How To Wear A Boot Knife – A Step-By-Step Guide

Having a concealed boot knife is one of the best items you can have to stay prepared. When you are out in the wilderness, the boot knife serves a multi-purpose function by helping you cut firewood and it protects you from harm.

In fact, by picking the best boot knife, you will be able to meet those needs with ease. It may even give you an edge in those near-death moments.

Now, after you have gotten a suitable boot knife, it’s time we learn how to use the boot knife. There are many aspects to it, including how you should keep it on your body, how you can use it to protect yourself and how you should preserve it.  Today, we will explore the preliminary point on how to wear a boot knife.

Before we start-off, please consider these few things carefully:

– Knife – You need to make sure that the length of the knife is short enough so that you can store it properly.

– Sheath – The sheath has to be solid enough to prevent the blade from cutting you. This means that durability is of utmost importance.

– String – You need a string to tie the knife sheath to your boots so that it stays securely on your boots. Make sure that the sheath is tied tight enough so that it wouldn’t move around too much.

– Boot – Ideally, the boots should be big enough to store your boot knife. If you want to conceal it, the boots must be long enough so that you can hide the knife easily.

My goal here is to come-up with a comprehensive guide on what are the different steps you need to go through and the options available. So, please bear with me if the tips I mentioned are too general.

Also, here’s a list of the best boot knives I’ve found that are really easy to carry.

Image	Name		Weight	Blade length	Overall Length	Rating	Price		Benefits
	Kershaw Secret Agent (4007)	Check Latest Price	3.0 ounces	4.4 Inch	8.7 Inch	3.9/5.0	$$		Hard and Durable knife that is made for concealment
	SOG Instinct Mini Fixed Blade	Check Latest Price	4 ounces	1.9 Inch	4.8 Inch	4.4/5.0	$$		Stainless steel full tang knife that is small enough to be a neck blade
	Cold Steel 17T Kobun	Check Latest Price	4.23 ounces	5.5 Inch	9.875 Inch	4.4/5.0	$$$		5 inch high- quality stainless steel blade which is made for heavy duty tasks
	Schrade Needle Boot Knife	Check Latest Price	5.1 ounces	7.6 Inch	12.7 Inch	4.1/5.0	$		High-carbon stainless steel blade that has serrated spear points
	Buck Knives OPS BOOT Tactical Knife	Check Latest Price	2.5 ounces	3 Inch	6.25 Inch	4.4/5.0	$$$$		Blade with excellent edge retention and does not require sharpening often

1. Being aware of the type of knife you are using

Fixed or Folding?

Depending on whether it’s a fixed or folding blade, the way you conceal the blade would differ.

Thickness – Fixed blades are often thinner than folding knives. Since it will be much more comfortable to carry around thinner knives, you will feel more comfortable carrying boot knives.

The thickness of the knife will have a bearing on how you should carry the knife as well.

Usability – The way you draw the boot knife would be different for both types of knives. For a folding knife, you need to go the extra-mile to unfold it before use. This means that boot knives are more appropriate for emergency use, allowing you to use it in just split seconds.

Depending on how you plan to use the knife, be it for cutting wood or self-defense, will influence the way you conceal your boot knife.

What’s the blade length?

Boot knives usually have an overall length of 5 to 9 inches. The blades often measure from 2.5 inches to 5 inches.

Ideally, the blade of the knife should not protrude out of the top of your boot if you are storing the boot knife beside your ankle. The tip of the knife should not extend too far past your ankle as well. This helps to ensure that you can move around with ease.

If you are interested, you can check out this video about the different types of knives available in the market.

2. Knowing HOW you want to place the knife

This will be the longest part of the post because it’s directly relevant to the topic at hand. There are several ways of placing the boot knife depending on whether you want it:

1) Inside the boot or;

2) Outside the boot.

Inside the Boots

Most people think about storing the knife inside the boot when it comes to boot knives. If you just put the knife in its sheath and stuff it into your boot, you will likely start feeling uncomfortable after 30 minutes of use.

Caution: Make sure that you wear boots that comes with a sheath before you even consider carrying the knife inside the boot.

By getting boots that comes with a sheath, you are getting boots where the manufacturers would have tailored the boots to be suitable for storing appropriate knives. With a sheath, you will basically be able to store the knife inside it and conceal it.

