencil torch would have the oomph without some vermiculite bricks or something, but it could be worth a try. Heck, if you can melt silver, you are at around the right temperature... ;)
Well I do melt PMC ( a clay containing silver held in a 'vegetable clay matrix') using a pencil torch. You heat the clay until it burns off and the silver fuses, but that is only for small, pendant sized, articles...
Ah - I thought you were soldering.
Not yet. Still need to get supplies of pickle etc.
Check the labels on some of the more interesting drain cleaners and dilute carefully (water to acid, NOT acid to water). Or just get the proper - safer - stuff from Cookson :D
So that's why I kept getting explosions!:roll:
Sorry, was a scientist for almost 10 years...
Already got an account with Cooksons, just need to sort out an order...
Sorry, was a scientist for almost 10 years...
Yebbut, if anyone *else* was reading...
For use around camp, I like the idea of a sheath designed to ride high behind the right hip with a good forward cant.
High ride will keep it clear of the ground etc when I sit and the cant should makes it more accessible and less restrictive when you bend.
The main issue I see is keeping the sheath at the proper angle to the belt.
In my practical pistol competition days I had a hellweg holster that could carry a full size .45 in just that position but it had spring steel and bolts inside leather to keep it fixed. I reckon that a sheath could usefully adopt the design of the belt tabs from this classic Galco all leather holster.
http://www.usgalco.com/Catalog/large/CONHOL.jpg
Have to try it one day.
Cheers
ANDYLASER
06-09-2004, 19:09
I'm almost tempted to make another one :wink:
YIKES :yikes: Simon is following one of my ideas
The main issue I see is keeping the sheath at the proper angle to the belt. ...
I've seen one like that somewhere, although the belt went around the front of the sheath to keep it tucked in. Wish I could remember where...
I've seen one like that somewhere, although the belt went around the front of the sheath to keep it tucked in. Wish I could remember where...
you mean a high ride knife sheath with a similar tab method? ..... perhaps in Kydex? :wink:
Pete,
That's fine so long as you have a forge Or a brother who has a forge...:wink:
How would those of us not addicted to beating the **** out of red hot metal do this? Could you use a pencil torch?
puuuuuuurty sure Joe sells pocket clips for knives in his knife making section ..
you mean a high ride knife sheath with a similar tab method? ..... perhaps in Kydex? :wink:
Well, true - but in this particular case I was thinking of a pancake-style sheath in leather... Sorry!
Cute! Can't remember - do Benchmade sell those clips still?
(of course, a piece of annealed hacksaw blade, bent and re-treated would work well)
Peter I don't know if you can buy a clip alone from Benchmade. Good question. I took this one off of an old AFCK where I did a modification which went terribly wrong. :shock: It is fun to take an inexpensive Opie into your home shop for some improvments. I did give it a flat place so the clip would seat well as well as the handle and blade shaping you see.
If anyone does have a method for making your own clip with the normal home workshop and tools please post up a tutorial. Shaping, bending and heat treating so the steel will have that good clip like spring to it would be a good project.