Some folks like to keep a few essentials on a lanyard: whistle, pocket knife, microlight, etc. I do. Trouble is, imagine butt-sliding down greasy rock on a narrow 'trail' with snaggy tree limbs on each side. With a 1/8th inch unbreakable Spectra garrote around your neck. Too dumb for words. One mistake and you do an Isoroda Duncan.

I bartack matching 2 X 3/4 Velcro to the ends of my lanyard. If the lanyard hangs up, the Velcro will fail before my spinal cord or larynx. I hope.

You can trim the hook velcro and round the edges, but it still scratches. Looking for a more comfortable fix.

DOES ANYONE HAVE A BETTER IDEA FOR A WORKABLE, COMFORTABLE SAFETY RELEASE FOR LANYARDS??

Edited by vickrhines on 11/20/2005 17:37:53 MST.

Just tuck the lanyard inside your shirt before you start sliding down a mountain, if you do this it wont get caught up on anything and you wont need scratchy velcro

Edited by ryanf on 11/20/2005 18:01:08 MST.

Vick,

Don't remember what it is called, but in another thread, someone mentioned a new type of Velcro that doesn't have the hook and loop in two seperate halves and is supposed to be more comfortable. It was suggested because someone was saying that the Velcro on the Mariposa shoulder straps was itching him.

I guess another option would be to tie a thin piece of breakable string between the 2 ends of spectra.

Bob

I've accumumulated several lanyards that are fitted with a plastic breakaway clasp at the opposite end of the clip. They're designed to function exactly as you've described, and can't be felt at the back of the neck. They're mostly narrow, soft nylon that looks like shoe lacing, perhaps a quarter inch wide and have considerably less rope-burn potential than Spectra string.

They're supplied with products as diverse as GPSs, butane lighters, flashlights, flash drives and cameras.

http://www.gearkeeper.com/

Find some cheapo child whistles on lanyards. These (should) have two plastic half-spheres that fit together, and pull apart when the string is tensioned. I've found them to be fairly sturdy. (I like bobg's idea of tying in a length of breakable string, too.)

Vick,

Don't put lanyards around the neck....

A good alternative is to tie a 2 inch loop in each end of a cord to finish with a cord about 18 inches over all...put knife,lignter, etc over one end and pass the cord thru the loop....take the other end put it thru a belt loop and pass the ladened end thru the loop...put item in pocket...done... 18 inches is generally enough to use the tool without removing the "dummy cord"...and, if you have to remove it, it passes back thru the loop hassle free...

Old Army Field trick to keep from loosing gear at night or under attack etc.

Jack

PS A really light, reasonably strong, high visibiliy, non water absorbing, high flexibility , cheap cord is nylon carpenters chalk cord in yellow.

Peter Pan, it sounds like you are girth hitching an overall 18 inch cord to a belt loop, with each end having a 2 inch loop. I don't understand exactly how your items are attached. I would simply attach them to the other loop with a split ring, but you sound like you do something different.

Use small diameter vinyl "spaghetti" tubing and a cold roll pin (see your local auto parts store). The pin jam-fits into the tubing, forming a break-away. If you have access to needle bearings (commonly used in automobile transmissions) they make a litte fancier version of the same thing.

Many security badge lanyards are coming with break-aways now.

The "item" is first girth hitched to the working end loop... then girth hitch the ladened cord to the standing end loop... no need for other harware...

Thanks for the ideas:
Office Depot came through with an Avery lanyard with a reuseable safety clasp - 0.225 oz without the unnecessary metal clip/swivel stuff.

Gotta have a lanyard. No pockets. (You got pockets???!!!) No shirt to put it under. (You wear shirts???!!!) Wow. I'd tuck it in my socks, but they're way too heavy, so -- no socks.

Edited by vickrhines on 11/21/2005 11:03:58 MST.

These breakaway lanyard ideas are great... but wouldn't you rather finish your body surfing with both your neck AND your whistle still attached to your body? :) What's the point if the whistle goes flying? Here are a few idea...

Don't keep whistle, knife and light all in one place. Maybe just the light on a breakaway lanyard, the whistle fixed to a belt loop with a tiny key ring thingie and the knife attached to your side on a retractable zip cord... like office workers use for their security cards. That's where I keep my little knife. You can buy them at any office supply store. I don't even take if off the zip cord for a lot of tasks... like snipping a hang nail or something. I onlt take if off the zip cord when I'm using it for cutting up some fruit or something.

BTW... I started rowing the past few summers and it's always amazed me that rowers tie themselves into their shoes. Those shells are so narrow and round that they cannot stay upright on their own... they depend on a rower with a pair of 13 foot oars to keep them from flipping... the oars essentially double as outriggers. Anyway... that's always amazed me. I always figured that rowing shells should have break away feet thinigies just like clipless pedals on bikes.

p.s. just checked out the 'gatekeeper' link... that's what i was talking about... although the one I have is much smaller and simpler in design. I buy them in Canada at Staples (like Office Depot) in 3 packs.

Edited by davidlewis on 11/21/2005 14:58:15 MST.

We're required to use breakaway lanyards at work for our ID cards. There are numerous manufacturers with various schemes. The most popular seem to be:
Velcro (per your approach)
Mated snap (plastic or metal)
Magnetic
Ferrule and Plug
(looks like a thick soda straw with mating plug)
Spring clip hold
Clamp (clamp holding the 2 ends of the lanyard together)

Somewhere you have to have a balance in what you want the breakaway force to be vs. weight carried in your particular environment. For lowest weight, you're probably looking at a plastic or light metal snap. For a high risk environment, I would:
a) consider not wearing a lanyard at all
b) consider the magnetic catch as it will be the most reliable breakaway for a specific force.

Edited by eaglemb on 11/26/2005 22:45:24 MST.

Get some small diameter (1/8") vinyl tubing and find a cold-roll pin that jam fits inside. For a really nice one, find needle bearings (used in transmissions) that jam fits inside the tubing.

You might look at a bead shop for necklace clasps that will work with small stuff like Spectra cord.

GI's have worn dog tags for a long time-- my guess is they break if caught on something. I've never heard any war stories about someone getting throttled by the beaded chain on their tags.

Try rubber bands. My pets collar as a rubber band in between on one of the straps, The idea is that if he gets the collar stuck on something the band will break and the collar will come off so he won't choke.

I write for no other reason than to air my knowledge of a phrase I read years ago and have never had occasion to use 'till now. This whole thread is about frangible links.

David.

frangible links
Too tight, David.
I started this thread because I like to keep a couple/three items on a lanyard. Then I found the perfect lanyard with frangible links (I gotta find more ways to use that!) at Office Depot, Bizmart, Papercuts R Us or one of those places. Two for $5; made by Avery: the frangible link is plastic and can be 'broken' and put back together seemingly innumerable times. I got mine, so ya'll can stop now.

I use mitten hooks, both to connect the cord and
to connect stuff to the cord. Most of the time the
cord is clipped inside the outer pocket of my pack,
but goes in a pocket in camp when I am needing all that stuff. I imagine there is a way to do a lanyard wrong and make it dangerous, so I would use a pocket to store stuff in.

http://www.seattlefabrics.com/snap%20hooks.html
cursor down the mitten hook.

They work great on key rings too, I double them and
oppose like carabiners for everday use on keys
I need off my keyring that I can't afford to lose.

Edited by oware on 02/14/2006 08:34:08 MST.