Slip Joint Knives...

[Wismon]

...aka tradtional pocket knives. I've never found a comfortable way to carry them; is there a trick to it? Or is that why the clip-on knives are so popular?

[AK-49]

I typically carry the spyderco native in my front pocket... its very lightweight only $60 or so... hardly know its there... the clip on knives often fall off when driving sitting etc

[MOGC]

IMHO the "trick" to packing a pocket knife is to choose a suitable size knife. An example might be a Buck 110 wouldn't be a pocket knife for me personally. Something slim and lightweight like a medium size Trapper pattern would fit that job better. Otherwise, I just drop a suitable knife in the pocket and pack away.

[Sabre]

IMHO the "trick" to packing a pocket knife is to choose a suitable size knife. An example might be a Buck 110 wouldn't be a pocket knife for me personally. Something slim and lightweight like a medium size Trapper pattern would fit that job better. Otherwise, I just drop a suitable knife in the pocket and pack away.

Yep, may not be the most popular knife style these days but I really like the trapper pattern and usually have either that or a 3 blade medium stockman in my pocket.

[DancesWithKnives]

Pants that have pockets with a tapered shape work best for me. For example, my BDU pants with pockets that taper to a low point will hold a slipjoint in a more vertical position. With some khaki work pants that have flat bottomed pockets, the knife falls down to a point that it is perpendicular to my leg. I find that less comfortable (and it prints more obviously) than a more vertical carry.

Although it's not a slipjoint, one of my most comfortable inside-the-pocket knives is an ancient CS 4" Voyager on which the clip was milled off. It is pretty thin and lays flat against my thigh.

DWK

[Wismon]

Well I guess that’s my problem: flat bottomed pockets.

Sabre, yeah, I like the Trapper and the Stockman also and I usually carry one or the other with me. (Usually a Stockman for everyday use and the Trapper when I’m hunting.) I’ve cleaned several deer with a Trapper but I haven’t yet cleaned one with a Stockman. I’ve also cleaned a goose with the “Hunter” style knife (aka “Ncboman” style knife) that Flatlander gave me but I haven’t cleaned a deer yet with it. Have you ever cleaned a deer with a Stockman style knife? If so, how well it it work for that application?

AK-49, the clip-on knives that I use stay put. That’s because I attach my own clip-on’s. I like the affordable but excellent Buck Juno (http://www.wingsupply.com/shop/Scripts/prodViewSKU.asp?SKU=990433BK) knife. It doesn’t come with a clip so I take a clip from either a $1 Wal-Mart knife or else a Stanley Utility knife and attach it with a large screw that I trim with a bolt cutter. That alone is enough to hold it in place but then I also throw in a few drops of super glue for good measure. I can make the pressure on that clip so tight that it just about tears my pants when I remove it. Since I don’t want to have to buy new pants any sooner than I otherwise would I usually don’t make it quite that tight…close, though. (In case you haven’t figured it out I usually carry more than one knife at any one time.)

Again, that Buck Juno fits my hand so well and opens so naturally for me and is so reasonably priced that I bought several to keep in reserve since it seems to be becoming ever more scarce...

[DancesWithKnives]

If the carry position of a clipless knife really bothered me, I'd sew a very basic vertical pouch into the inside of my pocket---maybe half to 2/3 the length of the knife. It wouldn't have to be a pretty job to work. If you have your pants hemmed or altered, you could probably get the seamstress to do it for a modest upcharge.

DWK

[Wismon]

DWK, that's a good idea.

[DancesWithKnives]

When I had a job that required wearing a suit most days, I had the tailor tighten up the lower left pocket on the inside of the suit jacket so that it would snugly retain a moderately large pepper spray canister. [Extremely difficult to get a concealed weapon permit in Left Angeles.] Worked pretty well. So perhaps a home-tailored inner knife pocket would also work?

Happy holidays,

DWK