You may well have a knife or two that are works of art. Maybe they’re of sentimental value to you, and you’re likely to never part with them. But what about the sheaths? Do they fit well? Are they well made or, like too many, cheaply made and barely staying intact? Field and Stream‘s David E. Petzal recommends Treestump Leather sheaths for any knife in your collection.

Chris Kravitt is the man behind Treestump Leather in Waltham, Maine. He turns out knife sheaths, holsters, belts, and near anything that can be made from the hides of dead cattle, birds, and reptiles. I met him in 1992, and over the years since I’ve ordered probably 50 sheaths. This is because many factory knifemakers look at the sheath as a good place to save money and little else, and because many custom smiths detest leatherwork and will throw something together just to get a knife out the door. So it follows as night follows day that I’ve owned a lot of very good knives with sheaths that have made the run from Wretched to Laughable with stops at Useless and Pathetic along the way.

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Photo by: Treestump Leather