Shoulder sheath set up? worth it or not

Kieran Klein

Kieran Klein

Joined
Feb 21, 2014
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266
While making knives for over a year I am getting well into the groove. Sheaths on the other hand not so much. I have been interested in making a shoulder sheath set up. I am not making them to be for self defense though if they are used that way fine. I would make for small medium and large knives hunting and edc carry I am thinking. But I am not sure people like them as opposed to hip mounted.

What are your opinions on the set up? Pros and Cons

Thanks for your time guys/gals!
 
What you are going to get are a bunch of opinions…..so here's mine. Shoulder sheaths rigs appeal to a much smaller segment of the consumer population than belt carry when it comes to using knife carry eg: hunting, camping etc. I would challenge anyone to prove that shoulder sheath carry is in any way superior to the time tested belt or sash carry. Shoulder carry takes much more material and time and must be fitted or at least semi fitted to the specific body type of the user and must have further adjustments available for different clothing etc. Belt carry requires little or none of this. The popularity (if any) of shoulder sheath carry is, in my opinion, a product of the movie "operators" which have little if any basis in real life and use.

In summation, a "mall ninja" would probably love shoulder sheath carry or center of the back (Crocodile Dundee) carry or scout carry, but envision, if you will, re-sheathing the knife after use. Not easy without cutting yourself, or the sheath, or taking the rig off. Now just figure out how much of your business is "mall ninja" oriented and go with the flow.

Paul
 
Yep what Paul said. Traditional sheaths are traditional sheaths because they have been around for a long time. The reason they have been around for a long time is they work. That being said I use to carry one upside down taped to a shoulder harness. For that specific application it worked very well. But for normal day in day out carry, nope.
 
I hate to say it because I always seem to be on the other side of the fence, but I've made a few shoulder rigs and have a few on the order log. Mostly to hog hunters and a few to Safari hunters. Two in Africa right now, several in South Texas. None to mall ninjas though.

Think of the shoulder gun rigs so popular for concealment and weight distribution, nothing on the belt sometimes is a good thing. A well made shoulder rig will balance a nice .44 mag and a big pig sticker very well and very comfortably, while having all that weight hanging on either side of your hips can be a literal pain. Try running with several pounds of steel flapping against your legs, the shoulder rigs tie into the belt so no flapping. Shoulder rigs can do double duty if you add a shock absorbing insert to the rifle side. :)

Its all in how you think about things, and who you think about.
 
Dwayne, as noted in my post, it was just my opinion so with your permission I will refer any and all orders for shoulder rigs to you……happily.

I note the key word FEW in your post and that was one of my original points. It's not really a big segment of the available market, especially when compared to traditional belt carry. Also if your main volume is other than the more tactical offerings, ( Busse, Becker etc.) it is even less. The bulk of my business is for high end customs, some used and some will never see any use.

Paul
 
Dwayne, I can't say I'm awful fond of a shoulder holster either. I'd sure like to see some pics of your rigs though.
 
Thanks for your input guys. You both have great points. I don't make tactical knives as most of mine are hunters or choppers. I guess I can make both and just make one based on how it fits style wise.
 
Paul

I took no offense my friend and neither should you. I just wanted to include a positive take on the rigs for the OP to make his decision upon, nothing more. I dont need more influx especially those over complicated shoulder rigs, they are a huge pain to make as they are highly fitted. The check is good, but that is about the only good thing about them. :p

With more time teaching these days, its good to scale things back. And like I said, I'm away from here more and more often these days.

Differing views dont mean disagreement or fighting, differing views are the reason we do what we do. If we all agreed on what we made dontcha think it would be one hell of a boring craft? I do. Even mall ninjas need a person to make their black armor and weapons. No me, but someone out there does it and I wont hate them because I dont see any reason to make gear like that, I also dont see making overly decorated gear either but I dont hate you for making it, I admire it.

'Course by now I think you'd figgerd out I dont agree with most anyone on anything, I'm fussy that way. :D I will argue all day with anyone that wants things one way and one way only.

Now them rectangular bushcraft monstrosities that some make, nope, no reason for them to exist anywhere anytime nope. :p ;) :p
 
Horsewright said:
Dwayne, I can't say I'm awful fond of a shoulder holster either. I'd sure like to see some pics of your rigs though.
Click to expand...

I'll have to dig a couple out, Not sure where to look right off but I'll find em. :) One for a Jason Knight Bowie I'm particularly proud of.
 
Heeeey some of the guys I respect most make those bushcraft rigs. :p

Seriously though, I wish that I was in a position to make what *I* like exclusively, but that is not the case. I will make whatever the customer wants regardless of how I feel about the design. Now I will certainly offer my input about what has worked well for me, or what hasn't and, fortunately, the customer almost always considers that input, but at the end of the day, I'm not making these things for me. I'd go broke very quickly if that were my stance.

I've never made a shoulder rig and would have no idea where to start. Fortunately I know an excellent craftsman that does a beautiful job of them. I'll happily point a customer in his direction!
 
I like a Baldric rig for bigger heavier choppers (thats not really shoulder carry, though).

It puts the knife off side/reverse carry about at belt height.
 
I'd really like to see some pics of what you guys are talking about. I think I have a bit of a misconception as to what exactly you mean.
 
I like a Baldric rig for bigger heavier choppers (thats not really shoulder carry, though).

It puts the knife off side/reverse carry about at belt height.
 
I like the baldric as well, its a very handy mode of carry. I'm working on two baldric rigs are are a simplified approach to using those Y shaped ring attachments. The fellow simply asked for two snap hooks and that both sheaths be dangler optioned. The snap rings hook onto the dangler ring and viola!
 
I am pro Baldric carry for larger knives, and particularly Khukris. I offer a flat belt loop on the back along with the Baldric set up and strap.

Paul
 
I did one, just to see if I could.
Less shoulder rig and more WW2 USGI Tanker 1911 holster.

Made it modular so it fits a good number of my sheaths with the SB stud.



Shown along with the cross draw 'frog'.



And no, I haven't worn it anywhere lol.
As I said, to see if I could and so I can have one :)
 
The Jason Knight knife sheath, I thought I had more pics, but this at least shows the shoulder rigging, I have a couple more to look up but this one is nifty because he can use different knife sheaths on this shoulder rig as it snaps on and off and yes it includes holsters.
Front


Back


And the rig all together, the long strap goes around the back of the neck and snaps around the belt on the other side.


Test, found another pic, dunno if it goes right so here goes
 
Hey now, Mall Ninjas and all their super uber tactical gear pay the bills. What the end user does with their sheath whether picking their nose with it or mounting it on a plaque somewhere next to their ninja mask is fine with me.

I hate making shoulder rigs, I refer everyone who asks to Dwayne. The time involved fitting and fooling just isn't worth it for me when I can make 10 ninja bushcraft sheaths in that time. :D Now wearing one on the other hand in the winter is great. It's alot more accessible for me than an inside the waist rig. a 40 and a pair of mags to offset it work great.
 
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