Fat guy problem: I keep losing knives when they're clipped to my pocket

[kennbr34]

So I'm a very large man, and unfortunately I tend to lose knives if I carry them clipped to my pocket. Basically every seat I sit in is so tight, that the knife ends up catching and being pushed up. I've lost like three EDCs before realizing this is what was happening.

So I'm kinda looking for solutions. The two most obvious I have tried are just carrying a knife deep in he pocket, or carrying a cheap knife I don't mind losing much.

Well, aside from the obvious downside of carrying cheap knives around, the other downside with carrying a knife deep pocket is that sometimes they don't have back spacers. That ends up allowing other things I'm carrying in my pocket to get into there and either damage the blade, or worse, force it open in my pocket and leaving a sharp surprise waiting for me. Not the biggest issue, but it does limit what I can carry in the same pocket. Meanwhile as you can see from pictures I'll add, my other pocket is already pretty full of stuff.

So I got one of the new Manix 2 knives in 15V, and of course it had a lanyard hole. Gave me an idea of basically hooking an extra long lanyard on to it, and then hooking that on to one of my belt loops with an S-clip.

It works, but I dunno... I don't really like it. I think the lanyard draws attention to it, and it's kinda cumbersome stuffing the lanyard back in my pocket after using it. Plus when I take it out, it tends to make it more awkward too. There's enough length on it to cut most things I think, and I could just unclip the S-clip if I for some reason needed to reach further away, but I dunno... Just doesn't seem like a good solution long term.

Wondering if anyone else has any good ideas. Thought about maybe a belt sheath or something. Seems like the simplest solution, but seems like it might be a bit hard to find a generic sheath to fit most knives. Plus, belt sheaths are generally meant to be carried vertically, and since my spare tire hangs over them, they can be kinda uncomfortable. So finding a sheath that can fit it and be carried horizontally basically ends up meaning either needing to make one myself or having one custom made.

So yeah, so far my new 15V Manix 2 has been staying home a lot because I really don't want to lose it. Kinda sucks because I would really like to EDC it.

[Dodge]

So I kinda have the same problem but only on certain knives. I typically will un clip it and drop it in the pocket before siting in a smaller chair or laying on the couch. If you can find a way to tighten the clip or get a knife with a tight clip it will generally not do this. Another other option is a lanyard or tether. I think Spyderco really focuses on clipping and drawing into and out of the pocket with minimal scuffing and snagging. Cold Steel will eat your pocket alive while you watch but it bites on like a rabid raccoon. MKM makes a magnetic pocket slip that could be of some assistance to you.

ETA wire clips are notorious for this. I’ve lost my Para3 LW like 5 times before I sent it back to have the handle replaced so I could tighten the clip.

[AverageKCGuy]

1. Carry it in pocket, forget the clip.
2. Try the back pocket. I carried that way for years and didn't have many issues with the knife falling out. That was with an old school FRN clip. With a metal clip I'd worry less.

[Freediver]

Make it a habit of removing the knife from your pocket when you sit. I generally remove my knife, phone and wallet when I sit down, especially while driving. Another option is get yourself a backpack or bag to store your items in.

[rgc]

1. Carry it in pocket, forget the clip.
2. Try the back pocket. I carried that way for years and didn't have many issues with the knife falling out. That was with an old school FRN clip. With a metal clip I'd worry less.

Back pocket for the win.

I have some rattan like chairs on the front porch that when I sit in them I catch the clip of pocket knives, pulling them out of shape.

[Archimedes]

Stop eating sugar. Work out. Get tough. I don't mean to be an A**hole. Your health can never be replaced. Everything else can. You only have one health. If not, get a neck knife.

[kennbr34]

I don't mean to be an A**hole.

Well, intent isn't as important as the result :P

I'm just giving you **** though, it's all just a work in progress.

[vandelay]

Have you considered just carrying a bag around? I carry a messenger bag around if I need anything more than the essentials. If I'm not doing something that requires immediate access to a knife (and I'm not carrying a tiny knife like a dragonfly), I just clip it into my bag.

Stop eating sugar. Work out. Get tough. I don't mean to be an A**hole. Your health can never be replaced. Everything else can. You only have one health. If not, get a neck knife.

It's more than just sugar. Refined carbs in general make it hard to lose weight. I had trouble losing weight for a long time but in the last couple years I switched to eating a high protein and fiber diet and I've actually made a lot of progress. Weight loss is difficult.

