Belt Carry for Big Fellas

RyanSean97

RyanSean97

Joined
Jan 24, 2018
Messages
680
I'm not sure if this has been addressed or not, but unfortunately it is an all too real reality. I'm curious to hear of any solutions my fellow bigger fellas have come up with to carry their fixed blades. It's the main thing that used to steer me away from actually buying and owning them, but I've since experimented and tried a few methods, still not falling on any that I love.

Now I'm going to assume that horizontal or scout carry is going to be the most common here, and if that is the case what sort of method do you use to attach it to your belt? (Pull the dots, tek loks, ulti clips, pocket sheaths, leather, kydex, etc). I ride Tek Loks on most of mine, but with my belt it actually doesn't get super snug, theres still barely a bit of play in the fitment.

If you have any pics of your setups I'd love to see just for fun, even you average or smaller guys ;). The more the merrier.
 
Tek locks are my personal favorite and what 90% of my fix blades have. They're fast to put on or take off your belt and you can put them on a side or the back comfortably. There's times when you can't bring a blade somewhere so the tek lock is great because it snaps on and off, no need to take off your belt to remove it. I'd stay away from from straps with buttons, I've had bad luck with them falling off because of a little pressure on them, such as sitting down or getting up, and then you risk damage from your knife falling. Have you tried something like the belt that Miller bros make? There's some great ones out there that are thick and made just for people have an edc setup
 
Weasipoint said:
Tek locks are my personal favorite and what 90% of my fix blades have. They're fast to put on or take off your belt and you can put them on a side or the back comfortably. There's times when you can't bring a blade somewhere so the tek lock is great because it snaps on and off, no need to take off your belt to remove it. I'd stay away from from straps with buttons, I've had bad luck with them falling off because of a little pressure on them, such as sitting down or getting up, and then you risk damage from your knife falling. Have you tried something like the belt that Miller bros make? There's some great ones out there that are thick and made just for people have an edc setup
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I really enjoy Tek Loks and the variety of ways they let you carry, and maybe I have to take another look but I wear a Groove Life belt. You've probably seen them all over online but it's actually a really nice belt in my opinion. It's got some stiffnes, but its also got a slight stretch in it to give room when you're sitting or bending. I believe that is the reason it's not quite thick enough to fill up the space of the Tek Lok. It's fine width wise, but the thickness is still sort of on the slimmer side. I've seen those thick leather belts and I do really enjoy them, but ever since finding this one it's been the most comfortable I've ever worn. I might still give one a try.
 
RyanSean97 said:
If you have any pics of your setups I'd love to see just for fun, even you average or smaller guys ;). The more the merrier.
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I do this (at 6'5" and 200 lbs, I should add):

How to Belt Carry a Taco Sheath with Paracord

Horizontal carry is easy enough to explain without need of pics. Just make two loops of paracord, one for each of the first two sheath eyelets. Make sure they go through the eyelet and around the top of the sheath, and cinch them down as tight as you can while having enough room for your belt...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
 
I wear up front, horizontal, tucked under my gut. Haha. I use it to conceal. If I want to carry vertical, then I carry at 4-5 o’clock because the nature of my pants and belt leave that area the least cut into my chub. I too use a Tek Lok.
 
David Mary said:
I do this (at 6'5" and 200 lbs, I should add):

How to Belt Carry a Taco Sheath with Paracord

Horizontal carry is easy enough to explain without need of pics. Just make two loops of paracord, one for each of the first two sheath eyelets. Make sure they go through the eyelet and around the top of the sheath, and cinch them down as tight as you can while having enough room for your belt...
www.bladeforums.com www.bladeforums.com
Click to expand...
I really like this idea David! Awesome thought. How do you determine how big to make the loop before you tie it off? How do you know when you tie it off, that it won't be too slack when the belt is fed through? Or do you just tie it off after you've ran the belt through and found the point of retention you like?

Murdamook said:
I wear up front, horizontal, tucked under my gut. Haha. I use it to conceal. If I want to carry vertical, then I carry at 4-5 o’clock because the nature of my pants and belt leave that area the least cut into my chub. I too use a Tek Lok.
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Those ways don't bother me when carrying, it's just going to re sheath the knife that annoys me when the chub gets in the way lol I also have tried 4-5 oclock on the back side, and recently 2-3 oclock, in reverse grip so when I put the knife back it's more straight in. This way still rides tight against the gut so there are some kinks for me still.
 
RyanSean97 said:
I really like this idea David! Awesome thought. How do you determine how big to make the loop before you tie it off? How do you know when you tie it off, that it won't be too slack when the belt is fed through? Or do you just tie it off after you've ran the belt through and found the point of retention you like?
Click to expand...

Thanks RyanSean97 RyanSean97 !

I tie it loosely enough so that I can adjust the knot, then I find my level of retention/firmness, and tighten the knot once I have it. I only ever have to do it once per sheath (unless I change my belt size, which almost never happens as I try to get them all in the same width)
 
I like to carry my small-to-medium fixed blades horizontally in the 11 o'clock position in a kydex taco sheath. I've tried tek loks, ulticlips, g-clips, ad infinitum. All of them were either too complex or let the sheath stick out far enough to feel insecure and flop around on my belt (they were securely on my belt, just not tight enough for my taste).

