RayseM
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2010
- Messages
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Fellow Redmeadow aficionados I venture this morning into the subject of sheaths - open for bantering ideas and/or discussions of personal preferences or wish you could haves. This inspired by the mention of dangler sheaths in the Buoy, Junior, & the Bull thread.
John is one of the rare knife maker birds who, as well as designing and creating spectacular knives, crafts very respectable Redmeadow knife worthy sheaths.
Got me thinking as to what kind of sheath I prefer. Started a check list for us:
• Left handed sheaths for Mack (protourist)
• Dangle sheath for Dennis (mitch4ging)
Check list ends here because I am still in the wish I could have stage.
Dangle sheaths, to my way of thinking, are a very practical carry concept but usually fail in the execution. Several reasons for my conclusion: 1) Usually need to add a leg tie down or the "dangling" knife now requires 2 hands to withdraw. (Maybe I've just had bad danglers.) 2) For my short legged body the dangler knives usually hang too low. 3) Not a big fan of clinking and clanking metal when I'm in the woods too noisy (same reason I don't like kydex sheaths). Usually the dangler attachments are metal clips and rings.
Here is the near perfect dangler set up EXCEPT that it depends on that back snap. Still there is minimal metal on this one and this example allows for conventional carry OR using the dangle.
I do like that the knife on a dangler sheath is easily tucked away for sitting in a truck or climbing to a blind or sitting up to a tree or rock. I usually ask that my fixed knife sheaths are hung slightly tilted off vertical about 8° with the knife butt leaning forward. Makes for a more natural withdraw and adds some comfort to sitting though, admittedly, never quite enough.
Horizontal/cross draws for me are limited to folders or short fixed blades. Don't really like to carry knives behind my back.
My preference - my wish I could have - is what I call a belted knife sheath. (YES - John I would pay extra.
)
There maybe other names for it. Have not been able to find many clear examples. My idea is for a 2 part knife sheath. Part 1 is a loop that slips over the waist belt with another horizontal loop at the lower end into which the actual sheath will slide into. Part 2 is the knife sheath.
Here are a few example photos: (courtesy of some googling)
This one - a bowie knife sheath that, with the exception of the overdose of rivets, is near perfect. The belt piece sleeves the sheath part and has a stud to register the sheath in its position - here leaned forward as I prefer. If you need to sit down or get into your sleeping bag with your pants on - simply slip the sheath and knife out of the belt part.
Here is another version made by BF member Ebbtide and posted in a thread about shoulder carry options from 2014.
Here is Part 1
And here with its sheath inserted. Beautiful leather work. Even though I'm not a big fan of embossing and other froo froo on knife sheaths I must admit that these are very nice.
Finally - here is one more example - a bit more what I had in mind in that the belt attachment is actually a more conventional loop so that the knife hangs a bit lower BUT not as low as with a dangler. In the case of a knife with a guard or 1/2 guard the sheath part could have a loop (as with John's last sheath) that can come over and snap into the stud on the belt part. That stud (not shown in the example below) would now serve 2 purposes - hold the sheath in position and hold the knife securely. (I think that could work.
)
OK - 'nuff said. Looking forward to y'all joining the conversation. Am I onto something here or is this a tried and failed system?
Cheers,
Ray
John is one of the rare knife maker birds who, as well as designing and creating spectacular knives, crafts very respectable Redmeadow knife worthy sheaths.
Got me thinking as to what kind of sheath I prefer. Started a check list for us:
• Left handed sheaths for Mack (protourist)
• Dangle sheath for Dennis (mitch4ging)
Check list ends here because I am still in the wish I could have stage.
Dangle sheaths, to my way of thinking, are a very practical carry concept but usually fail in the execution. Several reasons for my conclusion: 1) Usually need to add a leg tie down or the "dangling" knife now requires 2 hands to withdraw. (Maybe I've just had bad danglers.) 2) For my short legged body the dangler knives usually hang too low. 3) Not a big fan of clinking and clanking metal when I'm in the woods too noisy (same reason I don't like kydex sheaths). Usually the dangler attachments are metal clips and rings.
Here is the near perfect dangler set up EXCEPT that it depends on that back snap. Still there is minimal metal on this one and this example allows for conventional carry OR using the dangle.
I do like that the knife on a dangler sheath is easily tucked away for sitting in a truck or climbing to a blind or sitting up to a tree or rock. I usually ask that my fixed knife sheaths are hung slightly tilted off vertical about 8° with the knife butt leaning forward. Makes for a more natural withdraw and adds some comfort to sitting though, admittedly, never quite enough.
Horizontal/cross draws for me are limited to folders or short fixed blades. Don't really like to carry knives behind my back.
My preference - my wish I could have - is what I call a belted knife sheath. (YES - John I would pay extra.
)There maybe other names for it. Have not been able to find many clear examples. My idea is for a 2 part knife sheath. Part 1 is a loop that slips over the waist belt with another horizontal loop at the lower end into which the actual sheath will slide into. Part 2 is the knife sheath.
Here are a few example photos: (courtesy of some googling)
This one - a bowie knife sheath that, with the exception of the overdose of rivets, is near perfect. The belt piece sleeves the sheath part and has a stud to register the sheath in its position - here leaned forward as I prefer. If you need to sit down or get into your sleeping bag with your pants on - simply slip the sheath and knife out of the belt part.
Here is another version made by BF member Ebbtide and posted in a thread about shoulder carry options from 2014.
Here is Part 1
And here with its sheath inserted. Beautiful leather work.
Even though I'm not a big fan of embossing and other froo froo on knife sheaths I must admit that these are very nice.Finally - here is one more example - a bit more what I had in mind in that the belt attachment is actually a more conventional loop so that the knife hangs a bit lower BUT not as low as with a dangler. In the case of a knife with a guard or 1/2 guard the sheath part could have a loop (as with John's last sheath) that can come over and snap into the stud on the belt part. That stud (not shown in the example below) would now serve 2 purposes - hold the sheath in position and hold the knife securely. (I think that could work.
)OK - 'nuff said. Looking forward to y'all joining the conversation. Am I onto something here or is this a tried and failed system?
Cheers,
Ray
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I have no doubt that you are up to the challenge John - no doubt at all 
. John the examples you found in that link are excellent and so much more clearly show my intent. The top one without all the embellishment is precisely what I envision. OK, I'm not an original thinker and it seems that the spare doesn't need to be deployed. Thanks very much for taking the time to research my idea.
The 3/4:1 version I proposed might alleviate the problem with shorter knives - no question that there is a limit. I really like being able to "unsheath" the sheath while the knife is still inserted - though this is still an untried concept for me.
