Home Forums Gear Knives and Blades Sheath carry

Ripsnort,

Personal preference is fine, do what works best for you; but the contempt you show towards those who actually use a sheath knife as it was intended by wearing it on their belt is nothing less than pure arrogance on your part. Untold millions have been doing it wrong for centuries? I don't think so. The idea of only carrying a sheath knife when it's in a pack is the height of absurdity.

You expressed your preferences and your reasons, you should have left it at that.

Actually, I've been considering the Roman gladius myself. Those Romans were smart guys, the short sword works much better for close in encounters with lightly armored animals such as deer than something along the lines of say, a broadsword or two handed "knightly blade", which are better used against heavily armored animals like bears.

Also, while a broadsword is more conducive to completely cleaving a deer in twain, the short sword, if handled correctly, will disembowel the animal with one swift stroke.

The other option is a Klingon d'k tahg (see attached picture) which I've found very useful for ritual slayings of smaller animals in the neighborhood. When worn openly out hunting or camping, especially in concert with a good batleth slung over the shoulder, these help keep people away from my campsite and/or hunting area and give me more privacy.

I have no doubt about that, have you tried wearing it to work? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

WMacD,

1. Do NOT tell me what I should or should not have done.

2. "the height of absurdity"? No, absurd is carrying a piece of equipment on one's belt during a utilitarian enterprise such as hunting in, I suppose, an effort to impress others or one's self.

3."doing it wrong for centuries"? No, a trapper working his way up a foothill valley in Montana in 1850 needed to have a knife or two on his belt. Others in times past needed to have a large knife at hand for self-protection because that's the best they had available to them at the time. The crux of this is need vs. show. I find it illustrative of my point that NOT ONE outfitter or guide that I have hunted with on three continents has carried a knife on their belt. A couple carried a Leatherman tool and a rancher in Colorado that I hunt with a couple of times a year carries pliers in a sheath on his belt all day everyday(which I have seen him use repeatedly throughout the day) as do many of his ranching neighbors. I hunt with a small group of men who hunt over 100 days a year every year. Not one of us carries a knife on our belts.

4. "pure arrogance.." Guilty as charged. When I see a "sport" carrying a sheath knife "as it was intended", IN MOST CASES, he is telling me more about himself than he intended to do. And what he is telling me is that he has more in common with Elmer Fudd than Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. You call it arrogance, I call it profiling.

5. As with any profiling, the profiler can be wrong. To anyone who has taken legitimate offence at my posts in this thread, I apologize. But to those who have gotten their knickers in a twist because someone pointed out that the emporer has no clothes, I offer an amused smile and say," Self-delusion is perhaps the most pleasant address."

RS

Interesting that you model your behavior after real men, I guess that makes you a poser.

I'm sure when REAL men see a snob like you outdoors with your fanny pack, most will think you're a poofer!

Some of the modern designed folding knives are much stronger than many of the older folder designs. If that works for you, then so be it. Enjoy!
In my experience, NOTHING is stronger or more dependable than a fixed blade with a full tang. They are best carried in a strong, safe sheath worn on the belt or a pack strap. I have 100%confidence that a fixed blade will not close up on me while I am using it. And, most properly designed fixed blades have handles that are conducive to hard work, and are safer to work with than a folder with a poor handle design.
I USE Bob Dozier's designs, carring a PGK in a Wilderness Kydex sheath ON MY BELT, and a Straight Personal horizontal ON MY BELT or a pack strap. There when I need them.
I give a damn if anyone is impressed or not.

It is my observation that over the past few months, The Campfire has lost a good bit of it's humor, civility, and intelligence. It is truly unfortunate that many threads have begun to rapidly devolve into adolescent ass-showing contests. I am told that the same thing happened at Accurate Reloading, a site that I do not frequent. It seems that many AR members have gotten tired of the unpleasant atmosphere and have migrated over here. Unfortunately, many seem to have brought their low-brow decorum and combativeness with them. Direct personal attacks, as opposed to intelligent, humorous, logical, factual discussion, seem to be considered acceptable behavior.
This thread has become an example of what I, and I think most other members, do not want The Campfire to become. If any reasonable members feel that I have contributed to the way in which this thread has retrograded, I sincerely apologize. This was certainly not my intent. I will not be posting further on this thread.
RS

Too ashamed to carry a knife

on his belt where it should be.

He hid it deep within his pack

where no one would ever see.


Then came the day he needed it

and he needed it real fast

but he couldn't get it quick enough

before he breathed his last.


On his stone are these words

"Here Lies a Foolish Man

HE Would Have Lived If Only

His Knife Was In His Hand"

RIPSNORT - "I always look askance at "hunters" that wear a knife on their belt. And the bigger the knife, the bigger the goofball. Kind of an "all hat, no cattle" sort of thing. "
___________________________________________________________________

Rather disengenuous, Ripsnort. From your first post -- a portion above -- you insulted anyone and everyone, past, present, and furture, who carried or carries a knife on his or her belt while hunting. Note your rather unsubltle insult of said hunter being a "goofball," and the larger the knife the goofier he or she is.

