Upsidedown Carry: Is it Practical?

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Oct 9, 2002
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Can upside down carry of a fixed blade in a Kydex sheath (attached to a pack strap) be done such that the knife does not fall out. I'm thinking of ordering another Kydex sheath (for my Howling Rat this time) with a Tek-loc web clamp. I've got a BRKT small knife with such a (custom made) sheath, but in that case I could see the knife being knocked loose if it got hit the right way. On the other hand I had another kydex sheath made for a nice Norwegian mora that held very firm and I did carry it this way (upsidedown on a pack strap for a bit, but didn't give it the full "test". I gave that nice set-up to my Father-in-Law in Costa Rica. He actually used it to hold two burglers he caught in a neighbors cabin, at bay while the police came.

I would use this set-up for hiking and rough use outdoors where it will get raked by branches and earth etc. Anybody do upsidedown carry in kydex in rough use?
 
as far as i know, (but i cant back it up. but i definately saw it in an old 'tatical knives' issue) this carry is called "California carry". dont know why. ive been trying to find out all morning. all i get is Legal stuff.

i think the main advantage is if you have a big blade, you dont get it bumping into your thighs and it makes it easier to conceal.

anyways....im pretty sure kydex will keep the knife secure in this position.
 
i've been carrying upside down,at a slight angle, behind my right hip for a few years without any hassle.i find it easier to draw from under an untucked shirt
 
In a word, no.

Upside down carry, even with secondary retention like a DOT strap or velcro strap will eventually cause your blade to fall out of its sheath.
 
I like the idea and did it for a while my self- but the sheath was a piece of crap and the knife fell out of the sheath while i was running up some stairs and almost landed me in the emergincy room. I would definatly do it again with a good sheath
 
I've never tried it before, but I can tell you that there are kydex sheaths I've used that are DEFINITELY up to the task. I can't even "throw" the knife out of the sheath, no matter how hard I try. Seems like a fast way to pull the knife.

If you wear a jacket, you could probably try mercop's shoulder rigs. They go on your side, between your arm and torso. Very well hidden, really.
 
I carry inverted on my packstrap all the time....have for many moons. Never had a problem.
 
I agree with crucible. Gravity will not be denied over the long haul. It depends on what you are using your knife for. I would not let my soldiers in my company invert their knives, regardless of the sheath, or wear neck knives (you don't want to be hung while exiting a tactical vehicle).

Maybe you can get away with it while hunting, concealed carry in town, etc. but when you need a knife in combat, you don't want to find you've lost it in the last place you hit the dirt!

The "cool" factor doesn't count when your life is on the line.
 
Hey Guys....

Thanks Esav...

crucible said:
In a word, no.

Upside down carry, even with secondary retention like a DOT strap or velcro strap will eventually cause your blade to fall out of its sheath.
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Inverted carry of knives is Absolutely safe, and is carried this way daily by thousands of people carrying neck knives and the such...

I personally have several dozen of my sheaths serving in the Middle East at this very moment for a wide variety of knives of all different sizes...

I assure you if they were failing I'd be hearing about it...

I also carry many different knives in a variety of inverted configurations, including duct taped to pack straps, camel back straps and one on my tree stand harness, not to mention the half dozen or so Mercharness that I have and wear...

What makes this possible is the proper sheath.
Granted not all kydex or synthetic sheaths can do this, especially off the shelf,, but with the properly made sheath, inverted carry is perfectly safe and do-able..

Personally I also wouldn't use a tek lok to strap a knife down. Not because it won't work,, but because it would be far too floppy and would move around.

A better way to do it,, but time consuming if you plan on taking it on and off is to duct tape it down,, or have a dedicated sheath that stays there always. You simply move the knife from belt to pack strap freely...

I like to have my gear buttoned down so it doesn't move,,Ever..This is just the way I like my sheaths that go on packs to be carried..


If you do plan on having a custom made sheath made,, make sure you tell the maker that it will be used for inverted carry, and they should be able to adjust the retention accordingly.

If you have any questions,, please feel free to drop me a note..

ttyle

Eric
O/ST
 
Normark, I'm sure you make wonderful sheaths and they do all you say they will do, but, airplanes fall out of the sky occasionally, and knives will be lost due to inverted sheaths. If I were still in command, my troops would still not carry their knives inverted. Other commanders may be more lenient. ...and my comment about neck knives was less on the fact they are inverted and more on the fact that you can't get to them under all your gear anyway, and you don't want another chain or cord around your neck besides the one holding your ID tags (and you ain't putting no neck knife on that chain!).
 
