Christian Lerche said:
Now, talking as a LARPer, I've tried to have weapons on my back. And that shit does not work, you cannot draw a sword that is longer than your own arms length. It's impratical, it's stupid, and you look like an ass drawing it. The only reason why, is because it looks cool.
Clearly not a very good one. If you have the right equipment for weapons on your back, it works out very easily. This was, in fact, the way that two-handed swords were carried in the real world. It was less common for daggers and one-handed blades, but it did happen as well.
I hunt with a bow, and have a special harness to put it on my back, as well as a behind-the-back quiver. It makes it very easy to carry, keeps my hands free, and while the quiver actually isn't as good for getting arrows out quickly, it doesn't get caught on undergrowth as easy as a hip one would.
As for the reason they float, that's because straps and cords are really hard to do correctly. It's also why your guitar kind of floats next to you mid-air in the Guitar Hero games.