Hey guys, I know I've been gone for a while, but life's been busy. Right now, I'm a volunteer Firefighter, and last night, we went on a call that made me realize that I need a couple more knives. I guess I'm looking for a sounding board/gut check, to make sure I'm not overlooking something, and any suggestions about the specifics of the knife/mode of carry.
The short of it is, we responded to a pretty bloody trauma scene, at night, and we couldn't find a pair of trauma sheers quick enough, so I lent my medic my knife to cut the patients clothes off. From then on, my knife is covered in blood, sitting on the hood of the car we pulled the guy out of. I'd like to make sure that doesn't happen again. Obvioulsy, this includes rigging up a holster for some shears so I don't have to use my knife, but I'm thinking of switching to a "2knife" system ( or set up, if you think "system" is overused)
I always carry a CRKT M21, in and out of uniform, and when I'm not on the job, I usually have a Ka-bar TDI on my belt as well. What I'm looking for is a pair of knives so that even if one gets consumed in the call (lost, covered in blood, cop/medic/partner using it), I still have some kind of tool on me.
What I'm thinking of is a utility folder in my pocket to replace the CRKT so that my everyday knife doesn't get bloody, or if I do have to let it soak overnight, I've got a blade for the next call. In addition to that, I'd really like something along the lines of the Ka-bar TDI that I can conceal easily in a class be uniform. The second knife would be used as a back up if my normal utility knife is consumed, or as a primary if I have to use it for self defense.
For Knife #1:
I'm thinking of something along the lines of a Sogzilla, or a cheap Spyderco, like the Byrd cara cara 2. Something I can open with one hand, sharp enough and strong enough to cut through all kinds of stuff, and pointy enough that on the incredibly off chance I end up on the ground, I can use it defensively. I used to have a Benchmade Griptilian that would have been perfect for this, but after it got swiped out of my locker at another job, I've decided I don't want to pay too much for the knife.
Knife 2:
I want a fixed blade, that I can conceal. Right now I'm looking at a either a Kabar TDI-LDK (I picked one up when I got my TDI) or one of the Hide-Away-Knives. I like the HAK because it looks more utilitarian than the LDK, allows for me to still hold things like flashlight, and it looks like it would be easy to conceal in/behind my belt using the "bro-clips". I wear a riggers belt, so I'm thinking it might not be too hard to conceal behind the buckle, or inside the Velcro part.
Anyone have any input with the specific knives I mentioned? Any particular model I'm overlooking? What about any ideas on concealing a small fixed blade? I have to have my shirt tucked in, so that's the major restriction on my carry options, and I'd like it to be as close to 12 O'clock as possible so I can access it with either hand.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Have a good one guys,
Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson
The short of it is, we responded to a pretty bloody trauma scene, at night, and we couldn't find a pair of trauma sheers quick enough, so I lent my medic my knife to cut the patients clothes off. From then on, my knife is covered in blood, sitting on the hood of the car we pulled the guy out of. I'd like to make sure that doesn't happen again. Obvioulsy, this includes rigging up a holster for some shears so I don't have to use my knife, but I'm thinking of switching to a "2knife" system ( or set up, if you think "system" is overused)
I always carry a CRKT M21, in and out of uniform, and when I'm not on the job, I usually have a Ka-bar TDI on my belt as well. What I'm looking for is a pair of knives so that even if one gets consumed in the call (lost, covered in blood, cop/medic/partner using it), I still have some kind of tool on me.
What I'm thinking of is a utility folder in my pocket to replace the CRKT so that my everyday knife doesn't get bloody, or if I do have to let it soak overnight, I've got a blade for the next call. In addition to that, I'd really like something along the lines of the Ka-bar TDI that I can conceal easily in a class be uniform. The second knife would be used as a back up if my normal utility knife is consumed, or as a primary if I have to use it for self defense.
For Knife #1:
I'm thinking of something along the lines of a Sogzilla, or a cheap Spyderco, like the Byrd cara cara 2. Something I can open with one hand, sharp enough and strong enough to cut through all kinds of stuff, and pointy enough that on the incredibly off chance I end up on the ground, I can use it defensively. I used to have a Benchmade Griptilian that would have been perfect for this, but after it got swiped out of my locker at another job, I've decided I don't want to pay too much for the knife.
Knife 2:
I want a fixed blade, that I can conceal. Right now I'm looking at a either a Kabar TDI-LDK (I picked one up when I got my TDI) or one of the Hide-Away-Knives. I like the HAK because it looks more utilitarian than the LDK, allows for me to still hold things like flashlight, and it looks like it would be easy to conceal in/behind my belt using the "bro-clips". I wear a riggers belt, so I'm thinking it might not be too hard to conceal behind the buckle, or inside the Velcro part.
Anyone have any input with the specific knives I mentioned? Any particular model I'm overlooking? What about any ideas on concealing a small fixed blade? I have to have my shirt tucked in, so that's the major restriction on my carry options, and I'd like it to be as close to 12 O'clock as possible so I can access it with either hand.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Have a good one guys,
Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson