Neck Lanyard

when backpacking, i have a lanyard around my neck pretty much 24/7. it’s a short length of Kelty triptease. i keep a whistle, LED squeeze light, mini Swiss Army knife and a mini compass on it. well, i actually need to get a new compass for it, so at the moment that part is missing.

the idea behind it is that i have a few handy things on my person at all times, just in case i do something stupid like walk away from my pack and get lost (hasn’t happened yet, hope it never does).

Trekking: no neck lanyard, but i do hang a whistle and a very tiny compass (from off the top of the grip of an old, broken Komperdell trekking pole) from some lightweight cord from a makeshift bungee sternum strap on pack.

Whistle at all times, compass some of the time – depending on whether the outer layer I am wearing has pockets or not.

This might not be the expected “survival gear” answer; I keep a digital camera (Casio EXZ750) on a soft cell-phone strap around my neck. It keeps the camera inside my shell out of the rain between pictures, thus doesn’t require a belt pouch, and allows me to get a picture within about 5 seconds for elusive targets such as this unknown snake (any ideas what it was?). The survival gear others frequently carry on a neck lanyard is in my pocket, as a Ritter Pocket Survival Pack.
See my previous post on the 750 if interested.
Doug’s survival gear
http://www.dougritter.com/psp_contents.htm

ACR whistle, Photon light, and Dermatone lip balm. Buy the lip balm with the biner, remove the biner and split ring, and run your lanyard through the cap. As long as the cap is in good condition you can just purchase the regular lip balm without the biner and save a couple of bucks on your replacements.

During trekking a ACR whistle on Gossamer Gear Spectra 3 cord and in camp I replace it for a lanyard with my Photon Freedom which I also wear during sleeping so I always know where my light is.

While trekking I normally keep a whistle, PT Pulsar (like a Photon), and a small Swiss Army Knife on a lanyard. The lanyard is some kind of twisted kevlar/nlyon stuff that Ron used to send as guyline for the MLD tarps. I carry a compass and my camera in my pants pockets.

Adam

I carry the whistle from the Doug Ritter Survival pack, white photon, classic swiss army knife, and a mini bic with a small piece of string duct taped as a loop.

The lanyard is about 8ft of braided paracord.

I have it on at all times figuring it covers the basics. I keep expecting the bulk to annoy me but it’s forgotten 5 min. after I put it on. (I keep it under my shirt so it doesn’t move around.) Also, most of the pants I hike in don’t have pockets, or you can’t use them, so a lanyard is one of the few ways I can carry something seperate from my pack.

A breakaway lanyard is a good safety consideration. Aircore can cut like wire if pulled hard enough.

I like the beaded chain with aircore3 over it or paracord (inner line removed) over it. Where the connector it the paracord/aircore ends.

Here’s a link to breakaway lanyard supplies:

http://www.lighthound.com/sales/lanyard_supplies.htm

Here’s a how to:

http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/lanyardsrollinghitch.htm

On my lanyard I carry two items 24/7: ARC whistle, Photon Freedom.

My wife keeps me on one so as to keep me from buying more gear.

I keep my whistle on in bear country, but generally, I don’t like the feel of anything around my neck. Handy items I keep in a zippered pocket in my shorts/pants.

Very good replies. I can only add a little laminated card with my name, emergency contacts, blood type, allegeries, medical conditions, and insurance information. Kind of like an expanded dog tag.

I have a few things on a biner that I keep clipped to my pack while hiking or around my belt loop while in camp:

– ACR whistle
– Photon light
– Brunton Keyring Weather Compass Model 9045
– Gerber Microlight LST Knife

I hate neck lanyards – at least around my neck. (Maybe it’s related to some occluded prenatal umbilical chord mishap or something). Anyway, attached to the wrist rest of my hiking staff on a removable clip is a Photon Freedom, and a one of those tiny Swiss Army knives.

