I'm something of a fan of historical weaponry and military vs civilian culture. It's really a fascinating area of history, and modern stuff gets so much wrong!
One of the more interesting things I've found in my studies is swords were rarely carried on one's back, unless they were very short. The human arm can only reach only so high to fully extract it from the scabbard. Very long swords like Zweihander or Nodachi are often shown in historical texts as carried in the hands, held upright by the grip and with the sheathed blade often leaned against the shoulder. Such were considered military weapons and were not often seen in civilian settings. Soldiers armed with them sometimes kept them on a supply wagon and they were passed out when they were nearing an area of engagement. Swords carried on the hip were common but only for the knightly and noble classes (this includes samurai in old Japan). Having worked as a reenactor, I can tell you walking, turning and sitting with a sword is something of a skill all its own. It takes practice, guidance, and some trial and error to do right without breaking something or getting entangled, but it can be done and someone doing it as part of daily life would be very good at it. Of course any sword is always carried with a sheath. I am bewildered by modern video games which show characters with a holstered bare blade. Peasants usually just had a knife/dagger hung from the belt, under the armpit (Scottish carried this way before later changing to the stocking), or hidden some other way. Spears, staves and any other sticks 3 ft or more were just carried in the hands, often used as a walking stick.
My research on bows pointed out that carrying a bow varied by culture. In Medieval England the longbow was often about 6 feet long. The bow was not strung unless battle was expected soon, when stalking prey, or when standing guard. A strung bow was held in the hand, ready to shoot. When unstrung, the longbow was usually put in a long cloth sock and simply packed on the wagon or carried leaning over the shoulder when walking. On horseback this sock could be tied to ones back, but the English didn't really do mounted archery due to the bow's size and the strength needed to pull war bows required a proper stance; they would dismount before battle and string their bows. Crossbowmen simply carried their weapon similar to how a modern soldier would carry a rifle without a sling. Archers in the Middle East, Mongolia and China had shorter, reflexed bows better for use on horseback, and had a special holster they carried on their hip or saddle that held the bow while it was strung, though it was still unstrung when not expecting use. It's worth noting that nobody in the old days carried arrows on their back like in fantasy works; this is a modern invention. Most quivers were carried on the hip. Sometimes they didn't use quivers at all, but simply tucked arrows into their belts or tied them together with rope.
