Piggyback custom sheath rig

[Rick Lowe]

Originally made this for Dogwood Dan to carry his Grizzly/Cub combo at the Blade Show. Seems it went over well and Equip2Endure wants to do field testing on the knives and sheaths, so it's off to them Monday. Dan also asked if I could incorporate a pouch to carry an Altoid survival tin on the rig. Yup, it's there. This combo allows two knives to be carried together with either one available while attached and lets the smaller sheath be removed and carried alone. Without the shoulder strap, the wide split belt loop distributes the weight of a large knife more comfortably on a belt. My thought is to make this available for Andy's machetes and other lines together. The wide 'chete blade would let almost any Fiddleback to ride along. Of course, this will work on other brands as well. Take a look and let me know what the thoughts are. Thanks!
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[grafton]

Very nice, I like it.

The only thing I might change if you were trying to make it more universal would be the small pocket that the smaller sheath point slides into but that is just being nit picky. My thoughts are that if that were a larger, wide loop of leather with no sewn bottom it would allow for attachement of many different sheath designs such as those that are squared off. The loop would also allow a slightly longer sheath to slide through it. I also think a wide loop would be less odd looking if the smaller sheath was not being used. I am certain your system is more secure and would prevent any movement of the smaller sheath but I can see an issue if you wanted to swap out different style sheaths to piggyback. If changing out sheaths is not important than I would leave it as is. Otherwise it looks great and the Altoid tin case is a real nice touch.

[Talfuchre]

Rick - that little sheath tip pouch is thought and work beyond what many are willing to do. I like the whole rig. The front pouch is awesome too. I can imagine having this kit on and having pretty much everything you need to survive in a SHTF situation.

Good work.

I agree with the post above that if you were to generalize this design. A strap would be easier to execute with other sheaths - but - I also think that you will be making these by commission as you are not sure what blade combo's you will be making them for.

Either way - VERY cool.

TF

[d762nato]

Nice sheath you made there Rick looks like alot of thought and work went into it.

Doug

[maw]

That is some nice work Rick. I very much like the color. All in all, pretty neat and sounds very functional.

With regards to the small pouch...can it be positioned anywhere along the shoulder strap? I'm thinking it can but just want clarification. Thank you.

Mark

[Rick Lowe]

Thanks to all of you for the thoughts! You guys are right on the money with my first ideas on this basic rig having a bottom strap. It would still have to be custom to the sheath to prevent the top sheath from dropping down. The top strap fits between the belt loop and the sheath top to secure ride up and the bottom has to do the same in reverse. The pocket just seemed to work and looks good. I do a similar thing on the rifle butt stock ammo pouches I make, so the process sorta worked. Mark the strap pouch will move to any position you like. Here's a back photo to show that.
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[maw]

Thank you Rick for giving us your insight into sheath construction and providing the photo as it all helps.

Mark

[Fiddleback]

I got to handle this rig at Blade Show. Its the best piggyback rig I've handled to date. Really outstanding.

[Lou Castle]

I know this is an older thread but I'm researching sheath makers for a recent purchase and came across it. I'm deeply paranoid about losing a knife in the bush, having had it happen once, many years ago.

I'd prefer that the attachment for the smaller knife consists of two independent straps secured with a standard (but small) buckle with a tongue (similar to how most belts are fastened). The strap would go completely around the larger sheath and on the back of that sheath there'd be two tunnels for the straps to go through. There would also be a tunnel on the back of the smaller sheath so that the strap could go through it to keep the knife from flopping around on the larger sheath.

I realize that there would be some friction between the two sheaths as the wearer walked, from its slight up and down motion, but there's going to be some movement there, no matter how they're attached. In the case of the design shown, there's going to be a small amount of side to side motion.

The buckles for the straps would be worn on the inside of the larger sheath to cut down on the chance of one of them being caught on brush and coming unfastened. Further security for these straps would come in the form of keepers that held the running end of the strap. The buckles would have to be kept small so that they didn't rub on the user's leg.

The straps could also be secured with a couple of Chicago Screws, with a slight overlap of the ends of the straps. That way there'd be no protrusion to rub against the user's leg. Changing out, or removing the smaller knife would be a bit slower with the Chicago Screws but the security would be a good tradeoff.