I've determined that pull-the-dot straps or paracord looped through the holes in the sheath are my favorite method. These two options hold the sheath fast to my belt to reliably draw a knife one-handed while also being comfortable and easily adjustable.

I think the best option is a hand-fitted leather sheath. In lieu of that, paracord and pull-the-dots are your next-best bet.

FWZbu0L.jpeg

7bQC1sY.jpeg


*selfie mode on my phone makes it look like the knife is above my right pocket, however it is in fact above my left.
 
David Mary said:
Thanks RyanSean97 RyanSean97 !

I tie it loosely enough so that I can adjust the knot, then I find my level of retention/firmness, and tighten the knot one I have it. I only ever have to do it once per sheath (unless I change my belt size, which almost never happens as I try to get them all in the same width)
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Nice! I have a bunch of scrap paracord lying around that would be perfect for this. If it works I'll likely end up using it on more than one sheath. I'm gonna give it a go tomorrow!
 
oldmanwilly said:
I like to carry my small-to-medium fixed blades horizontally in the 11 o'clock position in a kydex taco sheath. I've tried tek loks, ulticlips, g-clips, ad infinitum. All of them were either too complex or let the sheath stick out far enough to feel insecure and flop around on my belt (they were securely on my belt, just not tight enough for my taste).

I've determined that pull-the-dot straps or paracord looped through the holes in the sheath are my favorite method. These two options hold the sheath fast to my belt to reliably draw a knife one-handed while also being comfortable and easily adjustable.

I think the best option is a hand-fitted leather sheath. In lieu of that, paracord and pull-the-dots are your next-best bet.

FWZbu0L.jpeg

7bQC1sY.jpeg


*selfie mode on my phone makes it look like the knife is above my right pocket, however it is in fact above my left.
Click to expand...
I think you're right. That's my one other gripe with tek loks is how far away they put the knife on your body. Even though I'm bigger it still gives me that feeling of looseness even more so. I think you and David Mary David Mary both have convinced me to give paracord loops a try. (I also think the best way is a nice fitted leather sheath snug to the belt. I've debated getting sheaths made for all my fixed blades at some point maybe at a 45° angle, or in horizontal carry). If any of you guys know some talented leather workers that could make some killer sheaths for any knife let me know
 
Tek Loks and their ilk are too bulky. I love the Cold Steel large C-clip
https://www.coldsteel.com/c-clip-large/
They have a better profile, are simple and foolproof. I wear a few of my 8-9" fixies horizontally on either my side or toward the front, and I put two of these spaced a few inches apart. I'll take a picture when I get the chance, but they basically work like those straps shown above.
 
oldmanwilly said:
Horsewright Horsewright comes to mind for leather, azwelke azwelke for kydex. I know there are many other forum members who are also exceptionally talented. Take a look here https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/sheath-makers-and-such-of-blade-forums.838494/ and elsewhere on the "Sheaths & Such" forum for more options.
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Duh! I totally forgot there's a whole forum for that. It's been a while since I've explored the site. I usually stick to the same General Discussion thread. I'm familiar with those guys and I'll look even more to see some others' work. Thanks for reminding me.

Boombats Boombats I've seen some custom makers use those standard on their sheaths and I hear a lot of people like them because they're easy to slip on and off. I've got one on an old custom of mine and it's just meh to me. I'm not sure what it is honestly
 
Horizontal doesn’t work for me, it bothers me when sitting, at work, in the car or on the motorbike, etc.

So i carry vertical, either at 3-4pm or at 7-8am. That works well in the car/on the bike, for instance.

And I like the flexibility of leather loops. Have experimented quite a bit, and like the sagewood adapters (left and right-most) best.

i-ZjtBj4P-X4.jpg
 
I carry fixed exclusively, and cross draw at 11 or 11:30. It's not quick on or off, but the most secure I've found is a sleeve made from a piece of inner tube from a bike tire. Idea actually came from here on the Becker forums. It started as a quick way to carry a bk14 Eskabar horizontal with the factory sheath. I've used it on other knives too. Never tried tekloks, cause they looked like it would push the whole setup out away from the body too far.
 
Im not sure of the blade length you’re looking to carry or what situations you’re looking to carry them in, concealed or open. I’ll give you my setups and you can take whatever info out of it you can.

I carry a fixed blade everyday. Most of my fixed blades are in the three inch blade length range. I mostly carry horizontal with pull the dot loops. The knife mostly rides at my 11 o’clock but sometimes I slide it over to my 9 o’clock to keep it out of my way.

When concealment isn’t an issue I have knives set up with ulticlips so I can pocket carry them. Pocket carry is very convenient but of course not best for public situations where I live.

I also have one configured with a drop down loop for vertical carry. The handle sits just below my belt line. Great for when you’re on foot, annoying when in and out of a vehicle.
 
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