Recently picked up a CRKT Bear Claw knife and was out on the water (flatwater, unfortunately) this past weekend at my girlfriend's cottage. While I was monkeying around on the dock I dropped to my stomach to grab something out of the water, and when I went to stand back up, apparently the knife got pulled from the sheath without me being aware. 30 minutes or so later I finally realized it was gone, and after a short panic saw it beneath the dock. Luckily for me the knife is bright orange and the water was crystal clear. It got me thinking though, and I wanted to know everyone's opinion as to attaching your knife to your vest with a small accessory line?

I realize there's the risk of possible entanglement with a line hanging off your vest, however I don't like the idea of being able to lose a knife so easily. Also, in the event that you do need to use it in rough conditions, the chance of it being dropped increases.

I was thinking elastic cord or the spiral coil keychain material could be used to help save space and lessen the risk of it snagging on something.

So what's the general concensus for attaching a knife (not just the sheath) to your vest??

there is not just the risk of entanglement, if you are taking a working in a stopper you will have a sharp knife being whirled around, and possibly into, your body. Doesn't seem like a good idea to me!!

glass_pipe_murder wrote:

there is not just the risk of entanglement, if you are taking a working in a stopper you will have a sharp knife being whirled around, and possibly into, your body. Doesn't seem like a good idea to me!!

Good point, but is it better to forgo the risk of lacerations from a loose knife tied to your vest, or simply being SOL when you do drop it? I would think lacerations would win out over drowning any day...

I was thinking that the use of elastic cord or the spiral coil (keychain) wire would help in keeping the knife close to the vest in the event that it is dropped. Also, the curved blade and blunt tip of the Bearclaw, I would think, would help reduce the chance of laceration/puncture.

Still curious as to everyone else's opinion on the matter

Go out and buy a Gerber River shorty that clicks into its sheath so it doesnt fall out. I dont think the risk of the cord is worth it.

Many different types of knifes. Folding, not folding. What, what, what. There is always a huge debate on the merits of each. Personal choice and what works for you.

If you're going to use a piece of string to attach the knife - make sure the knife AND the string are always in a zipped pocked in your pfd. If you've got a decent pfd, the zip will never open. Well, mine hasn't.

I use a folding knife (that I can open with one hand) on about a foot and a half of thin bungee cord stored in the knife pocket of my buoyancy aid.

With a sheathed knife clipped to the outside of my BA, I wouldn't want it attached in the event that it comes loose and starts swinging around the place. On the other hand, I wouldn't want to be unexpectedly without a knife if it dropped out of it's sheath into the water somewhere.

It's personal choice I guess.

Ross

kernel wrote:

I use a folding knife (that I can open with one hand) on about a foot and a half of thin bungee cord stored in the knife pocket of my buoyancy aid.

Same here. I use one of those Petzl's.. but on shorter piece of rope.

Hah, really? Me too…

This fella, or his big brother?

Yeah, that exact one Mr Lynch! I didn't go for the bigger one because the blade is not serrated. I modified mine slightly; took the tip to a grind stone and rounded it off.

Great minds think alike!

I've been debating rounding off the tip of mine.

Pro: Not accidently stabbing myself.
Con: No piercing-effect of the knife, if for example I needed to cut out of a spraydeck.

Given that it's a folding knife and kept in my pocket, I think the chances of accidently stabbing myself are slim. If I need to use the knife in a real situation I imagine I'll have a firm enough grip on it not to injure myself too badly.

Any thoughts on that one?

Just round it off. If you have to cut the deck off, you don't want to pierce the deck and then cut your femoral artery! You can still cut it off. Just practise on an old deck if you REALLY must

Rounding it off serves another function. If, during a rescue, a rope gets caught around someones neck, or leg, or arm or your own body then the knife is easy to slip under the rope to make the cut without stabbing/cutting you or the victim.

