Hidden Canyon - love the knife, hate the shea

[jaseman]

Picked up a Hidden Canyon a few weeks ago, while on vacation. It's the wood handle with the leather sheath, which is a very handsome package overall.

I'd been looking for a small fixed blade to carry horizontal cross-draw, and this seemed to tick all the boxes. Only, the oversized loop, combined with the soft leather, makes the knife droop quite a bit on the belt. The handle drops to about a good 30 degrees, making it a bit awkward to reach in a 'natural' draw position.

Was thinking about contacting Benchmade to see if they would send me a Kydex sheath, but with the size of the loop, I'm afraid it's still gonna droop a bit on the belt. Does anyone know how the Kydex rides on the belt?

If it still rides low, can anyone recommend a good aftermarket sheath for it? I'd really hate to let the knife sit unused due to a subpar sheath.

Here's how it rides on the belt. I'd really prefer it to be parallel to my waistline.

 

[HarryD]

I just got one & I have the same problems. Let us know if you get the kydex one and how you like it.

 

[jaseman]

I talked to Benchmade CS, and the girl on the phone said that the Kydex one would indeed hold it more horizontal. But looking at it online, it looks like the exact same design, so my hunch is that it will still allow it to drop to a bit of an angle. Looking at it, from a design standpoint, the 'loop' for the belt designed to accommodate up to a 2.5" thick belt (like a duty ow web belt) - so it'll always have a bit of 'play' in it.

She said I would have to call to buy one (can't buy it independently through the website). Price is $25.

Instead, I bought an Armatus sheath for it from Blade HQ, as well as a mini Tek Lok mount. Cost me ~$40, but will allow me to set it to any angle I want.

 

[jaseman]

Got the Armatus sheath in the mail the other day. Seems very well made, and it locks the knife in really well.

It’s still a ‘scout’ style sheath, but the loop has a few holes for adjusting to your belt size.

I set it to the top hole to cinch it tight for a 1.5” belt. It still allowed for a little bit of play, but didn’t droop nearly as much as the one from BM did. If I set the knife to horizontal, it stayed fairly firm, but would shift some with body movement. This just comes with the territory on a scout style sheath.

Nice thing is, the holes are spaced for a TekLok, which I added on. This actually sets the knife at a slight upward angle, which I really like. The only problem with the TekLok is that it does set the whole setup about 3/4” out from the body. Not a big deal normally, but you do have to pay a bit more attention to not catch the handle on things, and makes it tougher to hide under a shirt.

Overall, I’m really liking the setup. For a few bucks more than buying the Kydex version right from BM, I gained a much better rig. Just haven’t decided if I’m gonna roll with or without the TekLok.

 

[Someonejo]

That looks like a great setup!

 

[jaseman]

It is a really nice set-up. All said and done, for both the sheath and the TecLoK, it was just over $40, and well worth it.

I've only worn it a few times so far, as I don't EDC a fixed blade at the office, but I see it becoming a permanent fixture on the weekends.