Do you prefer carry With or without fire steel loop?

tonym said:
All my user knives have a firesteel loop with a firesteel attached. If a knife's original sheath does not have it, I will put in a sheath that does.
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Unlike Tony, I don’t find a firesteel loop to be a necessity on my knife sheaths.

I generally don’t carry a firesteel with my belt knife, even though many of my sheaths do have loops.

As some have stated, matching knives/firesteels seem to be a fashion statement to some.


I do have some back up blades that are kept in my gear bags,

…these usually have a firesteel attached,

…but again they are there as back up.





My user firesteels are in my fire starting kits,

…and at least one of these kits is always with me in the woods.




Big Mike
 
My firesteel hangs from the same split ring that holds the lanyard of my SAK which is in my front pocket. It dangles in my five o'clock from a belt loop so actually it is in my back pocket out of my way unless needed. The knive dangles beside it at four o'clock.
 
On the one hand, it's a nice secure spot to keep a firesteel. Never gets lost, always handy.

On the other, it's something else to draw attention, snag on brush, and detract from the overall aesthetics. And then I feel the need to keep a firesteel in the loop if it's there.

I kinda prefer no loop on my sheaths, but don't worry about it one way or another.
 
I'm not crazy about the firesteel loops, but it doesn't bother me that much either if a sheath comes with one. I tend to like using a dedicated striker with my firesteel and the loop doesn't accommodate that very well.

I can understand the emergency steel mentality and what happens when you've lost your pack kind of thing. I like Rick's batman belt approach with his firekit that is part of a separate belt pouch. Alternatively, I prefer a dedicated PSK, firekit like an altoids tin that you can carry tinder, firesteel, lighter, bandaides etc.

I will say that when you are puttering around camp, the firesteels often come in handy. Whether it is igniting your gas/propane lantern/cook stove etc. and that is where having the firesteel on your sheath is nice to have on hand. I still don't love striking with my knife spine though. I just find the blade to long for controlled striking. While good to do during practice, its night my preferred way to use a firesteel.
 
Most of the time, i keep it on my person in my pants as well as a knife in my pants or on my side, in town or in the woods. Your friend at the post Donald S.
 
kgd said:
[...]I still don't love striking with my knife spine though. I just find the blade to long for controlled striking. While good to do during practice, its night my preferred way to use a firesteel.
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Me neither, I prefer the smaller dedicated strikers that you can manipulate precisely :thumbup:

ETA: I just realized that, in fact, I actually do both. I carry a LMF firesteel on my knife sheath, and a "spare":o GG firesteel in my pocket on a keychain along with my W&SS necker, LMF striker, and capsule with PJCBs.
 
I carry a firesteel on my knife sheaths that accomodate them - I look at them as a back-up/redundant system to the one that's in my pocket, the one in my pack and the 3-5 Bics that I have scattered throughout my pockets and kit...;)


blake
 
I guess it would depend on the knife.
For me,no,I dont carry the firesteel on the sheath.
While camping or hiking,
I will use the knife many times during the day,yet
a firesteel once or twice.
Doesnt benefit me having it there,actually
just gets in the way.
Also,I dont use the knife to strike the firesteel.

I can see having the firesteel attached to the sheath on some
kind of emergency survival knife situation,but most of us I think
plan out our trips and have fire starting equipment in separate
(multiple) carriers.
 
Dannyboy - I bought an old singer boot machine cos I'm over the awl, awlthough machine sewn just doesn't seem to have the same appeal as hand sewn. I like seeing the pride and passion. Well done mate.
 
I am for redundancy, so it usually doesn't apply to me, but if I lost my sheathed blade, with firesteel attached, I would be doubly screwed in the woods.
 
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