Need advice on choosing and carrying a fixed blade

Surfingringo

Surfingringo

Joined
May 25, 2013
Messages
3,700
Hey all, I am a knife nut and a big spyderco fan. I have several very nice folders that I carry daily, and have recently been considering getting a nice fixed blade. My main concern is whether or not I would actually carry it. I live in a small beach town in Costa Rica so nobody cares about blade length or other restrictions. You can walk through town with a machete on your hip if u like. My concern is comfort. I don't wear belts and often don't have pockets so I carry my folders iwb. How would I carry a fixed blade. Clip on sheath? I should also point out that just because I can, doesn't mean I want to be walking around with some giant Bowie handle sticking up like I'm pretending to be Mick Dundee. :). Something discreet and functional would be better. I don't really have much info, so I'm open to hearing what your favorite knives and carry methods are for fixed blades.

Thanks,

Lance

P.S. I would probably get something medium-small. Ie < 4 1/2 inch blade. I'm not looking for a mini machete, but more like a fixed blade edc. I don't really know, but I'm open to all suggestions.
 
Bucklite Max (large) is a 4 inch blade and comes with a decent nylon belt sheath. Looks small enough to be a tool and large enough to get the job done.

Edit (Inserted pic) from http://www.woodsmonkey.com/index.ph...bucklite-max-review&catid=34:knives&Itemid=55

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Get a Cold Steel Kobun or Peace Maker, or a Spyderco Street Bowie, or Street Beat! All of them are great knives that you can clip to your waistband.

Alternatively, you can carry a neck knife. I love Cold Steel's Mini Tacs for that.
 
Street Beat or Street Bowie would be a great choice. The G-clip works great without a belt.
 
ESEE Izula w/ clip will IWB easily, its very slim.
 
I'm with you, I wear a lot of shorts with elastic waistbands and no belt as it is hotter than hell here on most days.
I found the ESEE 5/6 clip can be easily modified to fit any small to medium pancake style Kydex sheath.
They run around twelve to fifteen bucks and work great, you just have to do a little drilling and shaping.

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I have carried a inexpensive dagger in a sheathe that had a clip. Made a great iwb carry, but the handle stuck out a little too much. I have some small fixed blades I have designed and are trying to make, but was wandering what type of carry options to put on the Kydex sheath. I carried some boot knives iwb, but they are for more defensive purposes(boot daggers).
 
I'd probably go for a Southfork. I would bet you could adapt the sheath for IWB carry.
 
Captain Kirkwood said:
I'd probably go for a Southfork. I would bet you could adapt the sheath for IWB carry.
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Nice looking knife and great steel. The temperance looks really awesome too, but both of these might be a bit bigger than what I'm willing to carry. I can have the most awesome fixed blade in the world but if I can't come up with a comfortable and convenient way to carry it, it will sit in a drawer.
 
Surfingringo said:
Nice looking knife and great steel. The temperance looks really awesome too, but both of these might be a bit bigger than what I'm willing to carry. I can have the most awesome fixed blade in the world but if I can't come up with a comfortable and convenient way to carry it, it will sit in a drawer.
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You might want to give neck or baldric carry a try. Baldric style is basically running a length of paracord through the sheath and then putting it on like a messenger bag so the knife is hanging under your armpit. It's pretty comfy but I would suggest a knife under about 10 ounces or so. Most knives in the length range you're looking at will be under that weight anyway though.
 
Does anyone have experience carrying the spyderco g-clip sheaths iwb? How comfortable is this? I know that's a subjective question, so for a frame of reference I'd say I have no problem carrying large folders like the Gayle Bradley iwb. The street beat looks really interesting, but I'm hesitant to buy it without being able to try the sheath.

Oh, also, is the clip adjustable? In other words, can you adjust it to make the actual knife ride higher or lower?
 
The G-clip is a LOT wider than a pocket-clip or even most knives, but it is not hard to get used to if it isn't against your hip-bone. I definitely prefer plastic next to my skin vs the metal clips which flare at the bottom and gouge you :p

The problem with many of these set-ups, however, is how high they ride, which is why I made myself a drop-down extension that fits g-clips and tek-loks:

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That'd solve the high-ride problem. After that, it's a matter of choosing a knife you like that won't weigh-down your belt-less waistband ;)

OR you could just wear a belt, a waist rope/cord, scarf, etc. and then your options are limitless! Just a thought...
 
Surfingringo said:
Does anyone have experience carrying the spyderco g-clip sheaths iwb? How comfortable is this? I know that's a subjective question, so for a frame of reference I'd say I have no problem carrying large folders like the Gayle Bradley iwb. The street beat looks really interesting, but I'm hesitant to buy it without being able to try the sheath.

Oh, also, is the clip adjustable? In other words, can you adjust it to make the actual knife ride higher or lower?
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The sheath and clip is less bulky than it looks. Its decently comfortable IWB, but i dont prefer it that way. Vertical you cant change the ride hieght. Horizontal and canted you can slightly. I wear my Street Beat when i go running, it doesn't get in the way at all. I carry it vertical on my left hip handle facing forward and its very comfortable. I can draw it with both hands, reverse grip and normal grip. I highly recommend it.
 
As shotgun has mentioned I think you should consider baldric carry. It keeps the knife out of the way but handy when you need it. With the right knife it is very comfortable and secure. I usually carry an izula like this in the bush under my top layer but I guess you don't need a top layer in costa Rico!
 
Pick up a mora. you can clip the sheath on to your shorts, wear it as a neck knife, or if you find it's too uncomfortable for daily carry you can toss it in with your fishing gear.

Best part is it will give you a chance to see if you like carrying a fixed blade without hurting your wallet.
 
Get a Becker remora. Stainless and small enough to be worn around the neck. Check out tomars kabars.
 
I was looking at the spyderco puukko. That's a nice looking knife and I even think the sheath would be comfortable hanging from the waist. Only problem is the leather belt loop. I guess I could remove that and attach a clip to the loop. It would be nice to find something leather like that would halfway match the sheath. Maybe like a heavy leather money clip or something.
 
Having gone through the obsession and thought of a wearing a fixed blade. I picked up a Sandvik fixed blade Skyline. It was a really, really good knife. Fixed blades just didn't work out for me. Having experienced that tiny little fixed blade for several months. I would if I were to upgrade go with a Becker or ESEE only. They have enough accessories available to make your life a lot easier in terms of carry. What came in handier for my purposes and its entirely just me as I don't hard use a thing, was a CRKT Minimalist that I purchased late one night. I had no idea what happened my finger just hit the buy it now button after someone was talking in my head telling me how cheap it was. Lol. It ended up being a really useful fixed blade neck knife even the sheath was good. I was using it for garden duties until a forum member sent me an Opinel in a trade. Once you go Opinel for utility drawer duties it's just hard to go back to other knives.

My only wish was that maybe I should have ponied up for the real Folt's version made out of 154CM. But a tiny fixed blade neck knife is very convenient I'll just say.
 
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