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leash for river knife?

6K views 16 replies 12 participants last post by  ZGjethro 
#1 ·
reading about the recent strainer rescue and thinking about previous snag incidents (kevlar skirt rims), I'm thinking it might be a good idea to put a short leash on my knife--I'm thinking that with rushing water, cold, stiff, fingers, panic--oops, just dropped my only chance to unsnag myself from this branch/rebar/rope/etc.

I know you should just not drop the damn thing, and I know that there is the bear claw thing w/ a hole in it (which was already discussed how they fall off, and I lost one so not gettin' another), but like everybody says, shit goes bad real fast on the water.

any thoughts?

anyway, seems like a short, 2-3 ft, easily breakable, securely bundled, string would be useful, but I don't think I've ever seen anything other than a rubber band (a la Mike Mathers) tethering anybody's knife.

In a situation like the recent duckier in salida, had it been somewhere not so near a lot of paddlers, and if the person had a knife but dropped it, that would suck real bad.

I'm glad the woman was rescued--kind of sheds a little light on the "'bout lost my life" discussion also, about selflessness in a real emergency.

Jay
 
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#4 ·
Get the bear claw knife. Every river knife gets lost, not just Bear Claws. I have lost at LEAST 5 river knives and only one of those was a Bear Claw. If I go a few seasons without losing a knife I'm happy. It is what happens when you get worked on the rocks.

The trigger hole on the bear claw is key. It saved my buddy's life a few years ago. I would not carry ANY OTHER knife. They are popular in the crew I paddle with because its design was credited with a save of one of our own. It is easier to securely hold onto a trigger hole design when your hands are completely numb, like when you are snagged in the middle of a river and have to cut your skirt off like my buddy did.

Either use a rubber band or tape the knife in. I found the rubber bands wear out from hitting rocks, logs and the other abuse that my chest goes through while creeking so I tape my knife in. I use just enough tape around the sheath and handle to grip the knife so it won't fall out but I can still easily pull it out.

If I lose it I go buy another one. They are only $35 and I spent a lot more on the other stuff I lose and destroy every season.
 
#8 ·
Yeah, a rubber band to keep the knife in the sheath is different than a 2-3 foot cord where you would have a sharp knife loosly affixed to your body.


anyway, seems like a short, 2-3 ft, easily breakable, securely bundled, string would be useful, but I don't think I've ever seen anything other than a rubber band (a la Mike Mathers) tethering anybody's knife.
 
#9 ·
I third the Bear Claw, I once went toe to toe with the a Grizzly. After being a lil' squeaks scolari and playing dead for five minutes, I decided to sack up. I whipped out my CRT Bear Claw faster than a truck driver in a bathroom stall with a lounge lizard, I then proceeded to give the Grizzly what he needed. A good ol' fashioned knife/claw fight. Even though I was outnumberd 10 to 1 in claw to knife ratio, I am here today and Grizzly Adams doesn't have a beard anymore.

Here is a link to what the fight looked like:
Beat It - Michael Jackson - Music Videos - SPIKE
 
#10 ·
yeah, I guess this is a solution in search of a problem, considering the risk of a snag compared to the risks of the leash coming loose on a swim, pulling the knife off, stabbing the heart or eye, etc....

I guess the moral is: don't drop yer fucking knife!

Thanks!
 
#11 ·
A 2-foot teather on a knife would be bad. If I dropped the knife, it would be dangling around my nads. Bumping/climbing out onto a rock, or getting pressed against a branch in that position.... bad bad bad.
 
#12 ·
I was talking to a Mainiac on the Gauley and he told me that they can't use the bear claw because they have to have a certain length knife by law. Does anyone know why Maine guides have to wield a machete to cut a strap?

I use the bear claw and it cuts a bagel like a mo fo!
 
#13 ·
Shock cord, like a rubber band, but way more durable (about 15¢/ft). Get it at Rei, Neptune, or any reputable outdoor store.


Tie the shock cord into the lanyard hole at the bottom of the knifes handle. Tie a loop into the other end. Make the length of the cord just right so that the loop fits snugly over the top of the sheath after wrapping the cord around the knife 1/2 to 1 turn. Now your knife dosen't fall out of the sheath. Slipping the shock cord loop off the top of the knife is fast and easy.

I can post a picture of how this works if my description dosen't make sense. I am over 6000 miles, 2 life jackets, and 8 seasons using this setup and still on my first knife - it works.

I also use a thin piece of cord to tie the sheath to my PFD (backing up the attachment point, which has failed on my jacket). This has saved my knife many times.
 
#17 ·
I had a small loop of 1/8 bungee cord on my last Gerber river knife. Easy to stick you hand through and the loop could be stretched over the tip of the sheath to keep it from falling out if the catch released. I still lost it in the willows scouting Castle Creek (not sure when I last saw it)
 
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