However, that’s not the end of the story. You need to find a way to attach the sheath in such a way where it remains stationary. Also, the sheath has to be thick and durable enough (such as being made from thick leather) so that you can be sure that no accidents may result from this.

Putting it right under your feet

If you want to put the knife right under your feet, make sure the knife is small and thin enough for you to slip it in. If the blade of the knife is either too big or too long, your feet may get hurt.

This method may make you feel uncomfortable too. Until you get used to it, you will have to walk around with something protruding beneath your feet.

If you are using this method of concealment, make sure you pick your sheath wisely. If the sheath wears out easily, the blade may cut through the sheath.

However, if you are going to be on your feet for hours, putting it right under your feet isn’t the best idea.  

Placing it beside your ankle (inside the boots)

If your boots don’t come with a sheath, I would highly recommend that you put the boot knife beside your ankle. Ideally, you should wear a boot with high ankle before even using this method of concealment.

Also, you will only be able to store folding boot knives or smaller-sized fixed blades by putting it beside your ankle.

This method of placement would be great if you want easy access to the knife.

Warning: If you are storing the boot knife inside the boots (using the above two methods), I would highly recommend getting an extra sheath so that you can safely store the knife. If the sheath that comes with the knife is low-quality, I would highly recommend getting a high-quality one.

When getting an extra sheath, you need to make sure that it’s small enough to fit into your boot.

If your boots don’t already have one, attaching an extra sheath can help you to store your knife comfortably.

Storing it in the Boot Pocket

Ideally, if you want to store the boot knife inside your boots, you may want to get a pair of boots with a built-in knife pocket.

However, you need to do a market survey to get a suitable one. Some of the good ones include the 5.11 ATAC 2.0.

Do note that not all types and sizes of knife will fit in to the boot pocket. Since the boot manufacturer took into considerations many factors, it’ll be much safer carrying the boot knife around in the boot pocket.  

Storing it in the built-in straps

Some boots are specifically designed with built-in straps that is made of sheath, compared to an integrated pocket. 

Outside the Boots

Also, you can choose to strap the knife outside of your boots. You will feel more comfortable wearing boots with the boot knife strapped externally rather than having it stored inside the boots. Your feet will be able to move freely inside the boots itself.

The only negative aspect about this is that you will lose the ability to conceal the knife.

Strapping it on top of the shoe laces

This usually works only if your boots are small and thin enough.

If you are wearing low-cut boots, I would suggest strapping the knife onto the front area on top of the shoe laces.

You can weave the laces through the holster’s holes to help get the boot knife right in place.

Strapping the sheath on the side of the boots

If you are wearing mid-cut or high-cut boots, you can strap the sheath onto the side of the boots.

Strapping it onto your calf

Alternatively, you can strap it onto your calf.

3. Positioning WHERE you want to put your boot knife

After determining how you want to place it, you need to know where you want to place the boot knife.

Depending on which hand you want to hold the knife with, you need to plan-out where you want to put the knife. For example, if you are right-handed, you may want to hold the knife with your right hand because you will be able to cut things with more strength and precision.

If you want to carry the knife with your right hand, you should place the knife either externally on the right boot or inside your left boot.

If you are carrying the knife using your left hand, it should be placed externally on the left boot or inside your right boot.

Ideally, you need to invest time to test out how do you best draw the knife.

4. Fastening the Knife in place

Using a string

One of the best ways to fasten the knife is with a string. It should be a rugged string like your laces.

So, you have to first put the knife into the sheath and then place the sheath onto the part of the boot where you want to place the boots.

Make sure that the sheath and the knife is pushed far enough into your boot so that the knife sheath remains stationary and that it’s comfortable enough. Do ensure that the knife does not interfere with your movement as well.

After that, you should tie the string through the holes that are available in the sheath. This is to help you ensure that the knife is fastened tight enough so that it’s not moved around. You can do this by tying a knot onto it.

Using a tape

Alternatively, you will be able to keep the knife sheath in place by taping the sheath onto an interior or exterior part of your boot.

Make sure that the tape is sticky enough to keep the sheath kept still.

Concluding Thoughts

A boot knife usually refers to any backup knife that you carry. This emergency knife may be able to make a huge difference in keeping you safe.

As reflected above, knowing how to wear a boot knife properly is easy. It will be able to make a big difference too. Your feet wouldn’t be prone to getting hurt and you will be able to move around with much more ease if you wear your boot knife the right way.