Today I want to share some thoughts on carrying a knife with body armor. This is not a universal rulebook — it’s based on my own combat experience and the way I move. For example, how I draw a knife from its sheath. Your habits may be different, so take this as practical advice from the field, not absolute truth.
Personally, I always carry several:
A small Victorinox with a blade and can opener. I use it only for food, so the risk of infection is minimal. And honestly, slicing sausage with the same knife you used to cut explosives is not the best idea. This knife usually stays at the bottom of my butt pack, where I can find it in a calm environment.
This one is for everyday military tasks: cutting branches, sharpening stakes, cutting tape, stripping wire. Some prefer small fixed blades in plastic sheaths — that’s more reliable.
I manage with a sturdy folding knife, but much stronger than cheap folders. Sometimes I add a multi-tool, but let’s be honest: the knife on a multi-tool is never as good as a dedicated blade. I usually carry my utility knife in a pocket via a clip, or in a pouch on my belt or battle belt (LBE).
My third knife serves as a secondary weapon, and I keep it ready at all times. This is always a tactical fixed blade, carried in a plastic sheath on my plate carrier in the chest area. I never use it for everyday tasks, so it is always razor-sharp. At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, I carried the NESSMUK, then the STORMTROOPER, and now I carry the REX.
Our plastic sheaths come with a steel clip that fits perfectly into MOLLE webbing. I recommend securing the sheath additionally with a rubber band, paracord, or zip ties, just like soldiers did in the photo below.
During active movement — jumping, crawling, rolling — you need extra fixation so the knife stays secure on your gear.
In Ukraine, this idea has been discussed for a long time, especially in the context of modern combat. Right now, it is being implemented in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) by instructors from our Knife Fighting Federation – Major Andriy Marchenko and Junior Lieutenant Maksym Kudriavtsev.
First, providing pistols to AFU soldiers is simply not practiced today.
Second, a knife does not run out of ammo, and it does not jam. Using a knife as a weapon eliminates the need for complex fine motor skills — with one hand movement, you pull the knife from the sheath; with another, you drive it into the enemy’s neck.
A knife is easier and faster to draw and apply in a clinch — and it is in the clinch where hand-to-hand combat occurs at war, as seen in this video:
After this real combat incident (shown in the video), the 1st Separate Assault Battalion named after D. Kotsiubailo invited us to train their own knife fighting instructors, so they could later teach all servicemen in the Regiment.
Optionally, you can also carry a combat knife can in the belt area — in this video, we analyzed that there is no significant difference — it’s a matter of personal preference.
Horizontal carry on body armor, whether on the chest or belt, is not new. For example, in 2019 during the Nairobi hostage rescue, an SAS operative carried a knife even though he had a pistol.
This is my vision of carrying knives in war. Some might say that three knives are too much weight, but let’s look at the facts: my Rex + folder + tiny Victorinox total about 350 grams in all. Given the mass of gear you usually have to lug around, this is completely negligible.
Finally, as I said at the beginning — this is my personal experience and habits. Yours may be different, and that’s fine. The important thing is to fight effectively and stay alive.
Good luck!
