Zen_Hydra
Moderator
Born with a heart full of neutrality
Posts: 2,625
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Post by Zen_Hydra on Jun 16, 2019 3:03:37 GMT
It really isn't rocket science here. Now I will admit putting the sword back in is a lot harder but by then your enemy is dead so there's no real rush plus that's what friends are for. The sword is my Eindride which has a 32 inch blade and 43.5 inch overall, so it's not a shorty. I'm only 5' 8" with a 23 inch arm grip to armpit so no long chimp arms. Click on pictures to enlarge. That solution requires a special scabbard, which isn't really protecting the sword from the elements.
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Post by demonskull on Jun 16, 2019 3:36:21 GMT
Years ago I made a back carry rig very simply. I used a normal scabbard but used a single shoulder strap. Instead of a buckle across the front I used a pin through two holes on one end of the leather and two holes on the other horizontally. The pin was attached on a cord to the harness so it wouldn't get lost. You grabbed the sword in one hand, pulled the pin with the other and the scabbard would drop off your shoulder backward. It worked very well for a long bastard sword I would wear to events at the time.
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Post by MOK on Jun 16, 2019 7:14:09 GMT
If I were to design a back worn carry system, I think instead of trying to draw/sheath the sword from the back, I would try to figure out a way to quick-release the straps to allow the sword to drop down and swing around into a better position for drawing/sheathing. It would be a compromise between the convenience of carrying the sword in an out of the way position, and being in a suitable position to quickly access the weapon. Oh, that's easy. Just carry the sheathed sword over your shoulder like a slung rifle or half-assed backpack. You can see people doing this in period artwork. Fight breaks out, you shrug it off, draw it and ditch the scabbard. Fight is over, you retrieve the scabbard, sheathe the sword and shoulder it. Or, the preferred historical method in crowded places judging by artwork and textual accounts, just take it off and carry it in your hand. That way you have perfect awareness of and control over where it goes, can easily keep it from snagging on things and other people, it's instantly at hand if needed, and no footpad can snatch it off you.
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Jun 16, 2019 14:41:22 GMT
It really isn't rocket science here. Now I will admit putting the sword back in is a lot harder but by then your enemy is dead so there's no real rush plus that's what friends are for. The sword is my Eindride which has a 32 inch blade and 43.5 inch overall, so it's not a shorty. I'm only 5' 8" with a 23 inch arm grip to armpit so no long chimp arms. Click on pictures to enlarge. That solution requires a special scabbard, which isn't really protecting the sword from the elements. I set this up for Ren Fairs so I'm not worried about the elements since I won't be doing it in the rain. Plus it's to beautiful a blade to coverup in a full scabbard. No I wouldn't use this scabbard if I was going into battle or for everyday carry but since I'm not going into battle with it it serves it's purpose. The pictures just shows that yes you can draw a full length sword from a back mount scabbard.
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christain
Member
It's the steel on the inside that counts.
Posts: 2,835
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Post by christain on Jun 16, 2019 15:34:12 GMT
That's the exact type of back sling I thought about getting for my Hanwei claymore. A short scabbard means a short draw, and that means rapid deployment of the blade. I can't really see that type of back sling getting in ones way at all. The sword *could be* tied to the upper scabbard with a piece of cord and a slip-knot for on-the-go travel...like hard running. Just a pull of the 'rip cord' and you're home-free.
I may try to make one of these. It really doesn't look that complicated. Sadly, my Hanwei Lowlander will still have to be carried over the shoulder. It would still drag the ground in a back sling on a 5'-6" dude like me. .........
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Post by Gunnar Wolfgard on Jun 16, 2019 17:31:53 GMT
That's the exact type of back sling I thought about getting for my Hanwei claymore. A short scabbard means a short draw, and that means rapid deployment of the blade. I can't really see that type of back sling getting in ones way at all. The sword *could be* tied to the upper scabbard with a piece of cord and a slip-knot for on-the-go travel...like hard running. Just a pull of the 'rip cord' and you're home-free.
I may try to make one of these. It really doesn't look that complicated. Sadly, my Hanwei Lowlander will still have to be carried over the shoulder. It would still drag the ground in a back sling on a 5'-6" dude like me. ......... The only thing is you have to make sure you don't have the shoulder strap too tight or it will bend the scabbard to the curve of your back making it impossible to draw the sword. I also sewed a piece of aluminum flat stock into the scabbard to hold it strait. To do again I would sew the bottom end of the strap to the scabbard right at the armpit rather than near the bottom of the scabbard. You would have to unbuckle the strap to remove the scabbard where with this one I can just slip it over my head without unbuckling it.
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Jun 16, 2019 17:56:25 GMT
Those back carry methods involving a quick release of the scabbard while retaining the sword in hand are not bad ideas. Who wants to fight with an attached scabbard other than those Hollywood directors? There numerous paintings of combat with swords in hand and no scabbard to be seen. There are also accounts of numerous scabbards collected after a battle as they had been ditched. I believe the Sudanese were quality of this. Depending on the sword I like back carry as it gets the mess out of my way giving me more freedom of movement. Hand carry as previously mentioned is good especially for a quick draw and freedom of movement, though normally I like my hands free. I had earlier posted a video with my back carry but showed little detail as to the rig, only that back carry was feasible and practical, though the purpose of the video was to prove that I had not faked the first video as I was accused of. Below are photos showing more in detail the set up. The device came from True Swords and the last I looked they still carry it. Over the years I’ve had to make repairs but it’s still going. Sorry about the black saya as it makes viewing more difficult with the black leather. But that’s the katana I’d grab in a pinch with the carrier and I was too lazy to change then change back.
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