Anyone have/use a chest harness/sheath?

S

sputnick

Joined
Mar 12, 2006
Messages
246
In my pursuit to carry a 4-5 inch fixed blade through daily life i've concluded the only place that offers reasonable concealment with a variety of attire is my chest. As a test I attached paracord to the factory nimravus sheath to go around the chest and over the left shoulder suspending it diagonally.

Satisfied the theory was sound I picked up some buckles, d-rings, and elastic band from walmart and put together something that resembles the Survival sheath systems chest rig. The elastic helps keep the knife flat against the body and still allows comfortable movement. All the materials used cost about $5 and are of poor quality. I plan to make another better harness but wanted an actual users input first.


So do any of you have a chest sheath? How do they work out for you? Got some pictures? Are the straps elastic or nylon? Does the knife stay flat against the body?
 
Forum member mercop makes a mercharness that sounds like what you are looking for. I've worn mine a few times, but didn't really need the concealment that it can offer for a larger knife. Since I don't need to carry anything more than a folder in my pocket, I haven't used it more.

I think its well thought out and would be useful to someone looking to carry a heavier knife and couldn't do the regular belt carry. Its almost like a minimalist "shoulder rig".
 
I twisted up something like the mercharness a while ago and it just wasnt what i was looking for. It swings around too much, thats why i was putting something together with a strap that goes around the chest to limit movement. I found the underarm position to be a little less than convenient as well.
 
I have a few that I purchased from Survival Sheath Systems, but not for EDC. I use them when I hunt or hike because they keep the larger blades out of the way and I can get to them very easily.

The materials on my chest sheaths are made from heavy nylon, which seem pretty strong to me.
 
Thanks for the kind mention. The reason it did not work like a mercharness is because it was not a mercharness. Bottom line it is only parachute cord and some rubber stoppers but the ones I sell now are GEN III. A lot of time went into it and I know of no simpler more comfortable way to carry a fixed blade. Not only is it a carry option it is also a deployment option and some carry options just fail that test. It also conceals under t-shirt. Nothing else does that.
 
Along the lines of this?

p3270146nx6.jpg


this works fine for me, keeps the big stuff off my belt while in the woods, just take the stalk sheath, add some rope of any kind really, i dont sugest 550 only because if you get caught up, it wont come undone :rolleyes:

Then, were the blet loop is, just make it go upside down.
 
Fonly: Something like that, although i dont think i could get away with that while wearing a dress shirt and tie. Ease of access and comfort while wearing a pack is another reason i was looking into a chest harness.

charlesbjr: Do you find that you have to leave the straps a little loose for it to remain comfortable while moving?

No offense intended Mercop, but i just dont think the mercharness can do what i would like it to. It is indeed simple and certainly has its appeal.


The top row is my makeshift mercharness. You can see on the left that it swings away from the body while bending and during routine movement. Its blurry in the picture because it was still swinging from when i bent over. This causes printing when worn under a tucked in lightweight shirt.

The bottom row shows the harness i threw together. You can see on the right how it hugs the body and moves with it. I can move the knife so that it is under the arm but i prefer it just where it is.


harnesscomparowhitenr4.jpg
 
I am going to be publishing an article on the Mercharness -- it works great and is very simple and inexpensive. I wore it around for a very long time to make sure it would work before I concluded that, yes, it works great.

mercharness01.jpg


mercharness05.jpg


I think I have one of the earlier generation models and one of the later ones. The pictures are of the first model I received.

I also have a Survival Sheath (http://www.survivalsheath.com) chest rig for the Gryphon M10 made for me by Bob Humelbaugh. It's comfortable, functional, and secure, though you have to wear it under suitably loose clothing for access and to avoid printing:

survsh-12.jpg
 
sputnick said:
Fonly: Something like that, although i dont think i could get away with that while wearing a dress shirt and tie. Ease of access and comfort while wearing a pack is another reason i was looking into a chest harness.
Click to expand...



Haha, that is very true, this is a stup I use while out in the woods, so.
 
Hey Guys...

I'm also a Heavy Mercharness user..

I may as well also show one of my rigs in a Mercharness..

wendurashoulder2.jpg


Quite Frankly without the Mercharness,, this rig wouldn't be half as good as it is..The Mercharness makes it functional....

It's fine and dandy to make your own harnesses and such,, however I highly suggest getting a proper sheath made for your particular knife. Most factory sheaths aren't simply up for the task of hanging inverted...

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Thanks for the input Normark. 100% agreed on the lack of quality in most factory sheaths. I've got some kydex on the way in order to solve that problem. The nimravus sheath in particular provides no guarantees while inverted. Would you wear that waved spyderco on the mercharness under a linen shirt to a job interview? I know you sell the mercharness, but do you find that it is similar to a neck knife in its propensity to flail around?
 
