+2 Knife of Concealment – CRKT Triumph N.E.C.K.

Today’s item for consideration is the CRKT Triumph N.E.C.K. Knife.With the nice weather coming, I usually take the wardrobe change to also review and change my EDC.  One thing I always take the time to review is what knife I carry with me and why.  I’ve been going through my gear shelf in my office and considering something lighter than what i’ve been carrying lately, my CRKT M21-02 Folding Knife.

I love that knife, and it’s going to be really hard for me to let go of it, it keeps it’s edge decently, holds up to reasonable abuse, is comfortable to use, and is just plain convenient.  But for the summertime I want to carry something smaller and even more convenient.  I started looking to neck knives, something i can easily carry without worrying about pockets or pouches.  And thus we find the CRKT Triumph N.E.C.K..

This particular neck knife was the first on my mind for ease of carry.  CRKT ships this particular knife with a patented quick release mounting hardware system that allows you to attach the kydex sheath to almost anything with a strap, and can be configured for horizontal or vertical positioning.  It’s light, simple and good quality, however for my purposes I wanted to keep this away from belts and straps, and after removing it, it’s somehow gone AWOL. Check it out on CRKT’s website, I won’t be covering this part.

For the Kydex sheath, it’s got a hollowed out 550 cord minimalist shoulder rig that I’ve used up until now for carrying it.  The shoulder rig is much preferred for me since it does not bulge out in front of me all day under the shirt.  My only issue has been retention.  While the Kydex sheaths are usually good, the ways I sit, stand, and move have left this popping out on me a couple times.  I did spend some time remolding the sheath and found this helped some.  I’ve heard other people having better experiences, and considering my use and wear of things, I do not fault the maker.  Last time I spent a weekend hiking I even ended up breaking my Galco Miami Classic Holster.

The handle is skillfully wrapped with a hollowed out 550 cord that also lends to it’s very comfortable grip.  If you are looking for a thinner handle or looking to wrap it yourself, it is also sold without the wrapping at a lower price.

For giggles, I decided to baton some smaller wood we had at a campsite last year, this did cause some visible wear of the coating, but not as much as you might expect from a knife that is this reasonably priced.  It did keep it’s edge quite well in that unlubricated abuse.

All in all, this is a damn fine and simple fixed blade knife that is easy to keep with you almost anywhere.  The carry didn’t work for me in the long run due to retention, so I’m keeping it in a pouch, but I’m still more than happy with it as a usable knife in my outdoors adventures.