The Buck PakLite series are good knives at a great price.  I bought my regular sized Skinner for 19 dollars, and it holds a pretty good edge for a pretty long time.  It’s thick enough (4mm) that you can beat on it while splitting wood with no regrets, but still filets a fish or guts a critter just fine.  The problem is the sheath, which is functional but large and ruins the otherwise slim and trim profile.

Thankfully you can use the existing sheath to make a replacement for almost nothing.

Cut apart the stitching which holds the two halves of the stock sheath together and you’ll discover a plastic insert.  This insert is stitched in place with a small plastic tab.  Shave that tab off flush and you have a sleek sheath that is plenty durable, safe, and weighs almost nothing.  I stitched a slip-fit cover out of 500D cordura, and glued it to the plastic with Shoe-Goo.

The velcro tab on the back holds the shock cord in place (this part is not laminated, so that the cord can move freely and if necessary be replaced), as well as holds the sheath stationary inside the gun compartment of my Kit Bag.  I can draw the knife, use it, and replace it all with one hand.

The saga of the ultimate ‘mid also continues; after observing the effects of last weekends moderate snowfall I added guy points to the edge seams, a bit lower than the mid panel points.  These are not meant to provide stabilization in high winds, but to aid in snow shedding.  2 inches of light stuff last night didn’t provide much of a test, but I was secure and toasty inside with the wood stove cranking.