The 5 Best Ways To Carry a Pocket Knife With No Belt

If you don’t have a belt and want to learn more about how to wear a pocket knife, you’ve come to the right place. There are multiple good options, and I’ll cover each of them in detail.

The best ways to carry a pocket knife with no belt include wearing it around your neck, carrying it over your shoulder, tying it around your waist, placing it in your pocket, and using a clip (like a money clip). Note that some methods might not be practical, especially if the knife is too heavy.

In many situations, using paracord like this type found on Amazon to create a lanyard or a baldric. We’ll discuss these options in detail below.

Please read on for more info about each method.

1. Wear It Around Your Neck

One way to wear a pocket knife with no belt is to place it around your neck, like a lanyard. You can use a paracord for this, and it’s super easy to do. However, you could also buy a chain or anything else that will go comfortably around your neck while securely holding a pocket knife.

If using a paracord, you’ll need to cut it and attach it to the knife sheath, ensuring it’s long enough to wear around your neck. 

To get an idea of how this works, check out the following Youtube video by Red Beard Ops:

The benefit of wearing a pocket knife around your neck is that you have easy access to it, and it won’t fall once the paracord is strong enough.

The downside of wearing a pocket knife around your neck is that it might be too heavy and cause neck pain after a while, which can be disruptive. Therefore, this method is best for lighter pocket knives.

2. Wear It Over Your Shoulder and Across the Body

Another way to carry a pocket knife without a belt is to wear it around your shoulder (like a baldric). Technically, you could use the method above but cut the paracord to be longer to fit around your shoulder and upper body. 

Wearing it this way might be more comfortable than wearing the knife around your neck because the weight is distributed across the side of your neck and one of your shoulders. You can place the knife below your armpit when you wear a paracord over your shoulder.

For example, let’s say you place the paracord over your left shoulder. In that case, the knife would rest on the opposite side of your body under the right armpit. You can wear it over or under your clothes, but it’s more beneficial to wear it over your clothes if you need to use the knife frequently.

The benefit of wearing a pocket knife over your shoulder is that it’s another position that gives you easy access. On the downside, you may experience neck and shoulder pain after carrying the pocket knife for a while.

3. Place It in Your Pocket if It’s Big Enough

In many cases, it’s not the best option to put a pocket knife in your pocket (despite the name)! 

Here are the main reasons it doesn’t always work well:

• Some pockets are too small. If your pockets are too small, the knife will stick out or may not fit at all. It might fall out if it does, which is highly inconvenient.
• Some pants and shorts are too light. Since your pocket knife is likely heavy, your pants might fall if they’re made of lightweight material.
• Not all pockets have zips. Although zips are not always necessary for this method to work, it helps because it ensures the knife is secure and doesn’t fall out.

However, if you have heavy-duty pants with big pockets (and even better if the pockets have zips), you should consider carrying your knife in one of them. It’s the method that requires the least amount of work, so it’s worth it if you’re in a rush or don’t want to spend any money.

The advantage of wearing your pocket knife in your pocket is that you don’t need to buy any equipment (like paracord). The downside is that it can fall out if you don’t have the right pockets, meaning you could lose your knife accidentally.

4. Use a Clip

If you’re not interested in any of the methods mentioned thus far, you could add a clip to your knife sheath and attach it to your pants. A good example would be a money clip, which you can easily connect to a pocket knife sheath.

Once the clip is attached to your sheath, you can clip it onto the waistline of your pants or shorts, and it should remain securely in place. 

The advantage of using a clip to carry a pocket knife is that you can easily reach your knife without strain. The downside is that your pants need to be heavy enough to hold the knife. So, this method won’t work if you’re wearing sweatpants.

Related Is it Legal to Carry a Knife on Your Belt? | 4 Key Factors.

5. Wear It on Your Bag

If you need a knife for hiking (or any other activity that requires you to wear a backpack), you can attach it to your bag. One of the best ways to wear a knife on your bag is to use a rope (like one of the paracord methods mentioned earlier) and place it across your bag.

To get a better idea of this method, be sure to check out this Youtube video by The American Backpacker:

Once the knife is placed around the bag, it should be secure. However, it won’t be as accessible as other methods, as you may have to twist and turn (or even remove your backpack) to access the knife.

Best Waterproof Option to Carry a Pocket Knife With No Belt

The best waterproof option for carrying a pocket knife without a belt is to ensure the sheath is waterproof. You can make a sheath waterproof using beeswax, mainly if it’s made of leather. Once the sheath is waterproof, you can carry the knife using any method.

For added protection from water, consider carrying the knife under your clothes. For example, if using tip 1 from this article, tuck the knife under your shirt once it’s around your neck. If your paracord is made of nylon, it should be waterproof, so that’s a bonus!

For more, check out Can You Sharpen a Knife Too Much? | What You Need to Know.