Fixed blade carry position

B

BaerCountry

Joined
May 9, 2002
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I recently purchased a Cold Steel SRK (6" fixed blade) along with the included Kydex snap-in sheath. I am considering carrying it upside down on the front left strap of my back pack--without the snap-on safety strap around the grip.

My question is, do you think the friction power of the sheath is sufficient to hold the knife safely while hiking, or am I just asking for trouble? It takes a pretty good tug to unsheath the knife. Thanks for your input.

Ed
 
It's in there pretty firm, but the snap is extra protection from losing your knife... If you're not going to snap, you should surely dummy cord it (I'm a big proponent of dummy cording), and even if you did snap, dummy cording is still a good idea.

I can see the sheath losing its grip on the knife in the future due to wear on the rubber handle, and I don't know whether a some heat and reworking the sheath will fix that as it would fix kydex.

Also, you don't want to yank the knife out of the sheath. What you do is to get a good grip on the handle, then press your thumb against the sheath on the back side and push in the direction of the blade with your thumb. This will free your knife quickly, quietly, and without disturbing whatever system you've got the sheath mounted on.
 
Hi Baer....

I think that if you feel the fit on the sheath is secure enough on the knife just in the sheath without the strap you should be Ok..
Use the strap as an added security...

Mel writes

"I can see the sheath losing its grip on the knife in the future due to wear on the rubber handle, and I don't know whether a some heat and reworking the sheath will fix that as it would fix kydex"

This I will have to disagree with wholeheartedly...

Unless the knife handle is severely becoming damaged by the sheath,, you should not have a problem with it,,and it will probably outlast you...

I've made literally hundreds of sheaths for rubber handled knives, i.e. Cold Steel, Fallkniven, busse Basic series as well as a multitude of others and I have yet to find a problem other than slight wear on the front of the grips. I have my set of Fallknivens which have been sheathed and resheathed thousands of times with little more than slight wear...

If the sheath fits to your satisfaction,,then leave it alone..
Keep in mind than any oils,grease, or silicone spray,, the latter especially may change the fit of the knife to something that may not be desirable in inverted carry..Be careful what you spray into the sheath and on your handles...

Hope that helps..

ttyle

Eric...
 
Normark said: If the sheath fits to your satisfaction,,then leave it alone.. Keep in mind than any oils,grease, or silicone spray,, the latter especially may change the fit of the knife to something that may not be desirable in inverted carry..Be careful what you spray into the sheath and on your handles...
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What would I want to spray into the sheath and why? I've never used Kydex before.
 
Hey Baer...

Sometimes people will sprayh a little something down there to give the sheath a little lube so the blade comes out better..
sometimes it works fine,,other times its too much and the knife could slide out of the sheath with a slight jolt...

ttyle

Eric...
 
Lost a good knife that way, when I jumped down the side of a hill, the weight of the knife pulled it right out of the kydex sheath:mad: (physics sucks), and I thought it was a tight fit, not tight enough. Now I always use some kind of keeper, sometimes a wide rubber band wrapped once around the handle, and once around the sheath is all I need.
 
From personal experience with the same knife/sheath combo... use the strap. I carried mine inverted on my duece gear and while the knife will remain in the sheath with out the strap, it will not do so during vigorous movement.. the weight of the knife will almost guarantee it comes out....
 
Welcome to the forums Bear!

If this was a fighting knife and you would be asking about speed of draw - than maybe the answer would be different - but for a user - in an outdoor environment - speed is not that important - it's having the knife that counts!

I go for Jump-qualified sheaths any time I go hiking - it takes an extra 2 seconds to get it out - but it is there no matter what happened - whether you walked all day, slipped and fell down, or crossed water on your way.

As for speed-out-the-sheath - few bit Bud Nealy's rare earth magnets sheaths. (You can also get the Boker - Nealy collaboration for a lot less)

Survival sheath systems can make you a sheath for any purpose and knife - and many think they are some of the best carry systems on the market today.
 
I usually carry my fixed blade inside a daypack where it's still readily accessible, as well as secure from accidental loss. The only time I've needed fast access to a knife has been when drifting a river, when my driftboat entangled in some overhanging branches in a narrow slot on a fast river. I had a kukhri handy in that event, tucked between a boat seat and a pack. A lockback IWB or in a pocket is fast to deploy and far less likely to lose than an upside-down fixed blade.
 
Blilious said:

I go for Jump-qualified sheaths any time I go hiking - it takes an extra 2 seconds to get it out - but it is there no matter what happened - whether you walked all day, slipped and fell down, or crossed water on your way.
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What do you mean by Jump-qualified? How do you test it? I have tried to sling my SRK out of its sheath, and tried to jar/shake it out. So far so good. I'm afraid to get too violent in my testing as I might need someone to drive me to the ER. Boy, is this blade sharp! By the way, my handle is Baercountry, after a brand of pistol I favor. Thanks.
 
by the knife it's carrying...

I would describe landing with a military parachute the same as jumping off a 12 foot house, and with much of your gear, that's guite a fall. In order to minimixe physical damage, you pretty much have to fold up yout body and roll. It has always been a concern for the parachutist that his/her knife might be stabbed with his/her own knife upon impact. Some parachutists' knife sheaths have a metal covering (as with the Air Force Survival Knife) as to prevent this from happening...
 
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