I carry my Rat Tail inverted at my waist almost every day in a Buy Brown kydex sheath. It is by and far my favorite way to carry it, and I simply can't see how the knife would ever come out unless it were snagged on something somehow. It would certainly never fall out.
 
I am a fan of Bob Dozier knives. I have a K-2 and a Yukon that as standard come with one of Bob's horizontal belt sheaths. Unfortunately, I use suspenders and don't use a belt. That has not been a problem however. I simply wear them upside down on my suspenders. This works great with these lightweight knives for around the house and garden duties.
 
J85909266 said:
I carry my Rat Tail inverted at my waist almost every day in a Buy Brown kydex sheath. It is by and far my favorite way to carry it, and I simply can't see how the knife would ever come out unless it were snagged on something somehow. It would certainly never fall out.
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I LOVE David's work. I too carry a Rat Tail in one of his sheaths. I did try to carry one inverted with a teklok. When I was running to catch a train I heard a *clang* ... It had jostled out. I now carry it IWB with a loop instead. It may just be my sheath is a little looser. It does make for a lightning fast draw though.

I do carry a Gryphon M-10 inverted in the survival sheath it came in though. No Way that thing could fall out. The kydex lips just wrap right around the handle. Makes for a "stickier" draw than the Rat Tail.
 
I suppose you could say inverted carry is impractical/unsafe/unreliable ..... IF you're the kind of person who doesn't believe in changing the oil in your car, cleaning firearms, checking batteries in equipment periodically, etc. But then if you're like that, carrying a knife at all you'll probably run into problems sooner or later.

Inverted carry with a good Kydex sheath works fine for me. But if you're really paranoid, add a rare earth magnet to your sheath. And of course you don't want a thong on a knife for this kind of use.
 
Hey Bruce....

bruce said:
Normark, I'm sure you make wonderful sheaths and they do all you say they will do, but, airplanes fall out of the sky occasionally, and knives will be lost due to inverted sheaths. If I were still in command, my troops would still not carry their knives inverted. Other commanders may be more lenient. ...and my comment about neck knives was less on the fact they are inverted and more on the fact that you can't get to them under all your gear anyway, and you don't want another chain or cord around your neck besides the one holding your ID tags (and you ain't putting no neck knife on that chain!).
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I agree with you..
Absolutely anything can happen under extreme conditions.. THese guys Really put the stuff to the test.. One of the reasons I'm just tickled pink when yet another sheath of mine is going to do service in the Sand Box.

I look at it as field testing to the Max. If it comes back in one pice from there,, it'll do just about anything over here..

Although I can't say how the sheaths are being used, whether they are actually all being used for Inverted carry, they are made MOLLE ready and there seems to be no problem as of yet.

For the most part though,, if the sheath is made correctly, and designed for carry Inverted,,either MOLLE, neck, strapped down inverted, in a Mercharness or a shoulder rig of some type, the knife should absolutely No come out from a hard jolt, running or what have you...

Keep in mind that not all OEM kydex or synthetic sheaths are made to pull double duty for inverted carry...
The heavier the knife, the more retention the sheath must have on the knife to hold it in place...

I've carried my Battle Mistress in a Bladerigger shoulder rig set up for strong arm draw, and although I'm not jumping out of choppers or running through the woods with it,, I would Absolutely feel comfortable to carry it myself.

Again Anything can happen, thats for sure, and you would have good reason not to allow it with your guys, as not all sheaths are meant to be carried that way.

However if they were O/ST sheaths, you just may change your mind...

:D :D

Thanks for your insight

Dog of War....

If the kydex sheath can't handle inverted carry, a rare earth magnet will have little to no use..If made properly for inverted carry a rare earth magnet isn't needed what so ever...

ttyle

Eric...
O/ST
 
First time I saw that carry method was in Full Metal Jacket. Looked badass.
 
Normark said:
Dog of War....

If the kydex sheath can't handle inverted carry, a rare earth magnet will have little to no use..If made properly for inverted carry a rare earth magnet isn't needed what so ever...
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Don't want to pick nits with you, Normark, since we generally agree ..... plus you'll notice I suggested this option "if you're really paranoid...." :)

Nonetheless rare earth magnets can certainly retain a knife in a sheath under conditions where the tension of the Kydex alone would fail. In fact I'm sure either one of us could set up such a rig in a way that many people wouldn't even be able to draw the knife with one hand. Again, for those who are paranoid (which I'm not, BTW.)
 
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