Everyone wells knows the "All hat, no cattle" jibe, and you made it very clear, that anyone of millions who hunt, who does not do everything YOUR way, is a "goofball."

Perhaps in your everyday world, gross insults are typical of the way you do your business, handle your personal affairs, and socialize with others, therefore denigrating people for the way they do things, is normal... to you. But then to act as if YOU are the injured party because many here do NOT do things your way, i.e., carry a knife in a pack instead of on their belts, is utter nonsense.

You began the insults. A hunter asked about a belt knife sheath and you slammed anyone who'd carry one... unless it was in a pack.

You remind me of the man who runs up to a mule, kicks it in the behind, the mule returns the kick and the man then screams and cries, "Why'd you kick me? I didn't do anything!"

Won't work here.

BTW, although I've not hunted on three continents, I've hunted a lot all over the U.S., including going on seven guided elk/deer hunts in Colo., Wyom., Idaho, and Mont. I can not recall any guide or outfitter, or wrangler, who DID NOT have a 3" or 4" fixed blade knife on his belt. ( For about 43 years, I've carried a 4" fixed blade on my belt while hunting and never had an accident, and never had any hunter "look at me askance" for wearing it. Frankly, I could not possibly have cared less, if some arrogant know-it-all DID look at me askance.)

You're holier-than-thou, sanctimonious, better-hunter-than-you attitude reminds me of an outfitted elk hunt on which I went up in the mountains above Durango, Colo., several years ago.

For years, I'd owned a pair of batwing chaps for riding in cactus and heavy brush. I put them on at trailhead as we were beginning to mount and string out. There was a hunter there from Miami, Florida. He looked at me, laughed hard, made derisive remarks of how I looked "Hollywood, etc."

The outfitter, the wrangler, and the guides, all wore chaps. My hunting buddy and I were the only "dudes" who had them.

Before that trip was over, due to the fact that we were riding horses in some very rough, brushy country, often knocking against pine trees, etc., that Miami hunter offered me $300 for those chaps, as his legs were raw from the beating his legs took.

Naturally, I didn't sell them. Still have them, in fact. Still use them when I ride horseback. He learned that perhaps, he was not quite as smart as he'd thought he was.

So, next time you begin the insults of people, you might not act so innocent when those you insult, come back at you.

L.W.

I have to laugh when I read what I call the "Big Knife Greenhorn" theory. When I was 10 or 11, being an avid reader of Field & Stream and Fur, Fish, & Game, I often read about the "theory"....a man's experience in the outdoors was conversly related to the size of his knife. I immediatley started saving tomatoe picking and paper route money for a petite, slim, bird and trout knife. I was going to be a woodsman, by God!. Nobody was going to call me a rookie because of my knife!

But then I started spending more time with my Grandfather, an absolute true backwoodsman, from Michigans Upper Penninsula. One thing I noticed right off, was that he was always seemingly prepared. Simple things; a wool blanket, and a well worn Model 94 in his truck when we were traveling in the woods. A small ice fishing rod always seemed handy when we were around the tiny trout steams that criscrossed the area. An axe was never far away. And one thing I noticed, was that the smallest knife he ever carried had a 6 inch blade, and it was attached right to his belt!!! Holy Mackeral! Was my hero really a posing greenhorn backwoodsman wannabe? So I asked him about it. I told him what Jim Zumbo and all of the other gunwriters (of whom he had never heard of) had to say about rookies and full sized knives carried on their belts. His only response? "Those fella's must have never been back here and NEEDED a real knife" In my infinite 11 year old wisdom, I asked a piercing follow up question "Huh?" I probed...."Take you knife and go wittle me a sapling I can use for a crutch" he commanded....I came back 10 minutes later with a worn out bird&trout knife, and a sapling the size of his thumb. I immediatley understood.

When I was in the Army I reafirmed the value of a big knife. No, not hung uside down like on TV, and not for cutting throats, but hung on my belt as was intended, and handy for jobs as diverse as opening c-rat crates to cutting ropes and brush.

Later on I started hunting with another true woodsman of the north, Ron LaClair. He too had a love of large knives. I quickly saw the value of a big knife in the deer and turkey woods, for brushing up a blind, quickly trimming branches away from a treestand, splitting kindling or a pelvis bone....all done with less hasle than carrying a hatchet or a saw.

Oh well. Whenever someone smirks at my 9" Natchez Style Bowie, I just smile and hope they don't get to far from the truck. By the way, nice poem!

AMEN!
This is a good subject, even if there is some off tangent
"Type A" personality clashing. I think it is very important to review our equipment choices, seeing such equipment is used much more frequently than our firearms during a hunt.

