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Survival Sheath: Carry Solutions for All

A Product Review by The Martialist
Staff

Robert Humelbaugh of Survival
Sheath Systems is well known in the knife industry for his excellent — and
sometimes unconventional — carry rigs. Among many other things, Bob’s
work comes with each and every Gryphon M10, an excellent little fixed-blade
that would serve just about anyone for self-defense. Gryphon ships the
M10 with a Concealex, Tek-Lok-equipped sheath made by Bob.

The excellent Gryphon M10 with Humelbaugh
sheath.

GRYPHON M10

The little M10 is easily one of the best small
fixed blades on the market. The synthetic handle provides good grip
thanks to a combination of checkering and grooves. The four-inch blade
has an deep, long, unsharpened false edge, behind which is a grooved rest for
“choking up” on the blade to do close cutting work. The little blade
just feels good and handles well.

BELT SHEATH

I am convinced that Bob could make a belt, shoulder, or
chest rig to fit virtually any tool or weapon. To test that theory, I
challenged Bob to send me several different sheaths for the same knife.
The M10’s factory sheath was one of these.

The sheath shows the same quality workmanship that
characterizes all of Bob’s When I received mine I immediately removed the two
screws securing the small Tek-Lok and reversed its position so the knife could
be carried in a strong-side reverse grip position. The knife draws
smoothly and rides securely.

CHEST RIG

For those who want to carry an M10 a bit more discreetly,
Bob offers his chest rig (for the Gryphon as well as other knives and even
firearms). Intended for concealment under an outer shirt, the chest rig
positions the knife butt-down across the front of the torso as shown.

Surprisingly comfortable, the rig boasts fully
adjustable straps (I wear a size 50 jacket to accommodate my large chest, so I
was pleased to see the chest rig could be adjusted to fit even me). Each
mounting “ring” swivels a bit, too, for additional flexibility. There is
a triangular “ring” that brings the rig’s three straps together across the
back.

I wore the chest rig in public underneath an outer shirt
(albeit a loud one to break up any printing that might occur) and had no
problems with unwanted visibility. I see this as a deep-cover method of
carry, unless worn under a very loose outer jacket or an untucked Hawaiian
shirt.

SHOULDER HARNESS

Bob’s ingenuity does not stop at the chest harness, however.
I’m not sure how he knew I’d love this shoulder rig or the combination for
which it is designed, but I do. His dual shoulder system is again fully
adjustable. It also makes it possible to carry a full-sized fighting
tomahawk under a three-quarter-length jacket.

Fully adjustable like his chest harness, Bob’s
shoulder rig was comfortable to wear and showed the same careful manufacture
as do his other products. One nice feature of the shoulder harness is
the fact that it is two separate components, held together by a substantial
Velcro patch at the middle of one’s back. This means that if you own
several shoulder harnesses made by Bob, you can mix and match components as
needed.

The inner surface of the shoulder-pad portion
of the harness is a tacky material that hugs the fabric of your shirt.
This is very well thought out, as it prevents the harness from slipping around
on your body.

The whole point of this article, however, was
to show the same knife carried in different ways. That’s the other side
of this dual rig: a Gryphon M10 sheath worn inverted beneath the
weak-side arm.

AMERICAN TOMAHAWK

The tomahawk is a superb close-quarters weapon.
Reasonably intuitive in that it can be used to chop or hammer while delivering
devastating damage, it is also a great tool for hooking, trapping, and goring.
Its handle makes it a great tool for applying leverage, too.

American Tomahawk’s Vietnam Tactical Grade, the
‘hawk for which Bob designed my shoulder rig, is incredibly good. Its
checkered, synthetic handle is tactilely pleasing and sufficiently “grippy,”
while the all black “tactical” look makes it equally visually appealing.
While not sharp as a razor out of the box, the chopping and piercing grinds
were sharp enough to do serious damage.

If you like Tomahawks, this is one worth
carrying. Of course, if you get one, you’ll almost owe it to yourself to
dress it up with one of Bob’s carry systems. The padded nylon factory
sheath will get the job done, but with nothing like Bob’s sense of style.
It’s that same sense of style that says, “Carrying a tomahawk under your
jacket isn’t good enough — you need another blade on the opposite side.”

The Gryphon M10 is available from

Cutlery Shoppe, among other sources.
The Vietnam Tactical Grade Tomahawk is produced by

American Tomahawk and also available through

One Stop Knife Shop.

Vietnam Tactical Grade head (left) and
piercing tip (right).

Checkered synthetic handle has shallow
cut-outs for more
than half its length on either side, making the shaft flat on
sides of the tomahawk head. This would help help you
determine with what orientation to grasp it in the dark.

ENHANCE ANY TOOL YOU CARRY

One of the constant irritants in the self-defense world is
that there are many great tools on the market whose factory carry
systems, sheaths, and scabbards just don’t meet the demands of those who wish
to carry such implements consistently. Whether you like the factory
sheath for your knife, pistol, axe, or other implement, however, there’s no
doubt in my mind that Bob and Survival Sheath can provide you with improved
carry options and combinations.

Unless the next self-defense tool you buy
already comes with a Survival Sheath, it might be time to give Bob a call.

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