Do pouch sheathes ever "loosen up"?

[Fletch Helical]

I have all the material I think I need to attempt a sheath. But I'm a little unsure about whether I want to do a pouch sheath or attempt something that has a strap that goes over the guard and snaps in place. To me leather it seems will always, over time stretch and loosen to a degree. So I was wondering with a pouch sheath, lets say after a few years of taking the knife in and out of the sheath has anyone ever heard of pouch sheaths "loosening their grip" so to speak on a knife? I'd hate to have someone own a knife and a few years down the road tell me that the sheath no longer holds the knife tightly in it anymore.

Any thoughts/input on this is appreciated.

 

[sensei78]

I bought a few of John Greco's Boot Knives which come with pouches and EDC'd one for about 6 mo. and it sure did loosen up. Thats when I went to kydex.....

 

[sheathmaker]

Fletch, the simple and short answer to your question is YES. A good comparison would be a new pair of shoes that are snug at first and then six months later how do they feel?

A pouch sheath should be fitted so that the knife is VERY snug to down right tight at the first insertion. It will loosen up to very useable faster than you think. I also fit a knife very deeply into the pouch style sheaths leaving a max of only about 2 to 2 1/2 inches above the mouth of the sheath. This should minimize any risk of loss unless the owner spends an inordinate amount of time upside down.

The link below will take you to a post I made elsewhere explaining a quick and easy fix for a loose pouch sheath.

http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showpost.php?p=408078&postcount=3

Paul