Have you been on a swift water rescue course? I learnt a crap load, must say. And still, one needs to practise and go back and do it again from time to time. do it, do it do it.... hehehe

AdrianTregoning wrote:

If, during a rescue, a rope gets caught around someones neck, or leg, or arm or your own body then the knife is easy to slip under the rope to make the cut without stabbing/cutting you or the victim.

That's one I hadn't considered actually.

Cheers,
Ross

I tie my knife to my PFD, before I did, I had a good long thought about the pros and cons about doing it.

I have an astral PFD, on the inside of the pocket, there is a plastic D ring. It is designed that it has a fault in, so if the elastic with the knife attached is put under a certain amount of pressure, the plastic D ring will break.

I feel that this is a good comprimise as you do not lose the knife if you drop it by accident, but it is also safe as it can be disconnected very easily in an emergency.

Hope this helps

Melvin

This is the one that I use. There is really no way to stab yourself... I slide it in the front pocket. As far as attaching one to your PFD... I would not, but I would make sure that I was able to get my hands on one if needed.
H2O Knife

I just came across that yesterday. It lacks versatility, seration and I wouldn't be comfortable trying to cut a large-diameter (>=10mm) rope with it… Those cons definitely outweight the not-cutting-yourself factor IMO.

Ross

within my astral vest, there is room \"up\" the shoulder straps for my knife in it's sheath.
It's held in there good (I lost a previous knife on a previous vest), and I can pull it out quick enough... but do have sometime trouble sliding it back in (but hey, it's out and into action we are really concerned with no?)

AGAIN, I'd strongly echo what Adrian said below folks - TAKE A RESCUE / SRT / River SAFETY course. Bring your friends, bring the whole club!!!

chris71 wrote:

AGAIN, I'd strongly echo what Adrian said below folks - TAKE A RESCUE / SRT / River SAFETY course. Bring your friends, bring the whole club!!!

Viva

kernel wrote:

AdrianTregoning wrote:

If, during a rescue, a rope gets caught around someones neck, or leg, or arm or your own body then the knife is easy to slip under the rope to make the cut without stabbing/cutting you or the victim.

That's one I hadn't considered actually.

Cheers,
Ross

Yeah, check out this accident report on American Whitewater. He did not make it because his femoral artery was cut and he bled to death. It sounds hard to believe, but it happens. With the other factors, he may have still died, but he would have had a much better chance without the blood loss.

www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accid...tail_accidentid_465_


To answer the original poster. I keep my folding knife in my pocket because I do not want anything hanging off of me to risk entanglement.

thanks for all the replies everyone -- your conversation is definitely appreciated.

I did some searching online and came across quite a variety of things with some sort of safety breakaway feature... lanyards, velcro straps, etc. etc. Going to give it some more thought, but thinking some sort of elastic cord tucked away into a pocket, connected to a breakaway attachment would cover both bases --- enough retention in the event it gets dropped accidentally, but a quick tug would separate it from the vest in case of emergency. I'll see what I can come up with and post back for anyone who is interested.

Cudamav wrote:

Yeah, check out this accident report on American Whitewater. He did not make it because his femoral artery was cut and he bled to death. It sounds hard to believe, but it happens. With the other factors, he may have still died, but he would have had a much better chance without the blood loss.

www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accid...tail_accidentid_465_


To answer the original poster. I keep my folding knife in my pocket because I do not want anything hanging off of me to risk entanglement.

Thanks for sharing that Jason. Quite a horrible story to read.

I really don't want to judge as it's pointless. What's done is done and that was 10 years ago.. But, it seems that a rounded off tip MAY have made a difference. I don't know, I wasn't there.

I have been able to get off any deck by grabbing it from the side. Although the kevlar rands usually remove skin off your knuckles. With enough force and determination you can usually do it within seconds, you just need to practise that one and have strong hands. A proper fitting helmet and the tab of the deck in the correct position might have made a difference too. It seems the cold water was a contributing factor too.

Well, enough crap from me. I don't want to open up a can of worms or bad feelings from anyone who was there or knew Mike. My condolences to those involved. Truly horrible