The "don't raise eyebrows" BK9 carry method

[coote]

Today I wanted to check my game camera up where I hunt, and naturally I wanted to take a big knife with me. However, my wife wanted to take the dog for a walk first.

I didn't want to leave the BK9 all lonesome in the car, but I also didn't want to spark an armed offenders squad callout. So I fitted a simple cord baldric sling to the niner and hung it under my jacket.

I am seldom without a knife. I have a few folders that have spent a lot of time in my pockets. While folders can be very handy, they aren't the most reliable type of knife on the planet. Here is a picture of a decent pocket knife:

Best wishes to all for the Fourth of July.

 

[Aikiguy]

Pretty sneaky…I like it!

 

[Galeocerdoshark]

Clever! A day with the 9 is always a good day.

 

[52100]

That seems like a smart way to discreetly carry a pretty large knife. Before I opened this thread I was envisioning photos of you carrying it ninja style over your shoulder. THAT would be a little weird.

 

[DOC-CANADA]

The first 2 pictures look like the beginning of a fashion show. I'm suspecting a bit of influence there from your neighbour, M. Dundee, "This is a knoife!"

Kidding aside, a baldric is the answer for knives as large as the 9. In fact, I use baldrics for most fixed blades. I just find it much handier.

Doc

 

[axlplayer14]

Great idea! I'm going to use this for my bk4


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[SALTY]

Never thought of the Nine as a pocket knife, but if it works ...

 

[coote]

I have quite often carried my short machetes on a baldric sling. I have found though, when I bend over a lot to work with trap sets.... and when I am using the machete repeatedly, it is much better to have a nice open-topped pouch type sheath on a belt. When bending over, a simple baldric slung sheath can swing about and get in my way (unless I'm wearing it under a jacket)..... and I don't wish to add the complication of a belt or waist tether to the bottom of the sheath.

Here is one of my latest machete sheaths made from 2 inch diameter polythene water pipe. I heat it in the oven to around 250 degrees F, then squash it between a couple of boards to keep the blade portion of the sheath flat as it cools. The open top allows me to easily re-insert the machete using just one hand. Sometimes I've used a 'dog' clip to fasten my sheath belts, this time I've used a simple wire hook tied to a cord that is fastened to the main belt cord with a Prusik loop. This allows for a quick adjustment of the belt.

However..... Granitestateofmind has shown me the beauty and benefit of the Celtic Button Knot, and I am currently favouring this as a belt fastening instead of a buckle, hook or clip. The knot on the left is the Celtic Button Knot. The terminal knot on the right is a simple type of bell cord knot (like half a double fisherman's knot but with three turns instead of two)... but it doesn't matter what type of knot is used here. You don't even need a knot, although it makes the belt easier to grip while adjusting the sliding knot. The orange cord has two loops on it. One end goes over the button knot, the other forms a sliding Prusik Loop over the main belt cord. I could have a Celtic Button Knot on both ends of the cord, but having different sized knots helps you identify them by 'feel' when you can't see them under your clothes or in the dark. A nice neat knot for the loops in the orange (sliding) cord is the Perfection Loop.... one of Doc's favourites. This arrangement can be used for a belt or a baldric. I've used this cord because it was free, although if I wanted to have a dedicated baldric, I'd probably pick a type of cord that blended better with my clothing. The Prusik sliding knot is very useful. It grips tightly on the main cord when pulled by its 'tail'. But it can be slid along the main cord when you grasp it by the wrapped part of the knot.

If a knife is particularly heavy, then you might want to have a braided, wider, main body of the belt to help spread the load:

The green cord is what is used in my part of the world for making and repairing large trawl nets for fishing.

 

[Plainsman]

Just be sure to check your local laws! If one was to do that here without a CCW permit, it would be considered an illegal concealed weapon.

 

[coote]

Good point Plainsman. I'm not too sure whether or not we have specific laws relating to concealed weapons here. For a start, it is illegal for any of the NZ public to carry a handgun unless they are on an approved pistol range.... and to actually own a handgun you need a special permit, special storage.... and you have to be an approved member of a recognized pistol club.

Flick knives are totally banned.

Carrying any knife in a public place could get one in trouble here... concealed or not. I think there is some rule like you can't carry a knife without a legitimate purpose. Sooo... you would be likely to be in trouble for having a knife if caught doing something illegal or if you were associating with folks with a record... or if you were behaving strangely or in a threatening manner.