I like the elegant design of the "tip catcher" in this design but I think that when the smaller knife was not being worn, it would become a "dirt and small−leaf catcher." It would also hold water if it was raining. This last issue could be avoided with a small drain−hole in the bottom of the "cup" that it forms.

[Rick Lowe]

I was pleasantly surprised to see new thought and comment on the piggyback rig. Dan Eastland asked if I could do this sort of combo just before last years Blade Show. Didn't give me much time to study all aspects involved, so this was the best I could assemble with short notice. Since then, I've had several really accomplished leather guys look at it and make comments. None of these fellows offered up any solid changes that they felt would improve the design. It was also pretty well evaluated in the field by Equip2Endure with nothing but positive comments. NOW, with all that warm and fuzzy glow put aside, I'm always looking to improve my work and design. Right now I'm waiting for a Bark River Golok blade pattern so I can do this same sheath combo with the Golok as the main sheath and Andy's Bushfinger as the rider. Great time to look the whole idea over and see what might make it better. The cup that holds the tip of the rider really does a fine job of securing the rider sheath from lateral movement.With the Bushfinger it will need to be a little higher, maybe covering 25% of the sheath. Never thought about it catching water, so there's improvement number one by adding a drain hole! There's nothing "wrong" with the two strap idea, I just think that it's a bit of over kill. That single strap at the top comes between the belt loop and body of the rider sheath in the current design and stops any vertical movement. With the Bushfinger, it will go through the standard belt loop tight at the bottom of the loop, again preventing up and down movement. I really like the idea of using a single strap at the top incorporating your buckle idea. That would be a big step up from the snap ( which can have a short user life). With that strap cinched tight, there would little chance for failure. Yep, improvement number two! I use Chicago screws in all my padded rifle slings to secure the sling ends at the swivels. Maybe it's just me and my cranky fingers, but I cringe at the thought of trying to take them out or back in when in the field. Drop one and you're "screwed" (pun intended). Top quality two piece rivets or stitching where possible make more sense to me. All in all, I really appreciate your thoughts and concerns. You've just helped me make a better product.

[zcd]

I was pleasantly surprised to see new thought and comment on the piggyback rig. Dan Eastland asked if I could do this sort of combo just before last years Blade Show. Didn't give me much time to study all aspects involved, so this was the best I could assemble with short notice. Since then, I've had several really accomplished leather guys look at it and make comments. None of these fellows offered up any solid changes that they felt would improve the design. It was also pretty well evaluated in the field by Equip2Endure with nothing but positive comments. NOW, with all that warm and fuzzy glow put aside, I'm always looking to improve my work and design. Right now I'm waiting for a Bark River Golok blade pattern so I can do this same sheath combo with the Golok as the main sheath and Andy's Bushfinger as the rider. Great time to look the whole idea over and see what might make it better. The cup that holds the tip of the rider really does a fine job of securing the rider sheath from lateral movement.With the Bushfinger it will need to be a little higher, maybe covering 25% of the sheath. Never thought about it catching water, so there's improvement number one by adding a drain hole! There's nothing "wrong" with the two strap idea, I just think that it's a bit of over kill. That single strap at the top comes between the belt loop and body of the rider sheath in the current design and stops any vertical movement. With the Bushfinger, it will go through the standard belt loop tight at the bottom of the loop, again preventing up and down movement. I really like the idea of using a single strap at the top incorporating your buckle idea. That would be a big step up from the snap ( which can have a short user life). With that strap cinched tight, there would little chance for failure. Yep, improvement number two! I use Chicago screws in all my padded rifle slings to secure the sling ends at the swivels. Maybe it's just me and my cranky fingers, but I cringe at the thought of trying to take them out or back in when in the field. Drop one and you're "screwed" (pun intended). Top quality two piece rivets or stitching where possible make more sense to me. All in all, I really appreciate your thoughts and concerns. You've just helped me make a better product.

Just FYI my preferred outdoor big / small combo is a BRKT Golok + Fiddleback (Bushcrafter/Ladyfinger), so personally I'm extremely interested in how this one turns out!

