A Question to all the Soldiers and Marines.....

[Grand Torino]

While over in the desert those of you that carried a fixed blade knife......how did you fasten the sheath to your belt/equipment? Molle or Tek-Lok or something else? Where did most of you carry them? Thanks. :up:

[Moped]

Mine was on my belt and attached with its leather sheath. I carried on my right hip and I am right handed.

[Grand Torino]

Mine was on my belt and attached with its leather sheath. I carried on my right hip and I am right handed.

Thanks....did it have a loop or did you use a Tek-Lok?

[Moped]

Typical leather sheath. Here is a pic.

[Grand Torino]

Typical leather sheath. Here is a pic.

Thanks. :up:

[Sam1]

A knife?  That's what our cooks carried.  We carried a tank with us.

[Grand Torino]

A knife?  That's what our cooks carried.  We carried a tank with us.

You must be much larger that I could have imagined. My son rode in his tank....but never carried it. ;)

[btq96r]

Fixed blade knives have fallen way down in favor overseas from what I saw.  My last trip over was as a contractor to eastern Afghan from Nov 2012- Nov 2013, and I can't remember more than a few.  Just not as much use for for a large fixed blade over there as there is in a woodland environment.  Even when I was a Soldier, all I ever needed in Iraq or Afghan was a pocket knife.  Having a large knife would have just been more space taken up on my kit. 

Edited June 19, 2015 by btq96r

[Patton]

You didn't see to many fixed blade knives. Generally they went into storage after about the first month. Sometimes you would see a rescue cutter or folding knife attached to the Molle or IBA. I do remeber a few 5-6" blade looking knives attached to the drop leg holster for the handgun. Edited June 19, 2015 by Patton

[Sam1]

You must be much larger that I could have imagined. My son rode in his tank....but never carried it. ;)

 

The only people that just rode in tanks were lieutenants. 

[Moped]

I carried the big blade all through Desert Storm. That and a Wenger lock blade SAK. The large knife was mostly used for opening MRE boxes and such. The SAK got much more use. Knowing what I know now, I'd have carried a much smaller blade, something along the lines of an ESEE 3 or 4. That's really all you needed, along with a SAK. I EDC an Izula now. I don't much care for tactical folders. I just don't see the point in all the weight for a weak knife.

[mk19]

Pocket knives are in, compact and more useful and you can clip them on the molly webbing. The only fixed blade we carried was our issue k-bar, and those ended up on the butt-pack.

[Tncobra]

Bayonet upside down on the front. Edited June 19, 2015 by Tncobra

[Omega]

I mostly used a benchmade folder, my fixed blade was usually left in its sheath.  Our ALSE section would issue various knives so I carried whatever knife du jour was issued.  I remember carrying a kabar, an M9 (Buck)  bayonet, a pilot survival knife, a gerber survival knife and another I forget the brand of but its in a drawer someplace. The latest few had molle straps but all always had a 550 safety.  Most times I would place them on the side of my pack with the handle down but on a few occasions I would have it attached to my vest.  I'll try and drag out a few for pics later.

[Grand Torino]

I mostly used a benchmade folder, my fixed blade was usually left in its sheath.  Our ALSE section would issue various knives so I carried whatever knife du jour was issued.  I remember carrying a kabar, an M9 (Buck)  bayonet, a pilot survival knife, a gerber survival knife and another I forget the brand of but its in a drawer someplace. The latest few had molle straps but all always had a 550 safety.  Most times I would place them on the side of my pack with the handle down but on a few occasions I would have it attached to my vest.  I'll try and drag out a few for pics later.

That would be awesome....thanks :up:

[Grand Torino]

Thanks for all the replies men and thank you all for your service. :up:

[DWARREN123]

Taped upside down on my left suspender of my LBE. Long time ago.

[E4 No More]

Bayonet upside down on the front.

Old School! :)

[Wheelgunner]

Fixed blade Buck knife in hard plastic sheath, with the handle toward the ground.  It was attached to the MOLLE webbing on the front left side of my body armor plate carrier by black zip ties.  Most of the time it was just extra weight, and eventually I switched to carrying about a 4 inch folding knife.

[Omega]

Here are two in the immediate vicinity




The first is a Gerber, it may still be the one issued. The second says Asek on one side and Ontario on the other. I think it's an updated pilot survival knife withe the leather sheath I had in the 80s. As shown, they both have molle straps, and leg straps but I never used those. The only thing I strapped on my leg was my M9, and that only while on mission otherwise just a hip holster while in civies.

[Grand Torino]

Here are two in the immediate vicinity




The first is a Gerber, it may still be the one issued. The second says Asek on one side and Ontario on the other. I think it's an updated pilot survival knife withe the leather sheath I had in the 80s. As shown, they both have molle straps, and leg straps but I never used those. The only thing I strapped on my leg was my M9, and that only while on mission otherwise just a hip holster while in civies.

Thanks for the pictures and info. :up:

[R1100R]

Aviation survival knife upside down and zip tied to flight vest.

[SlapChopDonkey]

Here are two in the immediate vicinity
The first is a Gerber, it may still be the one issued. The second says Asek on one side and Ontario on the other. I think it's an updated pilot survival knife withe the leather sheath I had in the 80s. As shown, they both have molle straps, and leg straps but I never used those. The only thing I strapped on my leg was my M9, and that only while on mission otherwise just a hip holster while in civies.

That Gerber is still the issued ALSE knife.
It's pretty large, so mine mostly stays in my helmet bag, unless we're going somewhere where E&E is a possibility.
I generally cary a small fixed blade Gerber in that little medical scissor pocket on my thigh, and a bench made auto in my pocket.

[SlapChopDonkey]

But to the original question, all the ones I've seen on vests have been with Molly. I've never actually seen tek lock in real life.

[Omega]

But to the original question, all the ones I've seen on vests have been with Molly. I've never actually seen tek lock in real life.

MOLLE is the only attachment system I have seen in over 10 years.  The only thing that has seen any "improved" are some of the methods of attachment such as molle sticks and molle lok but those only come on a few pieces of equipment such as the IOTV for the adjusters and a few webbing cutter pouches which have a plastic lock system.  IMHO the molle straps with stiffeners are the best, though harder to weave through they provide a sturdy attachment and since they are not plastic they dont get brittle and break.