If you remember my last post about outfitting a knife for saltwater use, this was the last image:
It's a final view of my extra drawstring method for keeping your knife at your side, where it belongs, rather than down in Davy Jones' Locker somewhere. "Why tie?" you might ask. Well, I had a nice knife, also by Cold Steel, that came with a clip-on sheath. It survived maybe 8 trips to the surf before it was eventually sucked off of my person. I didn't even feel it go. If there's one thing you can say with certainty about the sea, it's that she is utterly relentless and will strip you of anything not securely lashed down. After having lost a set of keys and a knife, I've found the best method of keeping something from being sucked out of my pockets is to securely lash it to my shorts with para cord. Please also keep in mind that even this does not equal 100% retention, and you should periodically check your knots to make sure everything is shored up tight.
Well, I've had a few people ask how I did that drawstring thing, or "how the heck could I do that?". As someone who tends to fix clothes when possible, rather than throwing them out, I have a VERY BASIC knowledge of how clothes are put together (emphasis on the "VERY BASIC"). So here are the basics about how board shorts are typically put together:
All we're really worried about is the drawstring area for the purposes of this post. I don't care what your preferences are on pockets or materials, that is outside our scope here.
The two main types of drawstrings are:
1) Full: an "all the way around the waist," one-piece drawstring. (Bigger folks should probably try to stick with these so they stay up better)
2) False: it looks like a regular drawstring, but it's really just two pieces in front that are meant to hold the front opening closed, it does not really cinch your waist in any kind of way. If your belly is pretty flat, then this should really not be much of a drawback for you unless you get caught in some rather strong currents. The shorts above are of the false drawstring variety and I left "flat belly" territory about 5 years ago, though I am not what you'd call overweight. Even though it has the false drawstring, it still has seams that leave a channel where you can put a drawstring.
Now I'll show you a little bit about how I added an extra drawstring to a full drawstring short.
I always start with any holes that are already available and then try to cut holes with a very minimalist approach, so on this pair I started with the holes that the existing drawstring was using. I had to cut 2 holes in the inside back of the short so I could jump over an existing seam that is there, and then 2 holes on the exterior so my own drawstring could exit where I wanted it to. See below.
Here is what it looks like with the sheath tied on:
And here is a side view:
The real fun is getting your drawstring through this small channel. Your mileage may vary, but I tend to use a chopstick to work it through in spots where it gets tough. Those super-long toothpick things for making kebabs on the grill also work nicely, and you can bury the point in the leading tip of your drawstring to really get through some tricky areas. Otherwise I just use my fingers.
So far I am using a half-overhand knot on top of the sheath, then the same underneath, then a double-knotted bow underneath like you would on a pair of shoes.
At first I checked my knot quite frequently, but at this point I just put it on once, tie it tight and don't really look back.
That is the gist of it. Please comment to let me know if there's something I didn't explain fully, or something you'd like to see specific step by step pics of. Does anybody need to see how I keep my keys?
As always,
Thanks for reading.
Gun Guy out.
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