Fortunately I am yet to meet a local law enforcement officer without common sense or who doesn't understand country living or hunting.

I guess toting a '9 in a public place could get me in trouble, but so could a three-inch Opinel folder if I was doing something anti-social.

If I had got questioned for having the 9 under my jacket that day, I think that any cop could see that I was just bonding with a new favourite tool rather than being a risk to public safety. The love-light in my eyes would have been sufficient evidence. Besides, Beckers are tools not weapons

Trying to board a plane with the same rig might have been a little risky to my freedom.

Forgive me if you've heard this story before.... but it is a good one. A few years back, and elderly farmer friend of mine was going travelling. As he approached the metal detector at the airport he realized that he still had his trusty Mercator folder in his pocket (a lock-back knife with a blade maybe 3.5 inches long.... often used by farmers and hunters at the time). He took the slim knife and slipped it into his shoe. And then walked through the detector.... which fortunately did not detect the knife.

Not something that I'd recommend. But he got away with it. If you are wondering what a Mercator is... here is a picture:

 

[Gaston444]

Today I wanted to check my game camera up where I hunt, and naturally I wanted to take a big knife with me. However, my wife wanted to take the dog for a walk first.

I didn't want to leave the BK9 all lonesome in the car, but I also didn't want to spark an armed offenders squad callout. So I fitted a simple cord baldric sling to the niner and hung it under my jacket.

I am seldom without a knife. I have a few folders that have spent a lot of time in my pockets. While folders can be very handy, they aren't the most reliable type of knife on the planet. Here is a picture of a decent pocket knife:

Best wishes to all for the Fourth of July.

How broad are the straps to distribute weight at the top?

I actually used this type of carry with United Cutlery elastic strap shoulder harnesses (from their karambits), but so far the straps I have used were broadened (by me) to only around 1.5" wide, with a round behind-the-neck "patch" of maybe 3", and, for all day carry comfort, the only medium size fixed blades light enough for these 1.5" straps had to be well under 10 ounces: For a 7" blade or more, that practically limits to only narrow blade daggers... The double grind is what makes them light enough...

For obvious practical reasons, the handle should be down...

Gaston

 

[coote]

I've only ever used a simple, single bit of cord when carrying a knife in baldric fashion. The short machetes I might carry this way are generally quite light and I've experienced no trouble with the cord cutting into me. I generally wear a shirt with a collar and this stops the cord rubbing against my skin, and it helps to hide the cord if I don't want to upset folks. Furthermore, the cord I use might be less than 1/8" in diameter.

Some of my sheaths will allow me to have a 'blade downward' carry, but I am more concerned with safety and security rather than a quick draw. Besides, I find I can get the knife drawn pretty quickly because the sheath swings freely without any sort of a tether strap at the bottom. I simply grab the handle and pull down. The sheath rotates enough to allow a quick and smooth withdrawal across my chest. The cord that the machete sheaths are slung from is fastened to the sheath well below the knife handle.... thus helping the sheath to pivot easily when I want to use the machete.

I wouldn't want to make a habit of pulling my '9 from an upright sheath slung under my arm. The cord sling passes through the flap of the sheath near the handle top, thus making things a bit harder to pivot. And I'd be likely to cut through the sheath if I tried to rotate it as I withdrew the knife. So while I might occasionally carry the nine with its handle under my armpit, it would only be if mounting it on my hip was not the best option for the circumstances.

When I carried the nine as shown in the picture, it was hanging on a bit of 'square' braid about quarter of an inch wide. For the relatively short time I carried the knife this way I felt no discomfort (but maybe this was because I am still in the honeymoon period with this knife... kinda like a newly-wed couple thinking that a small single bed is just fine).

When I go walking, I often have my car keys on a string around my neck as I feel this is a more secure option than just stuffing them in my pocket. By law we have to carry a dog lead when walking a dog, although we are not obliged to use it if the dog is under control, so I have a braided lead I made that I hang like a baldric. And sometimes I might have a pair of small binoculars stuffed under my shirt with a cord around my neck. So with all these things, plus maybe a knife hanging from a cord under my jacket, I might look like a bit of a weaving loom.

While a dedicated, wide harness is a good option for carrying a knife baldric-style.... a bit of string is simple to find and it doesn't attract much attention. It is not that I do anything illegal with a knife, I just don't like to cause alarm or give the anti-hunter types something to protest about.