Aqua Salt sheath

D

dseng

Joined
Mar 10, 2007
Messages
3
Hey folks,

I'm a Scuba diver. I bought an Aqua Salt because I view my knife just like all of the other gear I take underwater with me - as life support. And the Aqua Salt design and steel is awesome. But I have one little problem with the Aqua Salt sheath... The belt loop portion is too narrow to accommodate the standard 2 inch wide webbing that most coldwater & technical divers use as a waistbelt on our backplates (the thing that supports our tanks). Does anyone know whether Spyderco could/would make a custom sized belt loop portion, be interested in talking to a diver about their product, or know a custom sheath maker that could make a Kydex loop for the Aqua Salt sheath.

As an aside - my daily wear leather belt from RafterS Gunleather is too wide for the Aqua Salt sheath belt loop too! I love the knife, but it's pretty useless to me because of the "miniature" belt loop size which only takes belt widths up to 1 5/8".

Thanks,
Dave S
Juneau, AK
 
Hi Dave,

Thanx for the input. That's what product development is all about.

There are a number of our "regulars" that make sheaths. I'll let them chime in.

As to the current sheath. What would you change?

sal
 
Hi Sal,

Thanks for the response!

The retention on the sheath is great. I'd like a little better drainage - maybe another drain hole, but it's not a big thing. The real big issue that I'd change is to make the loop large enough to accommodate a 2 inch wide dive belt. These belts are made of a resin-impregnated nylon webbing, single layer. Not too thick, but the standard for backplate belts the world over is a 2 inch belt. Some divers wear vest-type BCD's and my comments don't necessarily apply to their equipment configurations.

If I REALLY could have my ideal _diving_ sheath for this knife the sheath would encompass more of the handle (about 1/3 -1/2 of the handle and have the belt loop higher on the body of the sheath so that more of the sheath hung below the belt line. Divers don't need a quick draw knife, so a full hand grip when drawing a knife isn't critical. Knives are typically carried on the waist belt - front left side of the body, so the handle sticking too far above the belt can be a hindrance.

The Aqua Salt handle is great for diving - the handle shape is thin enough to easily grab with a bulky dryglove (rubber glove with wool, pile or fleece liner) yet has enough "belly" to easily allow a very firm grip. The hole in the end lets me attach a security loop to prevent loss if it somehow got jarred out of the sheath by accident - the "ground" can be a LOT further away underwater than above - you often can't reach down and grab a knife if you drop it!

The diving community has largely moved away from the giant leg strap knives from the "Sea Hunt" era - I think that an H1 blade, secure sheath, nice bright yellow grippable handle and a 3 inch fixed serrated blade would be an awesome dive knife, but I'll be overjoyed if I can somehow get this Aqua Salt on my belt.

Dave
 
Here in Norway most divers still wear a mid sized knife on their calf. Having a smaller knife on the BC is also common.

We wear drysuits or thick wetsuits since the water here is very cold.

I'd like a slightly different sheath for my Aqua, but I'll probably mangle some kydex to get something I like.

There are a lot of custom makers who will make kydex sheaths to your specifications for not a lot of money. There are several on Bladeforums.

I like the clip out of the water, but not when in the water, haven't quite decided what would be perfect though. Offering a larger clip for divers or military might be an idea though.

Sverre
 
I only dive recreationally and use a standard BCD. The Aqua's sheath fits very well on my Buddy Commando's belt:



I haven't dived with it yet, but will add a cable tie from the BCD's D-ring to one of the eyelets on the sheath, for added security.
 
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