I just got my white water raft guide license this year here in Maine. I’ve noticed that almost all the other guides put their knives on their shoulder straps. They use zip ties or rope/cord to fasten it the shoulder straps. This keeps the knife out of the way when re-entering the raft and it’s also in an easy to access position. Im also a white water canoer, and the PDF I use for races doesn’t have a lash tab for a knife. So what I did is fasten it to the main strap on the jacket between the PDF and the strap using the built in clip on the knife sheath. No zip ties required and it’s stayed on so far. Grated I’ve only had 1 swim with the knife attached like this, but still it feels really secure. The main strap sits pretty low on my body so it’s out of the way for re-entry, although theres not really any re-entering a flipped canoe in white water anyway. My only complaint is that when I sit in the boat, the butt of the knife sticks into my leg a little.

I've got a co-pilot that I run on my shoulder strap of my blue-jacket. It doesn't seem to be very high profile or likely to snag in that orientation, but I've been hearing for a while now about how I should move it to the inside of my vest and I honestly agree... The issue is, I really like the copilots design and I have a hard time finding a folding knife that was similar (blunt tip, good grip, etc). Looks like NRS recently came out with a folding version of the pilot that I might switch to and run on the inside of my vest. If I did that, I'd move the fixed blade copilot to my truck or something

love the video. contacted NRS. they had no clue upon specs of knifes. would you happen to know the difference between nrs knifes? SAR model,co-pilot model,pilot model? i looked at a NRS the other day. it had a BLUNT side on knife. Why would you want a blunt side in a rescue situation? wouldn't you want a double serrated

I'm 64 years old and have been canoeing since I was 14, pretty much all my life. I have only recently got into kayaking because my knees are finished and can no longer sit in a canoe correctly. I have always kept my knife on the chest of my PFD and never had an issue with it. Now that was in a canoe, kayak on the other hand, yeah I can see where it might get hung up during reentry or self rescue. That being said, I think if you are aware it's there and provide for that possibility you're going to be ok. I think it's all a matter of preference. The one important thing I would say is have a good dull or rounded tipped river knife (preference serrated blade) on you at all times. They come in very handy. I also keep a good quality folder in my dry bag but for general on water tasks, I use my PFD knife.

Thanks for sharing this Wade. I'm a certified rescue diver and I couldn't agree more. I'm always pointing out to paddlers that they need to move their knife or get a folding knife and put it in their PFD pocket! Kudos to you!...Eric

Keeps reaching through the video into my personal space

Awesome video. Knife in the front also REALLY messes with climbing into a raft, if you are into that sort of thing :) I'm personally a fan of a small low profile knife for cutting rope (bear claw) zip tied to the shoulder strap. Streamlined, out of the way. Inside the PFD I have a folding knife that I use for regular knife stuff, mostly for lunch.

While new to kayaking, I grew up on the Atlantic commercial fishing - you learn pretty quickly never to have anything on you that can snag when running out gear, so I have to say it amazed me to see these knife hooks on the front of these vests. 8 minutes and 9 seconds of pure common sense that may have saved lives there, Wade - great video!

This is a great video. Just gave me a whole new perspective on where I carry my knife

Agree 1,000,000%. Tks! Wade, you make SENSE!

I'm a raft guide and I had a knife on the front of my PFD for like a season and a half. On a fun run I was climbing back into a raft and it snagged on the chicken line and popped off of my PFD. Since that fiasco, I now keep a folding knife inside my vest. It is unfortunately very common for raft guides to carry their knives on the outside of their vests.

egg stream youtube mostly run on outside. but i agree ☝️

Never thought of this 🤔 Will change this for sure.

Never thought of that, I put mine back on shoulder strap

Agreed, I have a small knife in the top pocket of my clamshell as well, it’s a nrs ninja so not a lot of room but it fits along with my beadless whistle, lighter and spare truck key. One of my mates has his knife mounted externally so I’ll give him the business and reference this vid.

