I divide about 1/3 of my jeans' back pocket with a vertical line of stitching for carrying large, long traditionals. I've heard of people carrying a slip there, but that seems needlessly hot and bulky, albeit less permanent. This allows me to effortlessly carry a 4.5" GEC 65 Ben Hogan or a Buck 110 without them getting in the way or turning sideways. You'd think that sitting on the knife might be an issue, but since it stays to the outside, side of the pocket by design, it's not really 'in the line of fire' when sitting. Even the smallest knives in the front pocket, I feel, as they inevitably turn sideways and bridge across my thigh, but back pocket like this is absolutely invisible. The biggest thing to adapt to for me was that it's displaced the option for keeping my wallet (already moved to front pocket with a simple rubber band around the vital cards) or my phone, which I've taught myself to use in my left back pocket. Priorities. I posted a while back in the general forum about some more involved tailoring, but this simple mod has been by far my favorite after some more time. Anyone else use the same solution? It's really removed the limits on what I can carry comfortably. I know several guys use their wallet to prop up a knife, but I don't like mine back there for security. Then again, maybe the knife is more valuable than the contents of the wallet in some cases.
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My Favorite Back Pocket Carry Method
- Thread starter Wright_xx
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birdsbeaks
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Since you're already breaking out the needle and thread, why not add a line of stitching to the front pocket to keep your knife upright and separate from the wallet as well?
So,
I still like to have full width up front for my hands. I would be in trouble in the army. I am experimenting with just a tiny 1/2” line at the bottom. Not ironclad, but keeps them from sliding over too easily. If I have to put it back occasionally that’s okay as long as it doesn’t feel weird when I have my hands in there. Mainly though, keeping my main blade in the back is enough and I end up not using a second knife even if I do carry it. Useful for when I want to get a smaller one in the rotation though. I can’t get them out of the deep pocket in the back.
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I use a safety pin to have a pocket in my front pocket to cary a slipjoint vertical. Only 1/3 the lenght of the knife is enougt to keep it straight up
A few years ago I did exactly what you're suggesting to the right front pocket of several pairs of jeans. Not only does this keep a knife upright in the pocket but allows carrying two knives in the same pocket without letting them rub against each other.
birdsbeaks
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I may bust out Grandma's old sewing box tomorrow and see what I can come up with.
I don't like my knives clacking against each other or much of anything else, so I've been going the slip route, but slips add extra bulk and an additional step to deploy. I may try both back and front pocket mods.
Here we are in 2023, still using 15th century pocket technology. smdh...
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"Safety pin trick" for me, too. I learned it here on The Porch, and it works like a charm. I only do it for my left front pocket, along the lower part of the right edge. I have a safety pin in each pair of pants I use, and I've never had one come out in the laundry or come open and poke me while I'm wearing the pants.
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Love it! RIP Tony!
I use a front pocket wallet and park a slip joint vertically next to it. Similar to Tony's back pocket carry solution.
It's a lot harder for someone to pick your front pocket.
I started with the safety pin to get a feel for where to put stitches in my front pocket. Several pairs I’ve just left it in there and never got around to sewing them. I’m surprised to read that back pocket is not comfortable for you. For me, when riding to the right side of the right back pocket, the knife doesn’t land underneath me when sitting, but just off to the side. I could forget I even have it on me. I’ve got a sentimental Case seahorse whittler up front today though. And with the little roadblock to keep it from slipping down, it’s feeling invisible too. This seems to work a little better than the safety pin now that I have stitching in this pair of jeans.
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I've been using the safety pin trick in the RFP for awhile now. Mostly works great, especially with larger knives. It's how I carry a Case 6265 SAB these days, in the right front pocket. If not for the vertical carry, I wouldn't have been willing to carry such a large, heavy folder in my pocket.
I did have a couple of safety pins come unclasped in the laundry though, with one of them coming all the way out and left in the bottom of the washing machine (family member found it). And one pin seemed to have been caught up in the moving workings in the machine's tub, and it pretty well wrecked the pin. I've been surprised that the pocket material itself hasn't been torn over time, laundering my pants with the pin in there. The material has held up well.
And due to no fault of the safety pin trick itself, I learned to be careful about what knives I carry that way. I have a Buck 110LT that had an issue for awhile of the blade tip not being held closed securely enough by the rather weak spring in that knife. Occasionally, it wouldn't close fully on its own, or worse, after being in the pocket for awhile, the tip would gradually sneak out and get exposed above the blade well. That knife's tip managed to catch the fabric and slice through the forward edge of my front pocket, inside my jeans, when I put it into my pocket. I'm lucky I didn't get stabbed in the groin by that, when it happened. So, point being, make sure the knife you put in your pocket has enough spring to keep the blade tips fully closed and concealed.
The back pocket method illustrated earlier by Tony B. was intriguing to me some years ago. I tried carrying my traditionals that way for awhile, in my jeans. But more than once, when pulling my wallet out of the pocket, the knife would get dragged out with it. A couple of them took hard landings on concrete that way. And I would've lost my older Camillus-made Buck 307 stockman, were it not for the kindness of a stranger who tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out the knife laying there, without my being aware it had come out. So, I can't quite trust the method anymore. This is likely one of those 'your mileage may vary (YMMV)' things, and may work fine with others' combinations of a particular style of jeans, what style or size of wallet, the particular knife itself, etc. So, I'm not condemning the method as a whole. But there were some issues with my own experience, in trying it.
I did have a couple of safety pins come unclasped in the laundry though, with one of them coming all the way out and left in the bottom of the washing machine (family member found it). And one pin seemed to have been caught up in the moving workings in the machine's tub, and it pretty well wrecked the pin. I've been surprised that the pocket material itself hasn't been torn over time, laundering my pants with the pin in there. The material has held up well.
And due to no fault of the safety pin trick itself, I learned to be careful about what knives I carry that way. I have a Buck 110LT that had an issue for awhile of the blade tip not being held closed securely enough by the rather weak spring in that knife. Occasionally, it wouldn't close fully on its own, or worse, after being in the pocket for awhile, the tip would gradually sneak out and get exposed above the blade well. That knife's tip managed to catch the fabric and slice through the forward edge of my front pocket, inside my jeans, when I put it into my pocket. I'm lucky I didn't get stabbed in the groin by that, when it happened. So, point being, make sure the knife you put in your pocket has enough spring to keep the blade tips fully closed and concealed.
The back pocket method illustrated earlier by Tony B. was intriguing to me some years ago. I tried carrying my traditionals that way for awhile, in my jeans. But more than once, when pulling my wallet out of the pocket, the knife would get dragged out with it. A couple of them took hard landings on concrete that way. And I would've lost my older Camillus-made Buck 307 stockman, were it not for the kindness of a stranger who tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out the knife laying there, without my being aware it had come out. So, I can't quite trust the method anymore. This is likely one of those 'your mileage may vary (YMMV)' things, and may work fine with others' combinations of a particular style of jeans, what style or size of wallet, the particular knife itself, etc. So, I'm not condemning the method as a whole. But there were some issues with my own experience, in trying it.
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