I bought a Blackhawk ankle pouch thinking I'd carry some stuff in it. Worked well, but was kind of hassle. I bought it for extra capacity, not concealment. There's only so much stuff I'm willing to carry in my pockets. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Now, think about this for a sec.. I carry an HDS 60 (1" x 3"), fox 40 whistle, Arc AAA, Sebenza, fire steel and Leatherman in my pants pockets now. And I have bulging pockets. I haven't added all the other stuff that various people carry everyday, and a fanny pouch or waist pouch won't work in my environment. So, I was hoping an ankle pouch would give discreet (not necessarily concealed... differerent connotation) carrying capacity.

My experience, if you're willing to live with the downsides of an ankle pouch, it can add about an extra pocket worth of carrying capacity. More, probably, since the stuff in the pouch would only be accessed rarely and could be packed more tightly. Might be an excellent place to carry one of the micro PSKs recently discussed.

I can come up with several reasons for concealment of a PSK.

1. Social. I know that I break out in hives when I don't have a leatherman tool at least near me, but suit pants just don't really cut it for carrying gear.

2. Security. PSK's have "interesting" stuff in them. If I was in a place where interesting stuff might attract too much attention, I'd not want something as obvious as a waist pack on my person.

3. Urban Environment. The IED and Car Bomb are two very real things, and both can leave you entrapped in a building for a while. You might not need it at hand, but to have gear with you isn't a bad idea.

4. It's cool.

It seems you are trying to design a knife/kit ankle hoster. Look at the holster market and adapt from there. Ankle holsters are good for deep concealment, but generally considered uncomfortable. If you have the desire, (such as a cop's need for deep back-up pistol), you will be able to tolerate it, but 24/7?

Bianchi or Safariland used to make an ankle holster like you are describing. It was taken off the market in the 1980's because it was too uncomfortable to wear.

There are several companies that make "ankle wallets" out of nylon and they may work for you. Or you could attempt to take police duty belt gear and attach elastic and velcro to make an ankle rig.

While working as store security I had my wife help me make one out of a nylon handcuff case and elastic strapping with velcro. It worked fine with cuffs and stayed in place. As cuffs weigh less than a pistol it wasn't as bad as ankle holsters I've worn over the years.

One thing though if you attempt it make sure it stays tight against the leg. Other wise it will both print, and or snag the pants and become a hinderance.

Also in some jurisdictions concealing a knife under garments is a legal no-no and can land you in the pokey, which is not my idea of fun.

Also you may want to look at a kit based upon a dive knife which already has straps attached.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

Roger that. The ONLY ankle holster that I ever tried that didn't feel like a ball and chain after a few hours is the S&W boot holster, and that isn't really that subtle unless you wear long pants and 8"+ boots every day.

I have yet to see any system that works for me with virtually any weight of gear. Try jogging with even a 4oz pocketknife strapped to your ankle and you'll see what I mean. However, I personally believe that you must be able to run, jump and be upside-down with your EDC remaining securely in place and that is a major influence on my opinion here. YMMV.

Ditto on neoprene NOT being comfortable for all day wear.

Thanks Groo for the input. Interesting leads...I am downsizing the weight as we speak and doing some major rethinking because of the opinions I've gotten on the posts which are all appreciated. The question has to be - what's the least one can do with in the way of materials...
NAro, regarding your post, the reasons for concealing a PSK are several. First off, the need for a PSK is only as a last measure fallback survival pack to be used when you have nothing else because of a worst possible scenario situation like: loosing all your gear while fording a river, theft or destruction of your gear by humans, etc...the human is the animal I fear most in the backcountry because of their unpredictable, violent and destructive nature. (the only animal that kills and maims for no reason - even invented a word for it - "sport"). If one does not have the PSK attached to your body at all times you are at risk. Pants pockets are fine if you are wearing those pants, sleeping in those pants, and don't mind the constant chaffing.Any gear packs attached to your belt or outside your clothing are readily apparent and obviously contain something valuable....

This is not an answer to all your reasons for wanting a leg carry, but I have had good luck carrying a second wallet. It's nylon, and has room for a Leatherman, single-cell AAA Maglite, butane lighter, signal mirror, flat whistle, alcohol preps, money, spare credit card, car key.

I have carried concealed with a leg holster, and have never had any luck in the comfort department. The least objectionable I have found is by Bianci (I think) and is lined with wool pile. On the other leg, I've used a breathable cotton-nylon leg wallet for a spare mag, which is O.K. as long as you don't try to overload it.

Last thought: Ever tried a full-out run wearing something on your ankle? You'll have gear all over the street.

I don't know if it would meet your requirements, but I have made something that might inspire you :

http://www.davidmanise.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=matos;action=display;num=1121850443

I've posted the explanations and pictures on a french forum I hang on a lot.
It is made of Cordura 500D (camo) with YKK weather resistant zippers, Velcro hook and loops and Duraflex hardware. It took me several hours of work, of course.

bye

Fabrice