Knife carry; left or right side of belt?

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On which side do you wear your knife?

  • Right side, I'm right handed

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Right side, I'm left handed

    Votes: 7 10.0%
  • Left side, I'm left handed

    Votes: 6 8.6%
  • Left side, I'm right handed

    Votes: 13 18.6%
  • Either side, I'm ambidextrous

    Votes: 1 1.4%
  • Left side, I'm ambidextrous

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Right side, I'm ambidextrous

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Other, please state

    Votes: 11 15.7%

  • Total voters
    70
  • Poll closed .

Imagedude

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 24, 2011
2,004
46
Gwynedd
At the Moot I realised that I find it easier to wear my knife on the left even though I am right handed. I hold the sheath with my left hand and remove/replace the knife with my right, I find this much easier than trying to place a knife (held in my right hand) back into a sheath on my right. On which side do you wear your knife and which is your primary hand?
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,714
1,960
Mercia
Strong side hip carry on a dangler - easy to find and replace and swings out of the way for sitting down
 

MartiniDave

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Aug 29, 2003
2,355
130
62
Cambridgeshire
I seldom carry on my belt these days, prefering neck carry with it stuffed in the front of my shirt, similar to Mor K or Cody Lundin.

Dave
 
yep i wear left hip for cross draw But as its kydex i can wear it horizontally and only need right hand to draw and replace
dosnt need to swing out of the way its never in the way ;) and you can fit a handy pouch if you like

dspmaxpkypouchdmp500.jpg
dspmaxpcfkypouchhigh500.jpg




the big Parang Ive also found is best left hip and you can use left hand to hold while you draw

XL Nessy is Horizontal rear carry right draw

dnkxlmckydex700.jpg


dnkxlreardraw603.jpg


[video=youtube;WkB32-RVjo0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkB32-RVjo0[/video]
 
Last edited:

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,129
2,869
66
Pembrokeshire
For the majority of the time I carry my knife in a "dangler" sheath on my right hip (I am right handed) but my machete, Leuko or Billhook I carry on my left.
I also have a "cross draw" horizontal sheath for a Wharncliffe style knife which is worn on my left, edge up.
I also carry a Mora (full length tang) on a thong around my neck at times - the position I carry my fixed blade tools depends on so much.... sometimes they just live in my bag until needed...
 

sasquatch

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2008
2,812
0
47
Northampton
Baldric carry for me so none of the above. It's great in the colder months not having to fumble under layers of jacket to get at it and doesn't get in the way when sitting or bounce on your leg when walking...
 

Perrari

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Feb 21, 2012
3,090
1
Eryri (Snowdonia)
www.erknives.com
I carry on the right hand normally as I am right handed, but if I am carrying e.g. a camera pouch and/or an axe on my right I may move it to the lefthand side. I am now using a diagonal sheath that is on the right but towards the front, so I could carry all on the right hand side, and the sheath is also comfortable and out of the way when sitting down.

DSC_0013_663.JPG
 
Nov 29, 2004
7,808
22
Scotland
"...yep i wear left hip for cross draw But as its kydex i can wear it horizontally and only need right hand to draw and replace
dosnt need to swing out of the way its never in the way ;)..."

Some nice kydex there. :)

Right handed, right side, sometimes on a dangler, but usually not.

belt24.JPG
 
Last edited:

Two Socks

Settler
Jan 27, 2011
750
0
Norway
I carry right side, but am left-handed. I mainly do this because I cannot get used to my knife being on 'backwards' on the left side. I`d always start cutting with the spine.
 

Gaudette

Full Member
Aug 24, 2012
872
17
Cambs
Right handed and have on right hip.


--------------------------------------------
"If we had some bacon we could have bacon and eggs, if we had some eggs"
 

shaggystu

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 10, 2003
4,345
33
Derbyshire
I carry right side, but am left-handed. I mainly do this because I cannot get used to my knife being on 'backwards' on the left side. I`d always start cutting with the spine.


if the way that you're carrying your knife is causing you to use your knife unsafely then i'd suggest that maybe it's time to re-think the way you carry your knife. either get a left handed sheath or maybe some kind of baldric for your existing sheath (i'm left-handed too, i went with the latter, it works great)

here's a photo of my sheath, it started life as a right handed belt sheath, it's now a left handed baldric style sheath

2ro1ipt.jpg


as for the OP, other, see above :)

cheers

stuart
 

ged

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jul 16, 2009
4,977
13
In the woods if possible.
I voted 'Other'.

I'm left-handed and somewhat ambidextrous. Pouches containing my multi-tool, lighter, torch, tweezers, tiny Victorinox penknife and a bit of microfibre cloth are always on the left side of my belt. So if I carry a fixed blade knife (which is rare, it usually stays in my pack) it goes on the right. I don't really care if it's a left-handed sheath or a right-handed one because I generally take hold of the knife by the handle -- so it doesn't matter at all which way the edge faces until I take it out of the sheath and start using it. Normally I look at the blade when I do that. :)
 

mohd

Member
Jul 4, 2012
12
0
Malaysia
Left side, I'm right handed :)

It's just natural, comfortable and very practical to sheathe or unsheathe any shapes and sizes of knife placed on the left side of the waist with the right hand.
You can do that either with both hands or single handed.
And you have more than enough space to motion you right hand in sheathing or unsheathing the knife without unnecessarily and unnaturally over-bending the right hand.
In fact you can do the sheathing and unsheathing of the knife either from the front or from the rear of your body.
And you can even use the heap or the shoulder movement or both to minimize the hand movement in unsheathing and sheathing the knife.

Even if the sheath is not strap to your waist (i.e. or any part of your body) still you'll hold the sheath with your left hand and you'll sheathe or unsheathe the knife with your right hand :)

mohd
 

Two Socks

Settler
Jan 27, 2011
750
0
Norway
if the way that you're carrying your knife is causing you to use your knife unsafely then i'd suggest that maybe it's time to re-think the way you carry your knife. either get a left handed sheath or maybe some kind of baldric for your existing sheath (i'm left-handed too, i went with the latter, it works great)

here's a photo of my sheath, it started life as a right handed belt sheath, it's now a left handed baldric style sheath

2ro1ipt.jpg


as for the OP, other, see above :)

cheers

stuart

Thanks for the advice. It wasn`t unsafe as much as it was inconvenient though. I solved it by carrying my knife on the right hip so it isn`t 'backwards' anymore and that works for me. I should experiment a bit with the baldric carry too, as I`ve heard much good about it on here in the last couple of days.
 

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