Spyderco byte June 2024 - EDGE-U-CATION: Getting to Know the G-Clip™
In many ways, a fixed-blade knife is only as good as its sheath. Besides protecting the knife and its owner when not in use, a well-designed sheath should also allow convenient, comfortable carry and quick, reliable access. And one of the keys to satisfying those requirements is proper mounting hardware.
The sheaths of Spyderco’s early fixed-blade knives were equipped with either large or small Tek-Lok® mounts. Designed and manufactured by Blade-Tech®, these mounts were secure and offered quick attachment to most sizes of belts. They were also adjustable to allow vertical or horizontal carry. Their limitation, however, was that they only supported carry on a belt.
To provide greater versatility in the carry of our fixed blades, Spyderco looked to the late Mike Sastre. One of the pioneering masters of custom-molded Kydex® sheaths, Sastre’s work was well known in the knife community—especially among savvy tactical users. Although his meticulously crafted sheaths showcased everything from ball-chain neck carry to his uniquely old-school “Southern Comfort” system, Sastre’s most popular designs featured his innovative J-Clip and G-Clip attachments.
Hand molded from thick Kydex, Sastre’s J-Clip was designed for exceptionally discreet inside-the-waistband (IWB) carry and even worked with a tucked shirt. His original G-Clip allowed both belt carry and IWB carry and also provided a “tuckable” option for deep concealment. Because of its versatility, Spyderco chose to adopt the latter clip design, but with some modifications. Instead of placing the mounting holes at the tip of the G-Clip (necessary for tuckable carry), we placed them in the body of the clip. We used the same hole spacing as a small Tek-Lok to remain backward compatible with our older sheaths, but used a different hole pattern to allow vertical, horizontal, and canted carry. Although clearly inspired by Sastre’s design, Spyderco’s expression of the G-Clip is more compact and versatile. It’s also injection molded from fiberglass-reinforced nylon (FRN) for ease of large-scale manufacturing.
Configuring the G-Clip
With few exceptions, Spyderco’s injection-molded polymer sheaths and custom-molded Boltaron® sheaths are designed to be symmetrical. This allows the G-Clip to be mounted to either side of the sheath to maximize its versatility and its compatibility with both left and right-handed users.The G-Clip attaches to our sheaths with two stainless steel Chicago screw sets and two rubber washers that provide clearance between the clip and the molded cavity of the sheath. The Chicago screw hardware uses M4 metric screws with T-10 Torx® heads. To adjust the configuration of your sheath’s carry, use a T-10 Torx driver to remove the Chicago screws, then remove the clip. Experiment with the mounting position and orientation of the G-Clip, rotating it as necessary to take full advantage of its hole pattern. When you have decided upon your preferred carry position, re-mount the clip by inserting the female sides of the Chicago screws through the sheath holes and placing the rubber washers over the ends. Position the G-Clip over the female sides of the Chicago screws and insert the Torx-head screws through the body of the clip to screw them in place. Then, test your configuration to make sure it suits your needs and preferences. If it does, we recommend removing the Torx screws and applying a drop of temporary thread-locking compound to the threads before final assembly. This will help keep the screws from loosening over time.
The G-Clip’s design allows it to accommodate most belts up to 1.5 inches wide for traditional belt carry. By varying the mounting position and angle of the clip, you can easily configure your knife for vertical, horizontal, forward-cant, rearward-cant, and inverted carry. You can also fine-tune its position to present the knife edge forward or edge back for strong-side, crossdraw, or small-of-the-back belt carry positions.
If you don’t wear a belt, the G-Clip also functions like a classic spring-steel clip—like the kind found on traditional “boot knife” sheaths. In this role, it enables you to clip it securely to your waistband for IWB carry. Depending upon your preferred carry position, the clip can be angled to cant the sheath for maximum comfort, concealability, and accessibility. If you typically wear a jacket or vest with an interior breast pocket, the G-Clip can also be configured for inverted (handle-down) carry and clipped to that pocket. In that position, it carries much like a handgun in a shoulder holster, but without the bulk and hassle of the harness.
Other Carry Options:
Although the G-Clip provides a wide range of carry options, we understand it is not the solution for every problem. For that reason, we made it easily removeable and we purposely craft all our molded sheaths with metal eyelets. This style of construction allows the eyelet holes to be used with zip ties, parachute cord, or other improvised fasteners to mount your sheath to MOLLE platforms, packs, battle belts, vehicles, and other surfaces. The eyelets also work with ball chains and parachute cord for neck carry and “static cord” appendix carry inside the waistband.When it comes to turnkey fixed-blade carry solutions, the venerable G-Clip is one of the simplest, most versatile solutions you’ll find. Like most things Spyderco, it not only offers practical functionality, but also reflects a fascinating history involving some of the knife industry’s most innovative minds.