[VooDooChild]

Have you tried not wearing pants?

Seriously though, jeans just dont work well with my mini-wallet, cellphone, and knife all in the right front pocket. All of my cargo shorts handle that well though. The front pocket on jeans just isnt nearly as big and stuff wants to get squeezed out more. Or maybe my cargo shorts are just more loose fitting? Not sure... But I do notice for me, jeans tend to try to push out a clipped knife more.

If you have to wear pants, maybe try something with some velcro or zipper side pockets down closer to the knee and you could put the knife in one of those pockets.

[aicolainen]

Have you tried not wearing pants?

Oh man, the mental picture you just gave me is both dreadful and priceless :)

Before reading through the rest, I had no idea where you were going with this. Living up north, it's just very hard to imagine a life without pants.

Back on topic/to the OP:
Back pocket carry, as mentioned above, could be both a short term (as most pants has back pockets) and long term solution (if you like it). While not exactly the same issue, I'm a bit OCD about item separation in my pockets, and my EDC didn't really click into place until I tried carrying the knife in my back pocket. At work and causal everyday life I carry a small folder clipless in the bottom of my RBP. For outdoor etc. I carry a slightly bigger knife clipped to my RBP.

Another solution is pants with dedicated knife pockets. These have knife sized pockets that are usually positioned a bit lower than the front pockets. Often with reinforcements to slow down wear from the pocket clip. There seems to be more and more pants coming out with this feature, so it shouldn't be to difficult to find a pair you like. 5.11 and Vertx are two that comes to mind. I have the 5.11 defender flex slim jeans. The pocket layout is great, but me being in the other camp - too lean, the fit is a bit too loose for my preference.

[standy99]

Get a kydex neck sheath

[Shmohawk]

Maybe one of those retractable keychains that clips to your belt or secures to belt loop.
I think the tension is loose enough to still keep the knife in your pocet.
It would be similar to the rig you have now but without having to stuff the lanyard slack into your pocket.

[Surfingringo]

Another vote for trying back pocket carry. Works well with large tip down knives like the Military.

I agree with the sugar/lifestyle comments too. Nobody is saying those things to be rude though. I had to hear that 25 years ago from a couple of people. I didn’t like the way it sounded so I made some changes while I was still young. I’ll like you either way, I just want everyone to be as healthy and happy as possible. Sorry. So yeah, Millie, back pocket.

[Evil D]

Switch to tip down (or to a back lock) and slide the knife inward towards the other side of your pocket. Might not work with every style of pants though (Dickie's/slacks with side slit pockets for example).

Tighten your pocket clips by taking them off and bending them down a bit.

Back pocket with the right knife works well for me, but these days I usually have a flashlight in that spot.

Might be more extreme than you wanna go but years ago I played around with cutting the stitching out of the bottom of the "5th pocket" on a few pairs of jeans and I was carrying there. This allows large folders to fit into what is otherwise a very shallow pocket. The location of that pocket is more secure and less likely to snag.

[WilliamMunny]

I personally have never tried with a knife but what about in waist belt? Many people do this with small guns. Carry inside your pants, with the clip hooked to the pants but having your belt over the clip. This will give you excellent protection from it getting knocked out. Just experiment and see if there is a comfortable way to carry it.

[dan31]

I would recommend a milled clip. They are usually tighter gripping and have a lower profile in the hand. I recommend the RGT milled clip. They make a Para 2/3 specific clip as well. They cost more but you figure it should last close to forever.

https://rippsgaragetech.com/collections ... le-3d-clip

[ZrowsN1s]

Maybe counter intuitive, but get looser fitting jeans.

[JRinFL]

As someone waistline challenged, on and off, I can feel your pain. I gave up using clips for the most part and have moved to pocket carry with with a pocket organizer that keeps the knife upright in my pocket. I also gave up on jeans for daily wear. Once I got to a certain age, I just wear what works for me and forget about any form of fashion.

[JRinFL]

I probably should also mention that before I switched away from using clips, I moved my knives to weak side carry. That solved a surprising number of clip issues I was having.

[carrot]

You can carry clipped IWB right behind your hip bone, I recommend doing this with strong self-close locks like the lockback, or strong detents like CBBL and some flavors of comp lock.