04 January 2013

Gearing UP! Khukri Machete Sheath

 What do you do when you get a new knife, and the sheath that comes with it is crap??  

One solution, of course, is to not buy the knife to start with. 

The other solution is to build a new sheath.

If you are skilled at working with leather, build a leather sheath.


 I, however, am more comfortable with textile fabrics - like pack cloth, canvas, & Cordura.

So, when I acquired a Khukri Machete from Cold Steel, I was very pleased with my new blade. Not-so-much with the limp, cheap sheath. The included sheath provided the most basic protection to the blade but not much else. Too bad, because I bet that the poor quality of the sheath deters many from buying a very serviceable field knife.
 I decided the best course of action was to build a new sheath. So, I incorporated the required features from the original sheath - open back to allow the curved blade to exit or enter the sheath and went from there. I used 2 layers of 1000 denier Cordura fabric with 1/4" foam sandwiched between. So, in total I have 4 pieces of 1000 denier Cordura and 2 pieces of 1/4" foam - one set for the front panel and one set for the rear panel. Then I used nylon binding tape to finish the edges of the front and rear panels. I then added the webbing and Velcro, before assembling the front to the rear.
The straps, snaps and loop were added last. The lower of the two straps, wraps completely around the sheath to assist in securing the Khukri to a pack that has MOLLE webbing or gear loops.

While not perfect, I am pleased with the finished product.

So, when needed, build your own gear.


Keep you gear covered and ready to go!!

Mountainman.