Are you loyal to the constitution or the “institution”?
I've been carrying a folder regularly for a long time. Recently I began experimenting with carrying fixed blades, with the goal of finding blades that offer a good balance of capability and comfort/concealability.
I've been carrying a KA-BAR TDI in a Mathew's Fabrication sheath for about a month and am pleased with the results. The sheath is very secure, keeps the knife within quick and easy reach and rides unnoticed on the belt at the 11:00 O'clock position. With a blade length of 2.3 inches, the TDI is legal to carry in most jurisdictions and is quite useful for tasks other than "get off me" purposes;
I've been researching something larger that could be carried in the right-front zippered pocket of Duluth Foreman's pants (which are now my favorite casual pants that I have many pairs of). Having become a bit of a Ka-Bar fan boy, I purchased their Short Tanto with the goal of modifying the supplied sheath to carry the knife in said pocket. It worked out quite nicely - the knife and modified sheath fit perfectly in the pocket, where it rides comfortably and totally concealed. Access is not lightning-fast, but really no worse than retrieving a folder from a pocket and opening it.
With the zipper open, this photo depicts how the knife rides vertically in the pocket;
A photo of the knife & sheath positioned over the pocket depicting how it rides, and the modification to the sheath;
I'm seeing plenty of capability with this combo. They carry comfortably with total concealment, and since NH has no knife laws, are 100% legal to EDC - and of course there's nothing to stop me from carrying a folder or two as well.
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I carry this REK Knives Ember, (3" blade), as a neck knife pretty much every day. It can also be pocket carried or belt carried.
There's nothing civil about this war.
In "nice clothes" I use a "China Pick" in the standard sheath (that I ground down), with a DCC clip, IWB, behind my belt, then blouse my shirt over it. It's not perfect, but it works (most of the time).
In "jeans clothes," same CP, but in a DSG sheath, per Shivworks protocol.
ETA: I just realized that you can see my other sheath and belt in the background.
Last edited by Guerrero; 11-17-2023 at 10:40 AM.
"The victor is not victorious if the vanquished does not consider himself so."
― Ennius
I might need to experiment with this.
I’ve never had this problem before, but lately my Izula’s Dark Star sheath is turning on the flashlight clipped in my left pocket and causing it to eat through CR123s like potato chips. What’s happening is the pull the dot snap protruding from the bottom of the sheath is hitting the clicky cap of my Streamlight. I get home from a walk and my light is on when I take it out of my pocket (also quite hot).
I may also play with more centerline carry instead of to the left of my mag carrier. That’s never concealed as well for me but I’m also only carrying a fixed blade when out and about with the dog - daily life sees that knife replaced with a second 1911 mag, for now.
More on topic with the thread, I also carry that Izula vertical IWB in a modified factory sheath, after attaching a DCC to it. That’s always along for the ride on revolver days.
A sheath with two mounting points would work better with the velcro one wrap than the DSG (which works fine, but is not optimal). I have an extra DSG sheath you can try if you like. I just took a look at the sheath that Cecil designed and I think that it would work well with two 1/2 inch velcro one wrap bands on it.
My modified sheath and an unmodified version.
Last edited by Flamingo; 11-17-2023 at 11:52 AM.
Adding a piece of adhesive loop on the sheath for the one-wrap strap to grab really helps too.
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