Carrying the European Traditionals?

Hey, Carl. A neighbor would sure feel nice. So is snow when used to it. Fantastic material to go into wilderness upon. Makes the journey easyer im many terrains with a meter of snow flatting it out.
We see a pouch once in a while, but the old men would have thought of it as very feminine. Why having a folding blade if you still carry on your belt?

Bosse
 
I sometimes carry a Le Thiers par Chambriard in stag (11 cm) in the leather sleave it came with. This keeps it from falling to the bottom of my pocket and resting horizontally. If you can keep it vertical, there is a lot less concern over length. That's why the "modern tactical" crowd can easily get away with knives in the 4-5 inch size, as the clip keeps it upright, and out of the way in your pocket.

I've heard of folks sewing their pocket in a way that provides a sort of pouch or sleave against the seem of the pocket, so you can drop the knife in, but still have easy access, and it doesn't fall horizontal. This would seem an ideal way to accomodate the clip-less nature of a traditional knife, and still keep it comfortable, even with a much larger knife.
 
A larger traditional fits nicely in a vest or jacket pocket.

If you find the regular Opinels bulky, look at their Garden Knife and the Efile models. I have the shorter Efile in a belt pouch.
 
Interesting.

I find my Opinel #8 carries much better than my Camillus Peanut.

Truth be told, I really don't like way my slip joints carry. I would like to try a canoe someday, as I suspect that the thin profile combined with the rounded edges would make for a better carry.

I've definitely found that for me, rounded edges, a flatter profile and weight make for a better carry. Length doesn't bother me as much. My best carrying knife, by far, is my Schrade 5OT, a thin lock back design. It's a tick heavier than my Opinel but it's thin profile allows it to sit in the pocket very comfortably.

I recently took a file to the bolsters of my Buck 110 and rounded off the edges (came out nicely, thank you very much) and interestingly it bothers me less in my pocket than either my tiny peanut or my Ulster Camper. It lays flat and the edges are nice and round.

Still, functionality trumps carrying feel. I would rather carry my Schrade 5OT above all other knives I own but would rather use my Opinel #8 in almost all circumstances. That's why it's in my pocket 9 days out of 10.
 
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pinnah said:
I've definitely found that for me, rounded edges, a flatter profile and weight make for a better carry. Length doesn't bother me as much. My best carrying knife, by far, is my Schrade 5OT, a thin lock back design. It's a tick heavier than my Opinel but it's thin profile allows it to sit in the pocket very comfortably.
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Have you ever tried a sunfish? GEC makes a nice one, variety of materials.
 
pinnah said:
Interesting.

I find my Opinel #8 carries much better than my Camillus Peanut.

Truth be told, I really don't like way my slip joints carry. I would like to try a canoe someday, as I suspect that the thin profile combined with the rounded edges would make for a better carry.

I've definitely found that for me, rounded edges, a flatter profile and weight make for a better carry. Length doesn't bother me as much. My best carrying knife, by far, is my Schrade 5OT, a thin lock back design. It's a tick heavier than my Opinel but it's thin profile allows it to sit in the pocket very comfortably.

I recently took a file to the bolsters of my Buck 110 and rounded off the edges (came out nicely, thank you very much) and interestingly it bothers me less in my pocket than either my tiny peanut or my Ulster Camper. It lays flat and the edges are nice and round.

Still, functionality trumps carrying feel. I would rather carry my Schrade 5OT above all other knives I own but would rather use my Opinel #8 in almost all circumstances. That's why it's in my pocket 9 days out of 10.
Click to expand...

Then I'm very curious how you carry that big Opi 8 if it carries better for you than a Peanut:confused:

When I put my no.7 in my front pocket and it slides horizonal, the sharp round edges of the pivot area almost potrude through my jeans and I wear semi to loose fitting jeans all the time.
 
Esav, no, I haven't tried a sunfish. The blade looks to too wide for my taste and I say that as a huge fan of the US style spear point. If I could combine the spear point and lock back of the GEC 72 with the narrow body of the Schrade 5OT, well that would be really neat. The canoe pattern is close but I do prefer locks and single blades.

Spydutch, I reckon this sort of thing is going to vary a lot depending on what kind of pants folks prefer, what they do during the day and the build of their legs. (For the record, I have manly thighs and wear Old Spice) Most of the time, I wear baggy carpenter's jeans. Occasionally I wear Dickies style chinos and rarely wool slacks. Both fit closer than my jeans and both drape more finely and show the print of a knife more easily.

In terms of the knives on my dresser, they include (in increasing size): Camillus peanut, Schrade 5OT lock back, Ulster 4 blade camper, Opinel #8 and a Buck 110 (with soften bolsters). It's not a huge collection but spans much of the range in terms of sizes, I guess.

By far the most pocketable of the bunch is the 5OT. It's very thin, flat body shows much less than my peanut when wearing Dickies. A contributing factor here is that the peanut is so small that it sits fully horizontal in my pocket.

Regarding the Opinel #8, I put the handle end in first and the pivot end in last. It's long enough that when the handle end finds the bottom of my pocket that the knife actually rides at an angle and not fully horizontal. You're 100% correct that this forms a noticeable print when wearing Dickies or wool slacks. But, the angled carry position combined with the very light weight (less than the peanut even) makes me prefer it over the peanut when wearing slacks. I do however prefer the 5OT over both when wearing slacks. Wearing jeans, it's no question. I don't notice the Opinel #8 in my pocket when wearing jeans and vastly prefer it to my 5OT for utility.

One reason I carry the lock ring end up when carrying my Opinel is that it resists walking out of my pocket when seated either in meetings at the office or driving in my car. Everyone in a while my slipjoints or lock-backs find their way under my car seat (there's a collection of lost cell phones under there too, along with a car payment's worth of quarters).

Last thing I should mention is that longer length and more upright carry position of the #8 means I can reach in past the knife to any change in that pocket with real ease. When carrying my slipjoints, digging for change in my pocket usually means grabbing the knife at the same time. In this way, the shorter Opinels are actually harder for me to carry.
 
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