how do you weild your knife when wearing a hipbelt on a backpack?

K

kaizo

Joined
Oct 17, 2014
Messages
798
I usually crossdraw so wearing a hipbelt on a backpack could sometime be annoying. Does anyone have the same problem and how do you get around it?
 
a few options depending on the balance of the knife. A baldric rig worn under the pack works well for larger knives. If the knife is blade heavy then a simple dangler cord from a belt loop would let the sheath sit below the hip-belt. Or more advanced than that, some guys do a drop-leg rig, too tactical for my tastes, but works very well for some. pocket carry works for small knives, and the sheath can be secured with a "tac-tether" a cord run up out of the pocket so on the draw the sheath clears the pocket, stops at the end of the cord, and you have knife in hand. Other than that, some form of neck rig or inverted carry is also an option, just depends on your retention.
 
With a pack I usually took a smaller knife and attached the sheath to the front of the pack shoulder strap. Out of the way but accessible. I never tried it with larger knives.
 
If you only need a day pack, many (or most?) smaller packs have belts that are higher than your waist. The nylon strap on my Cabelas hunting pack is high enough that it doesn't interfere with a pistol on my regular belt and shouldn't be a problem with a fixed blade either.

Of course if you are carrying heavier loads then a good hip belt riding on your hip bones is the way to go and then the suggestions listed in previous posts are good choices. I have a Mystery Ranch pack and it has Molle webbing on the hip belt so I can attach a fixed blade directly to the pack's hip belt. It's a nice feature of their packs.

When deer hunting I don't carry a fixed blade on my belt though. I carry a handgun on my belt and a folder in my pocket for utility duties. I leave a couple fixed blades in my pack for field dressing.

You are right though that it is an issue, how to carry a fixed blade when you have a pack.
 
sideways said:
Folder in the pocket or fixed blade in the pack.
Click to expand...

This.

I don't need anything more than a pocket knife (Opinel) while on the trail.

I add a small caribiner type clip to some cord to make a simple "dangler" style for around camp if I'm expecting the need for on-going access to the knife. Goes on and comes off easily.

My Son's Sheath by Pinnah, on Flickr
 
I just returned from a three-day hiking trip, and had a Camillus Barbarian (roughly ESEE 3 size) in a kydex sheath clipped via Tek-Lok upside-down to a pack strap. I could have done the same with a slightly larger knife using a similar sheath setup, although I don't generally find myself needing fast access to a knife while on the trail and could just as easily stow it in my back.
 
I favor a cross draw horizontal dangler, with two attachment points to the pants belt. With the set up I designed, I can also wear the sheath on a baldric strap, if that seems best at the time.
Armoralleather made this for me.
 
I'm gonna throw my own spice to the mix and say baldric carry. :D Simply the most comfortable, easy access way of carrying and you can take the knife off super easy. And if I'm walking longer distance I just usually put it to my backpack.
 
If you are wielding a knife then I'd hope it's in your hands unless you're trying some apocalypse now teeth carry.
 
Im a big fan of running my knife inverted on the shoulder strap (assuming a good retention sheath) or on the side of my pack, currently for hiking i run a maxpedition falcon 2 with my becker bk17 attached to the molle on the side
 
I wear it low...below the line of my waist. Think about a "thigh holster" fora handgun - that's a good comparison
 
When I'm wielding it, it's in my hand. When I'm carrying it, it's in a sheath. ;)
 
Most things are covered it seems.
Just adding one.
In my home country where most fixed knives are legal but knives generally looked down upon except SAKs and Opinels I attach it to the bag so that my right hand can grab behind me and reach the handle. This way the knife is almost completely hidden until I need it.
Of course it takes some trial and error
to make sure it's secure and also doesn't rub around on your back. Once done properly it works just fine. Longest hike I did with it was 100km in 2 weeks in the Alps.

PS. Never needed the knife for anything I couldn't have done with an SAK. :p
 
I was hiking yesterday
I decided for the first time (and last) to wear a small sheath knife on a dangler underneath my hip-belt of my pack
I put it into my back pocket so it would not bounce around

I slipped on a very steep slope
No big deal, it happens
But
I landed on my side where the knife as in my back pocket
The knife gave me a massive bruise where I landed on it

Lesson learn
If I am carrying a knife it will go on the hip belt itself
 
neeman said:
I landed on my side where the knife as in my back pocket
The knife gave me a massive bruise where I landed on it
Click to expand...

When I asked some motorcycling friends what sort of pocketknives they carried, this was a named concern as the reason why many carried none.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top