Bandolier knife carry?

[Elines]

Advice and views please.

I usually carry my fixed blade knife on my belt - right hand side and I am right handed. But I have always had difficulty in getting my knives cleanly into the sheath. Someone has suggested that a 'bandolier' form of carrying a knife might be more suitable for me, probably with the knife slightly inclined (handle upwards) and near my left arm pit/across my left chest.

Does anyone have views on this? Do the 14% or so who use bandoliers for knife carry get on well with this method - can anyone post any pictures please?

What are the disadvantages/advantages?

Would a temporary set up using a paracord bandolier with the sheath held in place with rubber bands (say) give a realistic 'feel' of what a 'proper' bandolier would be like in use. Would this form of set up be ok for permanent use or do you need something purpose made?

I should perhaps emphasise that I have no intention of concealing the knife, as I always wear my knife on top of my outermost layer of clothing. My aim is simply to have ease of access and storage when out in the woods.

I have already searched on the internet, British Blades and BCUK but not found anything of much use.

 

[JonathanD]

Have a look at this...

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91411

 

[shaggystu]

i tend to carry my knife like that chris, it hangs under my right arm (i'm left handed), with the baldric (slightly less bandito than bandolier imho ) across my body and over my left shoulder. i'm struggling to find a photo at the moment but i hope you get the idea.

advantages for me;

it's easier to get out and put away
it's easier to slip under clothing should i need to (not for concealment from people but from the weather)
it doesn't poke me in the backside when i sit down

disadvantages for me:

sometimes it can get in the way, using a bow saw is the main thing that springs to mind, but to be honest it's no great hardship, on the occasions that it's in the way i'm most probably doing something fairly stationary so i just take it off and put it in my bag/coat

here's mine

HTH

stuart

 

[sandbender]

"...Do the 14% or so who use bandoliers for knife carry get on well with this method - can anyone post any pictures please?

What are the disadvantages/advantages?..."

I usually keep my knife on my belt, however in cold or inclement weather I keep it under my left arm using a thickish cord. As long as it can be kept tight under my arm it works fine, if it were loose then it would be forever swinging around and inconvenient moments. JonathanDs suggested thread contains a link to how I tie the cord to my sheath.

 

[JonathanD]

The other option is to have a dangler mounted on your belt sheath so that it hangs lower and can swivel for easier access...

The same thing can easily be achieved with a hoop of paracord threaded through the belt loop which ves you two loops to thread the belt through. You can adjust it then for your own personal length preference and it can be removed easily and stored in your pocket.

 

[Elines]

Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Re a dangler - I have never used one but I think that - for me - it would only make matters worse.

The sort of position I was thinking of for my knife carry is like this (ie handle sloping slightly upwards and close under the arm so that it doesn't get in the way when bending over):

and I guess that the attachment method is this (as per Sandblender):

so I will give that a go.

If anyone has any further comments then they would be greatly appreaciated.

 

[santaman2000]

The position looks good. But I think an adapted shoulder holster (or rather the harness bit that would hold the holster) would be more comfortable; spreading the load better than a string.

 

[Elines]

The position looks good. But I think an adapted shoulder holster (or rather the harness bit that would hold the holster) would be more comfortable; spreading the load better than a string.

Thanks - that makes sense.

I will still try first with paracord just to check that access to and return of my knife is ok in this position, and if it is then I will decide if it is worth getting a better solution eg adapting a belt or similar.

 

[Graham_S]

I use a bandolier on some of my knives, I have a short length of paracord with a monkeys fist on the end that tucks under my belt to stop the knife swinging forward.

 

[sandbender]

I think a properly made leather shoulder rig would be more comfortable, although perhaps not so much when worn under a pack. Using a modified leather belt might not keep the knife in the position you want, although Graham_S's monkeys fist idea may sort that problem.

The cord I use for the shoulder string is quite thick (07 - 10mm) so it doesn't cut into me like paracord might. Additionally the cord gives me some flexibility for placement, I can loosen it and retighten it so that the sheath is across my chest if I'm working on something for instance, I can also redo the knots slightly to turn the shoulder sling into a dangler type setup.

With decent cord the sheath can be locked tightly under my arm and will not work its way loose. The cord used in the tutorial is Woodlore's tarp ridge line, these days I use a thicker piece of cord from a climbing shop.

 

[FGYT]

Most knives in this size/weight dont cut into your shoulder with a basic paracord sling they are usually over clothing etc

however if you wanted to you could knit a wider Para cord strap either a basic Cobra knot or more complex wider plat etc this would also give you a longer bit of cord if your into carrying cord like this for emergencies

ATB

Duncan

 

[shaggystu]

i've never had any problem at all with my knife digging in to my shoulder and i'm just using some cheap and nasty paracord type stuff for the baldric, but then again i suppose my knife is probably a little lighter than the average (it's certainly a lot lighter than a woodlore), what kind of knife are you wanting to use this rig for chris?

cheers

stuart

 

[Elines]

Stu - The knife I am wanting to try with this set up is a Raven PK1 - which, including sheath is around 15 ounces. But I'd want to try this set up with any knife as I have always had difficulties returning my knives to the sheath.
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The set up I will be trying is as per the pictures. It seems ok but I want to use it 'live' in the woods.
This is the angle/position I think I want it to be at:
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but in practice it tends to slip down into this angle/position:
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.but this is ok to try out. There is no discomfort on the shoulder - even when wearing just a shirt.
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Originally I tied the sheath closely to the belt (which is an old one I was using with the knife in a conventional 'sheath on belt' set up) but this was too rigid against my ribs. So I made the attachment into a loop:
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the sheath is attached to the belt as follows:
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I need to try this in different conditions and with different clothes/coats etc, but seems promising at this stage.
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Thanks for the help and suggestions.

 

[Corso]

tell us more about the Raven it looks a very nice piece from the pictures i've seen

if I has something as nice as that i'd be looking for a custom build along the lines of this Baldric rig adapter
rather than settle on a bit of paracord

 

[sandbender]

"...The set up I will be trying is as per the pictures. It seems ok but I want to use it 'live' in the woods.
This is the angle/position I think I want it to be at...I need to try this in different conditions and with different clothes/coats etc, but seems promising at this stage..."

I think it looks too loose, that is why I like using cord, once I have pulled the fishermans knots apart it is locked under my arm, it will not swing around when I bend down to work or inspect anything. Still, I am looking forward to reading about how you get on.

"...if I has something as nice as that i'd be looking for a custom build along the lines of this Baldric rig adapter
rather than settle on a bit of paracord..."

Now that does look nice.

 

[Elines]

Thanks for the comments - I'll take them into account when field testing.

I may well get something better looking but I will want to be sure that I know what I want before splashing out.

 

[Buckshot]

This is my carry in that fashion

It has a tag on the insde so I can tuck that into the waistbelt to stop it slipping forward when bending over
Made from Kangaroo leather
Mark

 

[Elines]

tell us more about the Raven it looks a very nice piece from the pictures i've seen

..........................................

Sorry - I am not planning to give any review of the knife see:

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=87660&p=1058209#post1058209

I remain very happy with it.

 

[Man of Tanith]

tell us more about the Raven it looks a very nice piece from the pictures i've seen

if I has something as nice as that i'd be looking for a custom build along the lines of this Baldric rig adapter
rather than settle on a bit of paracord

ooh i likes that
the gentleman looks familer too....

Elines that basic set up looks good for a tester