Hey Guys....

Sputnick...


sputnick said:
Would you wear that waved spyderco on the mercharness under a linen shirt to a job interview? I know you sell the mercharness, but do you find that it is similar to a neck knife in its propensity to flail around?
Click to expand...

Well first of all,, the Speed Dialer doesn't work well under a shirt, as it's needs a certain amount of room to deploy properly...Under a jacket yes,, a shirt no...
Secondly I don't wear dress shirts.. :) I own one dress shirt, and don't know where it is.

Obvoiusly your going to have some amount of swing when carrying this sort of rig..To lessen the effects of the swing, you wear the mercharness high and tight.
High under the armpit will not only help prevent swing it also aids in concealment...

However I prefer to carry my blades in what I call the "slung" position...
The slung position carrys, Stronmg Arm, very low towards the waist, allowing for a draw from under the waistline of a jacket...

Again obviously this isn't going to work for your situation.

If I was going to carry a fixed blade to a job interview, I would probably carry IWB via static line.

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
The mercharness type while not being physically active "disappears" after a while. During driving or sitting it is easy to forget its there whereas the chest harness, while not uncomfortable, doesnt let you forget you've got a knife strapped to you. Speed things up a bit with hiking, jogging, playing fetch with the dog and the "mercharness" starts to fall behind. On the other end, even with a 9.5 in total length knife the chest rig is comfortable enough to sleep in, and doesnt bang around while moutain biking. The chest harness seems similar to what it would be like to wear a bra. :eek:

Mercop: I've got a pretty average build (6ft, 175lbs) and as such there isnt much extra to help with concealment. Assuming you are the well jacked fellow in the pictures its obvious you get to the gym often. Have you worn the mercharness while working out? Is there a practical blade size you find that works best with the mercharness?

Normark: It'd be great if i could wear cargo pants and comfy shirts to work. For some reason the business analysts think that engineers should have to be as un-functionally dressed as they are, oh well. At least i can get away with a multitool and pocket knife on a pair of slacks. As for IWB, as noted above i dont have a lot of "extra" body to aid in concealment there. When i carry my P99 (comptac kydex iwb) in dress clothes i have to wear thick pants and heavily blouse my shirt. Even then its pretty obvious that there is a strange bulge on my hip.
 
Great question-

First I am 6'2 275, 18.5 in neck and 54 in chest. Picture Shrek if he ran and hit the gym a little. The "model" in the pics is a close friend of mine who's face is pixled for a reason:)

I just got done running 30 min with my Polkowski Polecat in my mercharness under a loose t-shirt over under armor. Because I normally carry a pistol IWB or and sweat like a suicide bomber I always wear a wicking layer. Picture your arm exetended out to the side, under your armpit is 6:00. Your knife should be adjusted so that it hangs aroud 7:00 to 7:30. Don't attach it to the two top holes. Attach it to the forward top hole and then one towards the back. The stabalizes the rig and prevents sway. It also keeps it close to the same place if you land on your back or are on your hands and knees.

I advise that if you are carrying a fixed blade for SD it should be have a full tang, single edged and have a 4-6 inch blade. You should also have three quality kydex sheaths. One to carry the way you dress most of the time, one for the way you carry the rest of the time and one for using when you deviate from the fist two. I call that the PCO or Professional Carry Option.

Like everyone else here I love knives of all kinds but if I had to equip people I cared about with a fixed blade for SD it would a CRKT Polkowski Kasper Companion low end and if it were custom a Polekowski Polecat. I buy about 2-3 knives a year and for something to enter into my EDC it has to be something better that what it replaces.

Hope that helps.
 
How do you carry a pistol IWB when you are running? I'm curious about this because most running shorts don't have belts and I want to get back into running again.

WRT chest rigs though, Robert @ Survival Sheath is definitely the go to guy for them. Check out the ones he does for Air Marshals
 
Hi Spark;
Wear a holster on a seperate belt and wear a slightly large pair of shorts over that. If you can find a holster that will not flop around, its quite comfortable and concealable.
 
:) I don't wear a pistol when I run since I have yet to find a comfortable way. Whenever I can not carry a pistol I will carry a traditional fixed blade in a addition to my La Griffe. I also have a kali stick in my strong hand.
 
Mercop: You run with an escrima stick? Do people cross the street when they see you coming? I can see why you dont need to carry a gun while jogging.

When i jog i wear a regular pair of cotton cargo shorts so wearing a belt and iwb isnt an issue. Just make sure the tension on the holster is good enough.
 
Yes, I want to have a less lethal force option. If and when anyone asks I would say it is for dogs. Truth be known I was chased into the street by a a dog when I was child and struck by a car and broke my leg.

I imagine most people problems could be handled by the stick. Funny thing is that almost every older man I pass when I am running has a "walking stick" of some sort.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top