carrying a fixed blade

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
5,944
I sometimes feel funny about carrying a fixed blade on trails and such where I might run into other people.....was wondering if anyone else feels the same... I know it's stupid, I usually don't let it stop me..but was wondering if anyone feels this way what solutions they've come up with....Thanks, as always.
 
I never carry a fixed blade on my belt. It stays in the pack until needed. You're looking for trouble going "armed". Best to stay under the radar.
 
Mine is typically worn on my belt at about the 4 or 5 o'clock position. People don't tend to see it when we are approaching each other head on. I feel a little funny sometimes, but whatever. I know what it's for. They can mind their own business.
 
Hi RescueRiley, have you thought about wearing a neck knife? I always have an becker necker on me. Almost never feel like it's not enough. I opened a coconut with it today, pryed with it after driving it into the husk with a stab. Did great. But if I bump into people, I just tuck it inside my shirt. Its gone. I blend with the "sheeple". Neck carry has one other big advantage that is sometimes overlooked, you have the knife right there in your sight. So it's harder to lose it.
 
I worry about takin pics of my knives...sheeple would find that kinda strange eh !!!

If you get a Concealex or kydex sheath made with a Tec-Loc fitted you can carry your knife horizontally in the small of your back, I do this with my Dumpster Mutt if I don't have my full kit and with even just a t-shirt over it you cannot see it !!!
 
i usually carry a fixed blade on my belt, while out in the woods.. even if it's just at the local state park across the street.... i can care less what people think.... you're better off having it visible here in CA...
every now and again i'll leave it in my pack....
 
You know I read in one of Tom Brow's book, that if he saw somebody hitchhiking along the road with a fixed blade on his belt, he wouldn't pick him up. Years ago before the tom brown tracker he used to advocate a just carrying a pocket knife, this was one of the reasons, not to be perceived as a dangerous person. I gotta say though, I dont get spooked by a fixed blade on the belt, and would likely pick up a guy with one, if he seemed ok in other ways.
 
Uh 2dogs: You might want to reconsider your mode of carry. According to California law, a fixed bladed knife must be carried exposed to not be considered a concealed weapon. I would rather get an odd look from a sheeple than get arrested, and convicted of a crime.
 
stingray4540 said:
Uh 2dogs: You might want to reconsider your mode of carry. According to California law, a fixed bladed knife must be carried exposed to not be considered a concealed weapon. I would rather get an odd look from a sheeple than get arrested, and convicted of a crime.
Click to expand...

Same is in Arizona and that goes for any knife unless it is a pocket knife , but I still can not find exact description what a pocket knife is.
 
A legal knife carried in a manner that makes quick aquistion impossible is not considered a weapon. No attempt has been made to conceal a weapon. A hammer can be carried in a backpack and not be viewed as a weapon. A hammer carried in the hand for all to see can be viewed as a weapon. Gun racks are not legal because they present an attractive hazard and are considered to brandish. A deer rifle in a rack (with a trigger lock) will be confiscated and the owner arrested and the vehicle subject to search and impound. A deer rifle locked in a trunk or camper under the same circunstances is legal. You need to learn the law better and understand attractive hazard etc.
 
RescueRiley said:
I sometimes feel funny about carrying a fixed blade on trails and such where I might run into other people.....was wondering if anyone else feels the same... I know it's stupid, I usually don't let it stop me..but was wondering if anyone feels this way what solutions they've come up with....Thanks, as always.
Click to expand...

You know this feeling may be a result of the general public making you think of a knife as a weapon first and a tool second. Would you feel the same way carrying a small shovel or a saw? Probably not. I think we have to concentrate on the knife as a tool, after all, that is the primary reason we're carrying one, right?

Ironically, I was sitting at the keyboard tonight, and the local news was on tv. Two different murders were reported in 2 different local areas - both stabbings. If we're not careful up here in Canada, we're going to be facing the same restrictive knife laws as other places.

A couple of years back, a lady went missing in my local hiking/gathering grounds. The police showed up and a few hikers, including myself went over to see if we could be of assistance. I had a Mora in its sheath taped to my pack strap. One of the officers kept eyeing it, but said nothing. I had enquired, at one point (local PD), what the legalities (size, etc.) are for carrying a knife and I explained what I used it for. The reply was that as long as you're not up to no good, don't worry about it. Of course, I wonder how far that would go, if you showed up in court.

BTW, the lady showed up, none the worse for wear.

Doc
 
The fixed blade that I carry is so small that it easily fits in my pocket. Doesn't bother me to see someone wearing a sheath knife though - lots of people do around here.
 
Personally I give funny looks when I am in the woods and see unarmed folks on the trail.......don't they realise there are wild Bill's in the woods :D Seriously I feel no reason to hide or feel anxiety over a fixed blade on my belt in the outdoors. Now if I was downtown, that would be a different thing. Shouldn't be but it is. In the woods I have legitimate need for a fixed blade. It's as natural as tires on a highway. If the city slickers want to shy away because of their own uneducated fears, GOOD! In an urban environment a folder or out of sight fixed blade will suffice.
 
i carried a SOG seal team elite molle'd to the compression straps under my waist pack in a fairly crowded environment and nobody noticed, I carried it there mostly because it looks pretty tactical and it seems less threatening tied to a pack. I know what you mean about feeling odd. at the same time I've carried my ka-bar khuk and it felt totally normal. I think it takes getting used to, but then so did having a bright green mohawk in a small town. I just do what I do.
 
Doc I wish we could think of a knife as a tool but around here that just isn't the reality. Mexican gangs have made he possesion of any knife nearly a crime itself. Stabbings are routine, shots fired occur nearly every night in our county. Staying below the radar makes sense to me.
 
Bill Siegle said:
If the city slickers want to shy away because of their own uneducated fears, GOOD!
Click to expand...

Bill, respectfully, I disagree. It's not good! Those city slickers, if concerned enough, can help enact even harsher knife-carrying restrictions. I'm not saying that we shouldn't carry them, even in plain site, but we don't have to make it an in-your-face- experience for them. (Of course, I'm not saying that you're suggesting that.)

Doc
 
pitdog said:
I worry about takin pics of my knives...sheeple would find that kinda strange eh !!!
Click to expand...

:D

If you use a tecloc then it rides so high that it is barely visible, just wear a lose t-shirt. I do that when I go hiking and will be encountering people. If you are in the middle of nowhere then it doesn't matter anyways.
 
Well said Seigle, I carry as many knives as I can while still feeling comfortable when I'm out on the trails. Anyone who doesn't have one or sees one with those 'judgemental eyes' probably shouldn't be out in the bush anyways. As soon as I hit the trails I become 'mountain man' with my knives and my axe! I look at people funny who are talking on their cell phones on the trails, so if they want to look at my sheath knife funny, they can keep on staring. Who is going to look worse in the bush, a guy with a knife, or a dumbass talking on the cell phone?
 
I carry either a crk mountaineer, busse game warden, or a buck 110 every day depending on my mood. Sometimes I do get a weird look from people, but here in south georgia most people are used to seeing that anyway.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top