Yeti attacks happen in less than 1.43 seconds. I’m keeping mine vertically on my vest. Lol. I see your point though and it’s valid. But if I capsize, I’m just throwing it in my vest real quick before doing my cowboy scramble to get back in.

I would add is that the knife be in a position that you can easily get it with either hand. I prefer a serrated knife for cutting rope.

Thanks for the vid, will admit I kept mine on the outside since I thought the pfd makers wouldn’t put the mounts on if it was unsafe, but will now definitely invest in a new knife and keep it tucked away. Loving this safety series.

It's perfectly safe to hold a sharp blade if you know what you're doing. Men would wield their swords by the blade to use the cross guard as a blunt weapon when fighting someone in armor. It was called a "murder strike" or "half-swording." That said. You did convince me to remove my nrs knife from that spot. Thanks for the safety tips, it's very helpful.

Different pfds have different knife tabs in different spots

Great video again

For 65 years ive carried a knife..but i do run my dog! Lol

I’ve got that same vest, went to stick my knife in that dang holder and it wasn’t even worth the trouble so I just stuck it in my front pocket - just as fast IMO and a lot less problems / LOSING it being one. Good video man

Been running my knife like that for 30 years and I’ve never had any issues, it’s always been easy to get at and I’ve only lost one. I also run an old Gerber “Blackie Collins” Rivermaster which a lot of people dislike because it has more of a point on it than most river knives so I probably go against the grain for some stuff. I think it really comes down to personal preference, I’ve always been aware that it could snag on something but if it came down to it I’d pull the knife out and ditch it in the river if I thought my life was in danger. I don’t necessarily disagree with your post on the tow tethers either but still run one in certain situations. If I’m running significant whitewater etc I keep the tether in my pocket (like a flip line) and only use it if I had to, but if I’m out on easier whitewater with a group of beginners I run it on my vest because it makes cleaning up the yardsales easier. (Btw I’m Matt Wallin’s older brother Rob and need to get out and paddle with the 2 of you sometime)

Hey Wade, I’ve been kayaking for a huge number of days… all the way back to April 17th 2021!! I’ve been really on your kayak reviews as I’m hoping to have ww kayaks by next spring. This is the second “Safety Tip” video I’ve seen recently, I hope this is a new series you’re going to continue. The information you share, especially safety related could be invaluable to complete newbies like my wife and I.

Spot on!

Love these safety videos. Would love to see maybe some SWR vids. Maybe zdrag or pinned kayak stuff could be cool to see from u

I don't know how many times I've seen this. Always thought it was a snag danger. We always joked it was for sinking rafts on the Ocoee. 🤣

A river knife saved my life I had to swim and the safety threw me a throw rope and when it went tight it flew right out of the safety’s hands so there I was now swimming with a rope in tow well there was no other paddlers down below me and no exits for me so thru trying to swim I got all tangled up and there was a strainer that caught the road I was tangles in and it stoped me but in a position where I was barely afloat thanks to the NRS quick release knife on my shoulder strap I was able to cut free and drift to the eddy 15 yards down river

I agree that running the knife on the tag is not good. On the other side the knife should be available even from left or right hand.

I don't like where the lash tab is on that vest you're wearing for a knife either. I usually carry a folder in the pocket, but not all PFDs have a great sleeve like the one you do. I'm thinking of getting a Kokatat Hustle rescue vest just because of how they made the knife access. For river fishing and the same vest gets used for reservoir/tidal river), I do carry a knife externally. I also run an anchor up front and a drag chain on the back. I have them connected to a crank winch type thing called an Anchor Wizard to keep the amount of loose cord to a minimum. Still, I worry about getting the anchor (a coated dumbbell) or drag chain snagged and submarining my kayak. So I wear a knife I can get to relatively fast. I guess it's probably more superstition than anything, but my want for a knife that is handy goes back to my military days. I did a lot of things that involved ropes and things that could get tangled making an easily accessible knife a life-and-death matter for me and my team. You definitely convinced me to never mount a cow's tail though! You have great videos.

