Where to carry knife when backpack has a belt?

G

Grapevine

Joined
Mar 5, 2002
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So I've never had to use a weekend pack or larger that has the large waistbelt to take the load. I recently went to the sporting goods store to try one out, just out of curiosity about how much load it takes off the shoulders (doing my weekly grocery shopping and loading the day pack with 20 lbs of produce and canned goods and walking 1 mile back to my apartment is wearing on my shoulders).

I then notice as I have the big pack on that

1. The waistbelt clasps outside my coat, keeping the coat closed and cutting off quick access to anything that I wear on my pant's belt.

2. Even without the coat, things like my Leatherman get in the way of a proper fit for the pack because it hinders the waistbelt. Which gets me to thinking how would I then wear a sheath knife, because virtually all of mine are worn on the belt and only the traditional puukkos have the dangling belt loop. Not that I would wear a sheath belt in the city, but say if I were to go backpacking in the woods for a few days with this?

So how did you guys solve this?
 
Neckers.

most of my tools are in ready accessible pockets, front jacket pockets, bag front pocket. as for my primary.. lately I been using the mora#2 on a 550 necklace with my firesteel I like this because I walk into civilized areas sometimes and I don't want anybody thinking I'm a cook.. so when I make it into the public everything is well concealed.

I also use to have a bag that had zipped pockets on the belt.. which perfectly stored a multitool and couple other goodies. this is also a nice bonus if your like me...and many others..'diabetic' I tend to eat snacks while on the trail so that I don't get light headed... and instead of taking my pack off just eat and go.
 
This is one of the reasons that I have gravitated to a drop leg sheath (spec-ops brand - hate the tacticool connotation, but it's a great sheath!) as my preferred hiking sheath. It attaches to my belt and keeps the handle of my sheathed knife below my pack's belt strap.

I have, in the past, simply attached my belt knife sheath to my pack straps, which has definitely worked. Of course, this means that if you leave your pack behind, you risk leaving your knife with it, which I'm not a fan of.

All the best,

- Mike
 
you can either wear a light knife around your neck (thats the way I do it) or attatch some paracord to the sheath and impovise your own "dangler"
 
I stick my knife into the rack of the pack. Takes a bit of practice to be able to get it back sheathed but it works.
 
I usually attatch my knife to the side of my pack using the compression straps. Depending on the knife, I sometimes attatch it to my shoulder strap. My multi tool goes on my the waistbelt of my pack.
 
RescueRiley said:
you can either wear a light knife around your neck (thats the way I do it) or attatch some paracord to the sheath and impovise your own "dangler"
Click to expand...

Young people is visiting this forum, please stop the dirty talk.
Besides, some uptight person would properly call the cops on him and tell him to keep it in his pants.
:p
 
I attach it to the hipbelt or upside down on one of the shoulder straps.
 
I usually try to have my knife set up to clip onto a shoulder strap in a kydex sheath using a teklock, like in this pic. I have a little Gossman PSK clipped to my left shoulder strap.

The lanyard going diagonally across my chest is a baldric which is how I carry a larger knife.

007_20A-1.jpg


Andy
 
Mentor said:
This is one of the reasons that I have gravitated to a drop leg sheath (spec-ops brand - hate the tacticool connotation, but it's a great sheath!) as my preferred hiking sheath. It attaches to my belt and keeps the handle of my sheathed knife below my pack's belt strap.

I have, in the past, simply attached my belt knife sheath to my pack straps, which has definitely worked. Of course, this means that if you leave your pack behind, you risk leaving your knife with it, which I'm not a fan of.

All the best,

- Mike
Click to expand...

+1

A drop sheath attachment can lower the whole sheath (or holster) so that the knife rides below your pack's hip belt. At other times, my fixed blade is inside my pack and I have my EDC folder in my front pocket. It isn't ideal, but at least I still have a blade if I get separated from my pack.

-- FLIX
 
Just do what men have been doing since the invention of the knife, the sheath, and the belt: shove your sheath knife through the belt on the pack; or wear a second belt and shove your knife through it. Instead of having the belt hang around your hips, pull it up a little above your waist when you don your ruck. Run a dummy cord from your sheath to your second belt or ruck belt, and you're golden.

Mexican-loop sheaths are also good for this sort of thing. Same goes for holsters.

Wearing a second belt keeps your knife accessible and out of the way. If you drop your ruck, you don't have to go fishing around in your kit for your knife. I hate having crap strapped to my legs. Seems like it's always hanging up on something. Plus, you can really get to it with your other hand very easily. I can't, anyway; stubby, Irish limbs, damn them anyhow...
 
i often wear a dangler style sheath.

when i don't want it hanging though, or i'm carrying a knife without one...sometimes i will stick it in my pocket, or in an outside pocket on the pack. some pack belts will also allow you to thread the sheath right on to them...just make sure you move the knife to your belt before you wander off to collect firewood or something.

you could also wear it around your neck, as was suggested.
 
I either use a drop loop sheath or I put a small knife in my pocket and my larger knife in my pack.

Sharpshooter sheaths makes a drop loop add-on that converts many leather sheaths to a dangler style.
Droplooptrio_sizedt.jpg
 
Lots of good ideas here. For me there are a couple of issues - knife on pack means if you get separated from your pack, you get separated from your knife.

On the other hand, given my general anatomical awkwardness when I hike - it generally doesnt take too long for a knife to bother me if its shealthed on my person if I am walking long distances.

So, it generally is a continual flip-flop between having something on me or putting it on the pack. Where? Depending on the pack I use - either attached to the harness or in the top compartment of the pack.
 
Grapevine said:
So I've never had to use a weekend pack or larger that has the large waistbelt to take the load. I recently went to the sporting goods store to try one out, just out of curiosity about how much load it takes off the shoulders (doing my weekly grocery shopping and loading the day pack with 20 lbs of produce and canned goods and walking 1 mile back to my apartment is wearing on my shoulders).
Click to expand...

A good pack with belt allows to distribute the weight anyway you like and, more importantly, enables you to adjust and alternate the primary load between hips and shoulders thus providing some relief as needed.

The pack belt is also the reason I have a decent folder in my pocket.
 
I've flip-flopped on this one, from belt carry to pocket carry etc.

Recently I've tried inverted carry of my F1 on my L shoulder strap (similar to Andy's pic). With a quick-release buckle (one half is stitched via webbing to a D ring attachment point on the top of my shoulder strap and the other half is lashed to the holes on the bottom of my zytel sheath) and a carabiner (used to anchor the sheath's inverted dangler loop to the bottom of the shoulder strap) I can carry the knife for easy R handed draw and it takes only a few seconds to detach the knife sheath when setting the pack down. It gets snagged occasionally in thick bush but not too often. I chose those parts because I had them lying around.

That will do until I change my mind again :D
 
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