The knife community has come a long way since the days when the only ways to carry a knife were in your pocket or on your belt. Innovations in carry options have grown with technology. As new materials and production methods have emerged, they have stoked the fires of creative minds across the industry.

One such innovator is Tim Wegner, president of Blade-Tech Industries, which also makes a line of folding knives and is one of the leading manufacturers of thermoplastic and injection-molded tactical and outdoor gear.

Blade-Tech is among the leaders in thermoplastics, many of which are custom molded to each knife, gun, etc. The modified acrylic, PVC-alloy thermoplastics sound complicated, but use of Blade-Tech sheaths is easy because they are extremely durable, lightweight and comfortable.

Good Golly Miss MOLLE

Wegner is improving on his carry systems with a new carry accessory called the Molle-Lok attachment system for use with military-spec MOLLE webbing, which is also popular with hunters and police. (Pronounced like the female name “Molly,” MOLLE is an acronym for “MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment.”)

“Traditionally, a lot of the MOLLE gear would sag because it’s not really that tight,” Wegner commented. “If you’re trying to crawl, it may sag down and get in the way. [The Molle-Lok] keeps it high and tight to the body.”
Wegner said the Molle-Lok is covered under his original Tek-Lok patent.

The Tek-Lok is an attaching and locking device than can be secured stationary by two retaining locking tabs. It may be fixed in place permanently by a perma-clip. The Tek-Lok can be easily removed from a belt by pressing both retaining tabs together. The Molle-Lok, Wegner said, is basically a version of his Tek-Lok, but is thinner, elongated and scaled down to be compatible with MOLLE gear.

“What we did was make it stiff and rigid so you don’t have to weave it,” Wegner added. “Just pop it down there and clip it.” Molle-Loks come in sets of two and in two sizes, small (manufacturer’s suggested retail price [MSRP]: $4.89) and large ($4.99 MSRP).

Blade-Tech also offers the Eagle Industries KS-F (Knife Sheath-Folding) folding knife sheath, an 11-ounce nylon multi-tool pouch designed for carrying folding knives either in a vertical or horizontal position on your belt.

“You can put [the KS-F] on a Tek-Lok and just pop it on and off your belt,” Wegner pointed out. “Or, when I’m out on a safari, I’ll keep a DMT Diafold in there to keep whatever knife I’m using razor sharp.” Another option is to attach the KS-F to web gear with the military spec loops fastened on the back.

“[Thermoplastic]-molded pouches [for various folders or multi-tools] are hard to do because [knife and multi-tool] designs keep changing,” Wegner said. “The only way to do it is to build an adjusting system into the pouch. We’ve got a couple of designs where we have built such [adjusting systems into them], but it’s a real complicated mold and we just haven’t pulled the pin on it yet.”

MercHarness

George Matheis has used sheer ingenuity and the materials at hand to design a system to carry an inverted fixed blade for Columbia River Knife & Tool (CRKT). Called the MercHarness, the system is a great alternative to neck chains and belt sheaths for knife carry.

Matheis, known professionally as “Mercop,” a law enforcement officer and a certified weapons instructor, is also adept at various forms of martial arts. His preference for carrying a fixed blade led him to create an inexpensive, concealable, comfortable way to wear one under nothing more than a T-shirt.

“I made it even harder on myself,” Matheis continued. “I wanted to be able to get to it with either hand, whether I am standing, kneeling, sitting or lying on my back.”

The MercHarness is a small and simple shoulder rig made from “gutted” parachute cord, which enables the cord to lie flat. The system is designed to work with any knife that has a Kydex® sheath with eyelets. The cord wraps around both shoulders and uses the sheath’s leg-tie eyelets to suspend the knife upside down under the armpit for quick, draw-down access. It is adjustable with sliding rubber stoppers, even while being worn, and is comfortable enough for all-day carry.

“The first one I made was just a large loop of parachute cord that ran through the two eyelets of my CRKT Polkowski Kasper Companion,” Matheis explained. “It was not much to look at, but everyone in the class the next day wanted one.”

Leather Options

Maybe you are not into all the new tactical gadgets and super plastics. I know many who prefer natural materials and are just plain turned off by anything other than “natural stuff.” If you are one of those folks, there are still a lot of options available.

For example, Kenny Rowe offers traditional leather sheaths in various configurations that allow for what everyone can appreciate: options.
Rowe’s company, Rowe’s Leather and Goods, offers sheaths that you can wear just about anywhere, from inside your belt to in your boot and elsewhere. One interesting variation is his Quad Position sheath, which you can wear horizontally on the belt behind the back. “A swinger attachment can be slipped inside the drop-loop belt loop for extreme low carry,” Rowe said. “There is also a swivel option.”

Rowe’s Shoulder Rig is another nice approach to knife carry. It comes with a choice of a regular safety strap over the guard, a thumb break, or a Pin Loc. “I’ve even made some with magnets inside the sheath for retention,” he noted. He also can integrate an accessory pouch or a holster for your favorite handgun.

Rowe’s list price for the Quad Position sheath is $90-$125 and for the shoulder rig is $120-$155, depending on whether it is standard leather, exotic inlay or anything in between. The systems come in all the exotic hides and skins available, though as Bob Schrap of Custom Leather Knife Sheaths pointed out, the exotics are not strong enough by themselves to be the primary material. For that reason, standard leather is used, which is then inlaid with the exotics.

“Because none of the exotic skins are heavy,” Schrap explained, “I will overlay various types of exotic materials—crocodile, snake skins, lizard skins, elephant—whatever I have available.” He added that sometimes he will use Kydex inserts.

“There are two occasions where I will use a Kydex liner inside a leather sheath,” he said. “If the knife’s blade’s got a severe trailing point, I feel more confident having Kydex in the sheath. Number two, if the individual is going to use the knife in any airborne work, I will line the sheath with Kydex.”

Schrap also makes concealment sheaths for inside the waistband—where just a loop around the belt is visible—and a traditional under-the-arm sheath like those for pistols.

There is no need to worry about options when it comes to carrying a knife every day. With progress comes new innovations that will continue to bring fresh ideas to the forefront.