[Lou Castle]

... I'm always looking to improve my work and design. Right now I'm waiting for a Bark River Golok blade pattern so I can do this same sheath combo with the Golok as the main sheath and Andy's Bushfinger as the rider.

I've got one of Andy's 12" machetes and today one of his Bush Fingers arrived, that I'd ordered from a recent "Friday" sale. I was thinking of getting a "rider sheath" like this design to go with it.

Great time to look the whole idea over and see what might make it better. The cup that holds the tip of the rider really does a fine job of securing the rider sheath from lateral movement.

If the top securing strap is just the right length to prevent any movement in the top of the sheath, I can see that any lateral movement would be minimized.

With the Bushfinger it will need to be a little higher, maybe covering 25% of the sheath.

Why would it need to be higher? I have a feeling that I'm missing something that should be obvious! lol

There's nothing "wrong" with the two strap idea, I just think that it's a bit of over kill.

If you knew me, you'd know that "overkill" is just about my middle name. ROFL. One of my objections to the cup setup is that I just don't care for the aesthetics of it when the smaller knife is separated from the larger one. I realize how individual that sort of thing is, so maybe it's just me.

I really like the idea of using a single strap at the top incorporating your buckle idea. That would be a big step up from the snap ( which can have a short user life). With that strap cinched tight, there would little chance for failure. Yep, improvement number two!

I’m a retired cop and have worn out dozens of snaps on my equipment over the course of the years. Sometimes they give warning, but just as often you find the pouch open, the contents missing, with no notice at all. They just fail quietly. I've had better luck with "Pull the dot" snaps, perhaps because they don't get used as much. Are you familiar with them? I'd suggest that you use one on this snap, if you stay with that design. One of my fears with this design as it is, is that a branch would get under the end of the strap that hangs out past the snap, and unsnap it. Since the knife is secured in the cup by this strap, it could fall out and go missing. I once had the snap on the strap of a knife I was wearing, come unfastened and the knife fell out, hence my suggestion of the "overkill" of two straps. If one came loose the other would keep it attached to the large sheath and you'd feel/hear it flopping around shortly after it happened.

I use Chicago screws in all my padded rifle slings to secure the sling ends at the swivels. Maybe it's just me and my cranky fingers, but I cringe at the thought of trying to take them out or back in when in the field. Drop one and you're "screwed" (pun intended).

I envision connecting/disconnecting the two sheaths at base camp where your hands are warm and everything is calm and quiet, rather than on a moment's notice in the field. But I see your criticism of using Chicago Screws. Doing this switch at base camp would make it less of a risk for one end of the Chicago screw to go walkabout. But I agree that this would be a problem. But since I’m known for "overkill," I'd have a spare in my bag.

All in all, I really appreciate your thoughts and concerns. You've just helped me make a better product.

I’m flattered that you think I was able to help.

[mistwalker]

Nice piggyback rig man! I do agree on an opening on the bottom of the holder for the tip of the small sheath for me because I live in a rain forest...it has rained nearly three straight weeks so that could be an issue for me. But I could so see something like this with a matching handled set up of a Comp Cutter and a Three-Finger Karda being an awesome rig.

[PharaohX3]

That's actually my Golok/Bushfinger piggyback rig that Rick is talking about. When I saw the E2E vid about the Dogwood Grizzly/Cub I thought a sheath rig like that would be perfect for me. I'm going to do a review of it (with pics) when I get my hands on it. I can't wait, Rick does really nice work.

[Rick Lowe]

Just got the pattern for the Golok in the mail and now the fun starts. The blade is more narrow than I thought, so it's going to take some mockups to get everything right with the size of the Bushfinger. All will work out when finished. I am going to put a drain hole in the cup and use a buckle on the retention strap. Thanks again, Lou! Will be out tomorrow hunting down the needed hardware and then starting assembly.

[PharaohX3]

Just got the pattern for the Golok in the mail and now the fun starts. The blade is more narrow than I thought, so it's going to take some mockups to get everything right with the size of the Bushfinger. All will work out when finished. I am going to put a drain hole in the cup and use a buckle on the retention strap. Thanks again, Lou! Will be out tomorrow hunting down the needed hardware and then starting assembly.

Sweet, I was wondering if it had arrived. This is gonna be so awesome...