Carry Options for a Fighter

i4Marc

i4Marc

Joined
Oct 19, 2011
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I asked this over in Sheaths and Such but that sub forum doesn't get as much traffic as this one. I didn't want to derail the "Let Me See Some Fighters" thread either which is mostly a gallery.

I recently finished a fighting style knife. Blade is 6&5/8", OAL is 11&5/8". I am currently in the process of designing a sheath for it and I'm considering different carry/deployment options. The knife can be seen here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CAIx2iNj1yp/

My intention is to make a leather sheath for this one. I could just make a standard type sheath where the blade is inserted up to the guard. I can insert the blade a bit deeper where the top of the sheath wraps over the guard a bit for retention, like a Kydex sheath. I can use a belt loop, a static line, a belt stud, eyelets for attaching to a Molle strap or backpack strap or other kit. There are lots of options.

I am not a badass. I do not play one on tv. I make knives but have no experience fighting with them or using them in a professional capacity. Since this knife was designed more as a fighter I am looking for folks with knife fighting training or experience, or folks who carry knives as part of their professional kit to offer some opinions as to the more practical, logical, useful, efficient ways to carry or mount a knife. I am aware that weight matters and that a lot of people will not carry a fixed blade of this size and prefer a folder. We are assuming for my purposes that this style knife will be carried. I am not talking strictly military. Think bodyguard, self defense, law enforcement, whatever.
 
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Thanks Man With No Name, I had seen that video.

Joe, Thank you for that. I love the 8-Ball shoulder rig. It seems that either scout or sash is more versatile with sash being the most versatile. Would you agree with that?
 
i4Marc said:
Thanks Man With No Name, I had seen that video.

Joe, Thank you for that. I love the 8-Ball shoulder rig. It seems that either scout or sash is more versatile with sash being the most versatile. Would you agree with that?
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Hello I hope you are well

man I’ve come full circle

,any remember years ago I went as far as to carry a 9 1/2 inch Bagwell on trips around the world

in the bush open carry sash style cross draw is the ticket

than when wanting to conceal you could rotate it behind the hip and even IWB behind the hip only having to contend with hiding the handle

I was the biggest proponent and was having over sized studs made and the great Paul Long made me scores of stud sash sheaths

for a big blade over say 8 inches sash is how many carried blades fro centuries and can be very secure if you have enough blade length to make it secure meaning a lot or weight as in blade length through the belt

But for edc and normal life it’s hard to deal with

I have to dress most days as in decent clothes and packing a Bowie became so,thing that was reserved for trips to the bush etc

Don’t get me wrong every day I carry a gun a knife a flashlight and at least one reload

my belt is spreead out like a Batman utility belt

with a blazer or in a suit I am relatively concealed

with this my knives have gotten smaller and smaller gun being primary weapon

These are 3 to 4 inch blades carried in horizontal cross draw sheaths

see that problem with say carry with 5 or 6 inch blades is that you don’t have enough blade length to make it really secure

You can’t free float it and expect it to stay put if your really active

kwaikens fair better do to their flatness and friction fit sheaths that lend themselves to static lines

pictured above where you see the small loveless style NY special from TK is pretty much my everyday attire with a cover garment

even on say a full battle belt like this I’ve gone to a small blade worn horizontal crossdraw




To be honest I don’t see the value in a 6 inch bladed knives these days especially as a protection knife or as you mention bodyguard role Most serious guys are carrying guns and smaller designs think Blood Shark size etc

these are my primary carry knives these days

john Gray wharnie



Or a Yojimbo on a horizontal sheath

If I want to go with a bigger blade it’s usually a Kwaiken worn crossdraw sash style connected to a static line but it’s hard to conceal



no one notices the Small Wharnie worn horizontal crossdraw

the Kwaiken is noticeable

problem is when you consider a gun and a knife and a reload as well as a flashlight it gets to be a lot to pack a big blade

if I reall had to go with a larger blade I would consider Scout carry but that is uncomfortable to sit with and for actually cat\RRP unless in the bush not to practical

