Making and modifying gear

Since I haven't had much woods time this year I've spent more time thinking about gear than using it. This thinking has caused me to see some of the kit I use needing slight modification to better suit my needs.

Making the netting shuttle is only the first step in this process.

Today I'll be taking the chest pockets off of my favorite Arborwear shirt to make it more suitable for shooting. Shouldering a shotgun while wearing a shirt with chest pockets can be a little tricky if the recoil pad is gummy or sticky. I may just remove the left pocket as that's the one that gets in the way.

I'm starting to carry my knife differently too. For a time it was belt carry and then I discovered baldric carry. The knife essentially rides under the armpit and can swing freely fore and aft depending on where it's needed. Now I'm trying to wear the knife with loops around both shoulders and clipped together at the back with a carabiner. It's not the most elegant method but it's still a new way. I'll probably work out some of the kinks as I wear it more often.

The knife travels handle-up right at the level of my sternum and no longer swings side to side when I move. That's it in the picture.

Yeah, the shirt pockets are looking curly. That's another reason to remove them. Even ironing doesn't smooth them out much. You can see, however, that I heavily use the chest pockets on my shirt at this time so that may require a bit of retraining.

Thanks for reading,


B