- Joined
- Aug 30, 2007
- Messages
- 5,483
When I had originally started making kydex sheaths, I had this terrific idea. I wanted to make a very simple, light, durable sheath that was fitted specifically to belt sizes for the best ease of unsheathing and resheathing the knife. I also didn't want my sheaths to have so much material to them that they were overkill for the average guy. I wanted them to be inexpensive, yet very well made with a strong attention to detail.
Well, all of those things are still my goal but one. I have several sheaths that I've made for myself in an effort to come up with the best one for everday / every position application, something that is comfortable to wear and can be worn in any position without having to make a bunch of changes to the sheath in order to switch carry positions. I've gone through several designs trying to find the best belt loop setup to accomplish that.
My favorite carry position is horizontal for everyday and woods use, so the first setup, I had used belt loops in a permanent horizontal carry position. To change it to vertical carry, you just had to loop some paracord around the belt loops a couple of times and you had vertical carry loops. The problem that I ran into was that I never wanted to take the time to do the paracord for vertical or neck setup. I'm lazy. So, then i came up with what I called my "cube" design. It had two sets of belt loops in a square formation so you could switch from horizontal to vertical just by slipping it off the belt, rotating 90 degrees and putting it back on. Sounded great in theory. Looked like crap and took to long to make in real life. That idea was quickly scrapped. It would cost too much for the customer, be too bulky, and it really did look like doodoo.
Luckily, and I know it sounds crazy to say luckily, I cut my finger wide open and had to take a break for a while. It was lucky, because it gave me time to think and the process of starting again forced me to only make simple neck rigs. Hense the Izula prototype neck rigs I made for some of the R.A.T. proto winners. The design was super simple. It was a very thin, light sheath, with eyelets to run paracord however the person wanted for whatever carry position they wanted. After a week or two of carrying it, I realized that I liked the comfort and simplicity of that setup more than any of my other sheaths. It also afforded me the ease of attaching stuff like pouches on the sheath without having to figure out how I would attach something whilst avoiding blocking the belt loops. Then I went to the Blade Show and picked up a R.A.T. Cutlery RC4. The sheath that came with it was the same simple design. If you didn't use the clips, just run the paracord however you want. Works great.
That's when I decided that the sheaths I wanted to make would not have belt loops at all. That way it was simple, light, versatile, and inexpensive for the customer. The eyelets will be positioned in a way so you can have a neck rig, horizontal carry, or vertical carry sheath without having to change anything. In my opinion, this is the best setup for everyday and woods carry. I'm sure that I'll come up with more stuff that I want to do with sheaths, but for right now, this is the direction I'm going in.
I know some people are thinking "why is he posting this here instead of in the sheath forum". Two reasons; One is that people who I want feedback or comformation of a good idea from don't check that forum nearly as much if at all. Two is because the people I want to make my sheaths for and who I think will appreciate them for their simplicity and design are here in the W&S forum. I want to make sheaths for people who do the same activities, like camping and practicing wilderness skills, that I do. That is who these sheaths are geared toward.
So, any ideas or feedback, please, speak up.
Dylan
P.S. If anyone knows where I can get a stamp made that will stamp my logo onto the sheath by way of paint that will actually stick to kydex or by heat, please let me know. I have a very cool design for a logo and would like to use it.
Well, all of those things are still my goal but one. I have several sheaths that I've made for myself in an effort to come up with the best one for everday / every position application, something that is comfortable to wear and can be worn in any position without having to make a bunch of changes to the sheath in order to switch carry positions. I've gone through several designs trying to find the best belt loop setup to accomplish that.
My favorite carry position is horizontal for everyday and woods use, so the first setup, I had used belt loops in a permanent horizontal carry position. To change it to vertical carry, you just had to loop some paracord around the belt loops a couple of times and you had vertical carry loops. The problem that I ran into was that I never wanted to take the time to do the paracord for vertical or neck setup. I'm lazy. So, then i came up with what I called my "cube" design. It had two sets of belt loops in a square formation so you could switch from horizontal to vertical just by slipping it off the belt, rotating 90 degrees and putting it back on. Sounded great in theory. Looked like crap and took to long to make in real life. That idea was quickly scrapped. It would cost too much for the customer, be too bulky, and it really did look like doodoo.
Luckily, and I know it sounds crazy to say luckily, I cut my finger wide open and had to take a break for a while. It was lucky, because it gave me time to think and the process of starting again forced me to only make simple neck rigs. Hense the Izula prototype neck rigs I made for some of the R.A.T. proto winners. The design was super simple. It was a very thin, light sheath, with eyelets to run paracord however the person wanted for whatever carry position they wanted. After a week or two of carrying it, I realized that I liked the comfort and simplicity of that setup more than any of my other sheaths. It also afforded me the ease of attaching stuff like pouches on the sheath without having to figure out how I would attach something whilst avoiding blocking the belt loops. Then I went to the Blade Show and picked up a R.A.T. Cutlery RC4. The sheath that came with it was the same simple design. If you didn't use the clips, just run the paracord however you want. Works great.
That's when I decided that the sheaths I wanted to make would not have belt loops at all. That way it was simple, light, versatile, and inexpensive for the customer. The eyelets will be positioned in a way so you can have a neck rig, horizontal carry, or vertical carry sheath without having to change anything. In my opinion, this is the best setup for everyday and woods carry. I'm sure that I'll come up with more stuff that I want to do with sheaths, but for right now, this is the direction I'm going in.
I know some people are thinking "why is he posting this here instead of in the sheath forum". Two reasons; One is that people who I want feedback or comformation of a good idea from don't check that forum nearly as much if at all. Two is because the people I want to make my sheaths for and who I think will appreciate them for their simplicity and design are here in the W&S forum. I want to make sheaths for people who do the same activities, like camping and practicing wilderness skills, that I do. That is who these sheaths are geared toward.
So, any ideas or feedback, please, speak up.
Dylan
P.S. If anyone knows where I can get a stamp made that will stamp my logo onto the sheath by way of paint that will actually stick to kydex or by heat, please let me know. I have a very cool design for a logo and would like to use it.