Years ago Nick Wheeler and I did a 7 inch nlade fighter design with a scout sheath I’ll find some pics

great setup for full battle kit bit not an edc imho
 
Thanks Joe. You have given me a lot of information, and a lot to think about. I appreciate that. It looks like my little fighter is a knife in search of a role, hahaha. Seriously though, the issue is not really (but kinda is) about the knife. It was more about making an appropriate kind of sheath for that style knife. I didn't want to make just another hang off the hip kind of sheath for it. Even though it seems that this size blade may be out of fashion, I still want to make the right sheath for it.
 
Can you post a pic of the knife

knives with guards etc work better with different kinds of sheaths

thx
 
As the knife seems to be of fair size, I'd go for a scout carry setup, or an upside-down approach (to a backback or upper arm). A scout carry sheath it also not too complex to make (whilst the downside is that is can be somewhat difficult to get the knife back into the sheath after it's been used). If you want something more exotic, perhaps go for a legstrap?
 
Thanks guys. This is the knife.

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azm3KH5.jpg
 
Thanks, Dave.
Does that knife have a guard?
Is that sheath just slid behind the belt? The belt doesn't go through the sheath, correct?
 
Lovely knife Marc. A real looker!!

One consideration, is if you do a sheath that allows horizontal carry, being easily able to remove without having to unthread or take belt off.

That knife is in the middle category.

I have made sheaths for my self, which were both horizontal and vertical (Hstrap on pouch style sheath. They likely would not work too well for that width of guard, or blade width.

If the knife is not already sold to a client, it is tough.

I'm in the position that when I carry around town, I may have to quickly remove the knife.

For what it is worth, the blade size is still in fashion!!

I'd carry it. But I'm an office worker, who's knives go into a drawer at work, and around town I nearly always have a fixed blade knife on me.
 
Bigfattyt,
The knife was not made for a client which is part of the issue. I usually like to talk over the specs and requirements with the customer. In this case the knife was the result of a forging day and I made a few knives for various types of work just to keep in practice. So now I'm struggling with a bunch of hypotheticals.


Joe,
What is the length of the blade to the far right in your last picture? That one is sash?
 
I scout carry a fixed blade daily. I feel that when they hit 6" it becomes a chore to carry as well as look normal. Is your concern the design of the sheath ? Or the correct sheath to market the knife as an EDC?
 
i4Marc said:
Bigfattyt,
The knife was not made for a client which is part of the issue. I usually like to talk over the specs and requirements with the customer. In this case the knife was the result of a forging day and I made a few knives for various types of work just to keep in practice. So now I'm struggling with a bunch of hypotheticals.


Joe,
What is the length of the blade to the far right in your last picture? That one is sash?
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these are all the same they are the WHEELER FIGHTER run we did a few years ago

a2815059.jpg


They are roughly 7 1/2 inch blades and just getting long enough that they work well in sash carry due to their guard imho you can sash carry smaller blades thaT are guardless in a pouch type sheath because you can slide them deeper in but in guarded knives you need blade length to get them to carry well
 
Thanks Joe.

954Ink,
I think the answer to your questions is yes and yes. I need to be careful how I phrase things at my membership level but yes, I would like to know what the most useful or appropriate sheath design would be to EDC this type of knife. Or maybe I should ask, if someone was going to EDC this knife what features would the user find most useful in a sheath? How would a user rank things like quietness, versatility of mounting options, ease/quickness of deployment and reinsertion of the blade into the sheath, ease or quickness of installing or removing the sheath from your person(belt loops, sash, scout, shoulder rig etc.). What questions am I not asking that I should be asking?
 
Call me during the day I hate to type :)

610 657 9515

I’ve spent years carrying fixed blades

the best way to carry that sized knife concealed is sash with a stud and a static line

In this old video I discuss sash carry in detail

this is a 8 inch or so biaded knife with out a guard

so it facilitates a pouch with a stud so it carries deep

 
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