# Ways to Carry a Fixed Blade Knife
A while back, a blog post titled “9 Ways to Carry a Fixed Blade” was written by my friend Trevor. That post was great, but in the years since it was written, the fixed blade world has expanded. I have discovered eleven additional fixed blade carry methods, none of which are gimmicks. Each of these excels in different ways, so it’s important to carefully choose the best option for your next fixed blade knife.
I will model many of these carry styles in pictures, and most require a belt. These pictures will quickly show that I need to lose a few pounds and inches. I’m aware of this, so please go easy on me!
## A word about Sheaths
The most significant factor in determining how you can carry your knife is its sheath. As a rule of thumb, leather sheaths are made for a specific carry style, while polymer and canvas sheaths are more modular. I’ll explain in each section what sheaths for that style of carry most often look like. Alright! Let’s get into it!
### Standard Belt
This is the most common way to carry a fixed blade. The sheath sits vertically on the belt, and the knife slides down into it. Gravity helps keep the knife in the sheath, so retention isn’t as much of an issue. If you’re using your fixed blade every day, this is a solid option. It’s easy to get the knife in and out. This type of carry is best for small to medium-sized knives and is a favorite of forest workers, hikers, and EDCers. They love it because it keeps their knives close at hand, while keeping them high and tight enough to keep from snagging on things.
This carry style is very versatile, but it has its limitations. It is not the fastest way to get to your knife, and it often sits behind your midaxillary line (more on why that matters later), so it might not be the best for a self-defense knife. Carrying your fixed blade like this also pushes the handle fairly high on your torso, so if the knife is too big, it can prod you in the ribs. That high seat means you often have to lift your shirt to get to the knife, which is EXTREMELY LAME when it’s cold outside.
### Tip-Up
This is much like the standard belt carry, however the knife is upside-down. This means that gravity is working against you, so any sheath without a rigid body and either a snap fit or secondary retention isn’t an option. This is a rare way to carry a knife, but some people use it. I tried it and found that my knife kept poking the chair I was sitting on (by the way, good luck drawing the knife while seated). It even unbuckled me once while I was driving, that was fun. This style of carry is only good for very small knives. Big knives both prod you in the ribs with the blade and harass your surroundings with the handle.
I found that this carry style excels in two situations: when the knife is worn under a hip belt on a backpack and when it’s worn under a big coat. Both make drawing your knife upward very difficult, so drawing downward is an easy alternative. Other than that, in my opinion, you’d be better served by tip-down orientation.
### Drop-Leg
If you have a bigger knife, drop leg can be a great option to make the knife more comfortable to carry and easy to draw. Instead of mounting the belt loop in the middle of the sheath, drop-leg extends a tongue of either nylon or leather to mount the loop at the base of the handle. This “drops” the knife down your “leg.” I love it when a name comes together!
The drop-leg is much like the standard belt carry, but it trades ease of carry for ease of access. It’s way easier to draw the knife, but it tends to snag on stuff more. You see these sheaths on medium to large fixed blades. The sheath is more likely to snag on stuff, but people don’t often take these knives on hikes. You see them more around camp, the garden, and on survival knives.
### Dangler
If you want even EASIER access to your knife, and you don’t mind it snagging on EVERYTHING, this is the carry method for you. Make no mistake, your knife is full-on dangling with this carry style. That means that if you’re kneeling, crouching, sitting, etc. the sheath will hang as low as it possibly can. This makes accessing your knife very easy, but it makes the knife snag more than any other style of carry.
You see these a lot on bushcraft knives. Bushcrafters like to stay in one area and create all kinds of crazy stuff with natural resources. They don’t hike much, so they rarely encounter things to snag the knife on. Another feature is it puts the blade much lower, and therefore increases the range of motion for long blades, which is why swords use danglers, too.
### Leg Strap
This one is built on either a drop-leg or dangler setup. Instead of just letting the knife hang, the user will tie a strap or some cordage around his/her leg. This makes the knife easy to draw from a standing position, as the cord pulls against the sheath while drawing.
If you like drop legs or danglers but you also like to hike, this might be for you. It really helps the knife not snag on things. I genuinely do enjoy using leg straps, but I always feel extremely nerdy while wearing one. That’s worth mentioning.
Some knives take it a step further and use two leg straps to attach the blade instead of a leg strap and a belt loop. This is the preferred method for scuba divers who don’t have a belt and wear skin-tight wetsuits. It’s secure, and it makes the knife easy to reach.