Leanwolf, Very well put!!!! And to everyone else have a great day no matter how you carry your knife!!
Jared

Qualifying your opinion based on the fact that you've paid people all over the world to hold your hand on various hunting trips is akin to carrying a broadsword on a squirrel hunt - says alot about your experience. If I had slept with whores on three continents it would not mean I knew a thing about beguiling those not for hire - Same-same for hiring your hunting done for you. I'd suggest you do it your way and others do it theirs. Personally, I carry a Leatherman on my belt and a fixed blade in my pack.

I have always carried my Camillus copy of a Ka-Bar Marine combat knife on my belt when hunting or on my LBE when doing military stuff.

It's the world's best can-opener, good for rapidly cutting up light wood, digging a small hole, pounding in tent-pegs, pounding out dents in automobiles, mixing stuff, applying glue, and whatever. It also could be used to defend myself if my firearm were off-line for whatever reason. AND it comes with this handy loop to carry it on my belt or LBE. (The third such one sheath I've owned for it. Wore the other two out.)

Hi Leanwolf, I liked your post but have slightly different experience. I have hunted on three continents and been on a few guided hunts although the vast majority of my hunting has been unsupported. I don't see fixed blade knives that often any more. They don't appear to be as popular as when I was young, say back in the early 60's. Fixed blades have won me over and I will always carry one, mostly in my pack but that is a personal preference and one I have only recently developed. I have seen hunters use big knives with amazing skill and their knives appear appropriate for separating large rear quarters.

I always bone my game and find a 3 inch blade is all I require for elk sized animals. A longer blade would be nice but weight is my enemy. I did take a bigger knife for boning my Bison in the field but am certain a 3 inch blade could have been made to work and I agree it wouldn't be the ideal size.

I suspect a lot of the carrying preference is what one gets use to as is the length of blade they prefer.

I will admit to "looking down" on the dandy that has a huge knife on his belt (especially if it looks like it belongs in a sci-fi movie) but then "look up" at the tough old buzzard with the tatered flannel shirt, sweat stained hat, carrying the same length of blade. I view the first as a tool carrying a knife and the second as a man carrying a tool.

I have done something similar to the "rubber band" and "o-ring" trick mentioned above. I use a small piece of parachute cord (the real thing, which will last forever) and weld the two ends together by melting them and shoving/squezzing them together. The loop is permanently through the belt loop and with a little stretch will go over the knive handle and thereby giving me a more secure feeling about losing the knife. If you think you may need quick access in the immediate future, just pull the loop off, over the handle and you have normal access.
Also some sheaths I make for full length fixed blades are the pouch type, but with a flap over the top just like the folder pouchs. It is a real secure system also, and easy access.
If I was into digital cameras, I would show pics.
I do normally carry a good small to meduium sized fixed blade on my belt when hunting, but I usually have another knife of some sort in my backpack. But them I make knives and usually have an excess on hand so carry locations can be mutliple and varied. I do take advantage of opportunities to field test knife and sheath designs so that I can speak from experience when I say "this works for me". <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Boise, I certainly take your point on the fixed blades today. Wouldn't surprise me today if a lot of guides are carrying folding knives. The last outfitted elk hunt on which I went was in 1990, in Wyoming. The guides, etc., were carrying fixed blade 3" & 4" knives, At that time, I lived in Los Angeles, and I and my buddies booked hunts in various States, as we had no time to go elk hunting, doing it ourselves.

Today, there are some mighty good folding knives out there that will handle the "hunting" duties very well, and I'd imagine that many guides, etc., are carrying them.

Frankly, I've never seen an elk, Black bear, antelope, or deer that I couldn't take apart with my old Buck 110 folder (1968 vintage), but I still strap that old 4" fixed blade on my belt. Old fashioned, I suppose.

Being in Idaho since 1997, I have the time to scout out, find out a bit about the country, talk to people, etc., so I have no need to book an elk/deer hunt.

One reason I carry that fixed blade on my belt is that for many years, hunting deer, bear, etc., up in the Sierra of Calif., and other places, was I hunted and camped alone. I always wanted to make sure that no matter what happened, I'd have a good knife on my belt, in case...........


Hope you have a good hunting season this Fall. Just eight months 'til elk season!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

L.W.

I have a Buck 110 that I have had for at least 20 years. It's a great knife, but the thing I hate about cleaning game with any folder is the cleanup afterwards. All those nooks and cranny's seem to hold on to blood an fat. Fixed blade knives are sure easy to clean.

My sentiments exactly! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

L.W.

Probably hard on the knife but I threw my folder in the dishwasher after cleaning a big game animal. The blade came out really dull but the handles always held up. I figured the extra time to resharpen and oil was worth the effort.

I wouldn't consider putting a custom knife in the dishwasher, I was using the cheap-o bucks with the plastic handles. Home Depot carried them in their tool section.