On the front it actually gets in the way of my paddle sometimes. On the Shoulder strap it would hit my full face helmet so I’ve always kept mine in the clamshell too. I need to add a tether. Curious on your thoughts on full face helmets. Seems you don’t see a whole lot gnar paddlers wearing them as much these days. Perhaps another video idea 💡 for you.

👍 dzięki za porady

Can you access your knife with both hands?

I paddle with mine in my mouth

I see this all the time. I remember my first kayak instructor telling me not to do this very early on. He said “We’re kayakers, not Rambo!”

Been called out. Told itll get caught. Hasnt yet but it probly will. Im moving it for sure. Or just gonna get a more rescue related design. Force6 is nice

i've lost so many knifes with them on the front like that.

One small tip. Dull the tip of your knife so when you are cutting a pfd or a drysuit open, you don't stab the person inside.

Where did you get the knife?

I keep mine out of the sheath and in my teeth.

I had the bigger NRS Pilot on the front of the same pdf and the glass breaking tip on the knife handle visibly damaged my paddle shaft within 3 days on the river. Another good reason not to put it there!

What’s the knife in your PFD?

The snag hazard is real but also...has anyone ever been in the water with someone who's drowning? I absolutely refuse to give weapon access to a person who's survival instincts have gone full tilt.

Umm, I wouldn't recommend telling someone to call out someone else b/c they wear their gear a certain way. You don't know what type of person that is and what mood they may be in, so you could open yourself up to some serious injuries. You're NOT the authority on how someone should wear THEIR gear. It's like those people who think they are the shit b/c they carry around in the chamber and those who don't, are putting themselves in danger somehow. Let people do what they want to do, as long as it's not affecting YOU! Maybe, just maybe, not everyone is as clumsy as some.

if your knife is in your PFD you aint got no knife. put it on your shoulder strap and you're good.

The positioning of the knife attachment tab on many PFDs is a significant design flaw. I learned the importance of not mounting the knife on the front part, when I used to dinghy sail. After a capsize, I would catch the knife on the lines during re-entry. If you are re-entering a raft it is likely to catch on the perimeter line. Also, if you get entangled with a raft, this could lead to drowning. You need to be able to separate yourself from any piece of gear during a swim. I picked up packrafting and intentionally don't place it on the front, so it doesn't impair my re-entry. There are two broad ways of safely running a knife that work. One is the internal mount as you have demonstrated and the second is on the shoulder strap. They key point with the shoulder strap is you need to find the sweet spot that minimizes entanglement (not too low) and isn't two high (on top of the shoulder which creates an pressure point). If you place the knife to high up on the the shoulder area, it would make portaging a kayak difficult. This will create a pressure point. This also may encourage you to favour carrying on one side and lead to premature fatigue. Also may lead to a sore back and shoulder. As for the NRS Co-pilot, the pros are the knife and the sheath have a blunt tip and is short. I had a rescue knife that had a blunt tip, but the sheath was pointy. I discontinued use, because I didn't want any pointy things near my body. Being short reduces the likelihood of catching on things. The potential still exists. The flaws of the Co-pilot are it doesn't have a full serrated blade, it has a section of serration and a section of regular blade. When you cut rope, it tends to only use a half of the length (serrated portion) of the blade. Also the bottle opener, sends a message that drinking and boating are a good mix. Save the beers for after the run and make sure you have a safe ride home.

Everyone on KZfaq puts their knife on the front!

Opinions are like assholes. "Call them out"...."but you do you" Are people dying because they wear their knife in the manufacturer placement? Why aren't manufacturers building knife placements elsewhere? I laugh at your "tHiS iS a HaZarD" but you have a useless length of cord on yours... Which is ABSOLUTELY going to get tangled, wrapped and stuck -when you need it most.