Fancy sheaths?

[L6steel]

When you folks are looking for a knife to take out in the sticks and use alot, does a fancy sheath turn you off? Would you prefer a more standard sheath without the frills of tooling and fancied up patterns and such??

 

[Mike G]

Originally posted by L6steel
When you folks are looking for a knife to take out in the sticks and use alot, does a fancy sheath turn you off? Would you prefer a more standard sheath without the frills of tooling and fancied up patterns and such??

A no frills, standard kydex or heavy leather sheath works for me.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

I prefer a good pouch sheath in which the knife fits nice and snug. You don't really need anything more than that.

 

[phlatinum]

L6 ... good topic! Not easy, but good!
I love a well made sheath probably as much as I do a great knife. It seems to me that a plain sheath never looks bad in the sticks, unless it is poorly constructed. Top quality leather of suitable thickness in a simple but intelligent and graceful design painstakingly stitched for both security and beauty does it for me.

Leather tooling can add the perfect touch, or be the kiss of death, imo. It is a quite a balancing act, and I would say that when in doubt, less is better. I find some just too gaudy, and its not just a matter of the amount of coverage, e.g. a full coverage basket weave looks fine in the wilds to me. It does seem ironic that I find much of the old-timey and showy fringe and Indian beadwork to often be strikingly beautiful and yet totally in harmony with rustic and wild surroundings. I'm sure part of it is simply a matter of what seems "traditional".

As a rule of thumb, I would cease with the fancy stuff when it begins to distract from the basic beauty of the structural components of the sheath, rather than complimenting it. Wow ... just call me Windy.
(Edited to add more wind.)