### Cross-Draw
This carry style is much like the other belt-carry styles, but it positions the knife on the weak side and forces the user to draw it across his or her body. This is great for a number of situations. If you carry a firearm on your strong side, the weak side is a logical place to put a knife. This also lets you reverse draw with your weak hand in a scuffle, which is always nice! Just make sure you’re trained, licensed, justified, etc. Don’t do anything stupid.
Cross-draw is also perfect if you have a very long blade, like a machete or a sword. After a certain length (for me it’s about an 8-inch blade), strong-side drawing becomes very difficult. Your arm is only so long, and to draw it strong-side, you have a torso and armpit to fuss with. But to draw it cross-draw, you get the entire width and length of your torso and the ability to reach forward as you draw the blade. Much easier!
### IWB
Inside-the-waistband carry, or IWB, is the preferred way to conceal a knife. It makes it harder to draw, harder to sheath, less comfortable to carry, and can lead to some awkward questions if you print the wrong way, but the knife is fully concealed. I only recommend this if, for whatever reason, you don’t want the world to know you’re carrying a knife, like you’re a bodyguard, police officer, or a well-trained citizen.
If you are one of these, you probably also conceal a firearm, and the same rules of concealment apply here. Bigger and longer is harder to conceal, so play your cards carefully! It may take some trial and error to find the perfect balance for you, but when you figure it out, IWB can be a sustainable way to carry your defensive blade.
### Scout
This is our first horizontal carry option. For scout carry, the sheath rests at the base of the spine along the beltline. This tucks the blade out of the way, so it doesn’t snag nearly as much on stuff. Just make sure your knife is shorter than you are wide, or that snagging will quickly remind you of its existence. This style is easy to draw from but can take a bit of practice to get good at resheathing. Scout carry is easy to conceal, and it makes for a great conversation starter around the campfire! But here’s the downside. This summer I was camping with a church group, and one of my buddies needed a knife. Without asking, he just reached for the handle and yanked it, and the knife was in his control. It wasn’t a problem and nobody got hurt, but imagine if you were in a fight. If, for any reason, your hands were busy with something else, that knife could become your enemy in record time. Moral of the story: Carry scout style around camp, but NEVER carry it anywhere you are even remotely likely to end up in a fight.
### Cant
Whether carried at the small of the back, on the hip, or elsewhere, this carry style involves the knife being stored at an angle. This is a matter of preference. If you naturally want to draw the knife at an angle, the cant might just be for you. Depending on where you carry it, it can increase or decrease your ability to conceal the knife, if that matters to you.
### Appendix
This carry style orients the knife horizontally in front of you, just off to the dominant side. It makes it easy to grab the knife from just about any position, but there are two important things to consider. First, this can be uncomfortable when seated if the knife and sheath combo is too large. Second, the longer the blade, the more uncomfortable questions you may have to answer. This is a favorite of hikers and EDCers because of its ease of carry and access, all while being easy to resheath as well. But carrying a knife in your boot is about the coolest thing you can do. Ladies, carrying a knife in those tall riding boots you bust out every fall is really cool. The choice to make with boot carry is whether to carry inside or outside the boot. Inside doesn’t snag, outside doesn’t chafe. Just make sure it’s small and light enough that it doesn’t make walking difficult.
### In-Pocket
This is, in my opinion, the best way to carry a knife for everyday tasks. You take a small knife and mount its sheath inside your pocket right where a folder would naturally go. You have all the access of a folder, but all the strength of a fixed blade. Just know that this will occupy most of your pocket! I also notice that when it’s hot outside, I tend to sweat under the sheath more, so I carry my in-pocket fixies during the winter. Other than that, I have no beef. This is probably my favorite way to carry a fixed blade!
### Shirt Tuck
If you have a knife without a sheath, this is the method for you. It was popularized by edged combat expert Ed Calderon, who learned it from his mother. To defend herself, she’d wrap a standard paring knife in paper and tape, roll it twice in the seam of her shirt, and tuck the whole thing into her waistline. As it turns out, this is a great way to have a fixed blade knife handy at a moment’s notice!
### MOLLE/PALS Webbing
This is the most tactical of all the carry styles, especially if you use a vest. Many sheaths come with some method of attachment to webbing, allowing you to carry your knife on a pack or vest in just about any orientation. Everyone’s setup is unique, and this carry style allows you to use whatever works for you. Tactical indeed!
## Why Carry a Fixed Blade?
Fixed blade knives are the pinnacle of blade strength. I always want my tool to be something I can count on, and fixed blades are the most trustworthy of any knives. Yes, they are a bit more challenging to carry, but when you figure out a system that works for you, you will enjoy the benefits of strength and ergonomics without noticing the downsides. If folders are your jam, rock on! But if you’ve always wanted to carry a fixed blade, I hope you’ve found a method of carry that works for you!
