Is there a good alternative to using krydex or leather for such things? 
Yep....
Find a discarded pick-up bed liner.  The material is heat moldable.  Use a saber saw to cut.  Go slowly as the material will heat up, flow around the blade and then solidify behind the blade.  Leaves you with a solid piece again and a silly look on your face.  Cut it with a low tooth count blade on the slowest setting.
Then attack it with a heat gun.  Works great.  Good for other projects were you need to mold a very rugged shape like a wheel well protector etc.
Nomad
PS: I posted this yesterday and it seems to have disappeared...