My current hiking staff is a bamboo flute with a rubber bottom bumper, compass built into the top, and a piece of grosgrain for a wrist rest. I don’t mind its ten ounces, as I am quite a flute player and often serenade the wilderness in the evenings. It also does double duty as a poncho-tarp ridgeline support and a very fine signaling instrument if needed.

Is it the Bach Lute Suite or the Telemann Fantasias that mean SOS? I keep forgetting.

“My current hiking staff is a bamboo flute with a rubber bottom bumper”.

I’ve got one too. Made for me by Romy Benton of Portland, OR. Mine’s in the key of D. He made me a dijeriedoo in D, also.

Unlike Dr. Jordan, I don’t attach my nippers to a lanyard. Instead, I make the wifie and our little ankle nippers carry all the gear, while I saunter along behind, practicing SUL backpacking.

I loop mine around my belt and drop the goodies in my pocket rather than around my neck.

Contents:
Inova LED micro light
Colibri windpoof butane lighter
Bucklite Mini multitool
Aluminum match safe with matches and “no blow out” birthday candles
ACR whistle
Silva keychain compass

When I travel or commute, I carry a little ditty bag of essentials in my day pack. I always have some sort of small pocket knife or mini-multitool.

Guess being a sailor I practice the seaman’s law: never wear anything around the neck. So, while on trail I do not carry anything around my neck. I carry my sunscreen, small knife, bug spray tissues, compass and whistle in a small pouch looped around my chest strap. In camp I wear the lanyard that came with my Feedom light and add the arc whistle. That’s it.

This has been an interesting exercise. I’ll try to summarize where we’re at:

1. Where do you keep essentials handy?

– Pocket(s)
– Lanyard
– Trekking Pole
– Belt (Pouch)
– Pack Strap (Pouch or Clip)

2. What essentials do you keep handy?

– Compass
– Firestarter
– Sun balm
– Whistle
– Pocketknife
– LED light
– Bug dope
– Camera
– Water treatment chemicals (my addition)

Obviously all of these cannot be worn around your neck at once!

What I’m trying to accomplish personally is to simplify my kit. I don’t want all my minor essentials split between trekking poles, lanyard, pack straps, belt pouch, and pockets!

So, I’m asking myself, what do I want accessible while hiking, and what do I want accessible while camping:

Hiking:

– camera, compass, lip balm, bug dope, water treatment, whistle, LED light, pocketknife

Camping:

– camera, lip balm, bug dope, water treatment, firestarter, LED light, whistle, pocketknife

Note the crossover here:

Camping & Hiking:

– camera, lip balm, bug dope, water treatment, whistle, LED light, pocketknife

Camping only:

– firestarter

Hiking only:

– compass

Survival/Essential:

– compass, whistle, light, knife, firestarter

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this, just sort of analyzing out loud!

Hey Brett –

I was a herpetologist in another life, before BPL.

Beautiful snake. The snake in question is a rat snake, genus Elaphe. Probably of the most common species in the US, E. obsoleta. We could nail it down pretty easily – where did you take the photo?

Cheers,
Don

A different exercise:

What gear would you want accessible, without needing to get into your pack, in the situations below?

1. Survival situations (i.e., separation from pack, life-threatening trauma)

2. Convenience situations (i.e., photo op, hunger, signaling, navigation, water treatment)

>> What gear would you want accessible, without needing to get into your pack, in the situations below?

Survival:

– Firestarting (esbit cube, magnesium firestarter, firestarting tinder like a tinder-quik tab)
– Navigation (map and compass)
– Signaling/Light (whistle, mirror, small LED light)
– Small tarp or poncho for rain protection

Convenience:

– map, compass, journal, pencil, camera
– water treatment chemicals, water bottle
– pocketknife, firestarter
– “chocolate, chips, and candy!”
– windshirt, wind pants, rain jacket, gloves, hat
– lip balm, bug dope, headnet, bear spray

These are the only items I usually access during the day while hiking. Unless I’m taking a one-compartment rucksack or wading a deep river, they always reside outside my pack on some configuration of lanyards, pockets, and external pack pockets.

Don,
Thank you for the identification; the breadth of experience here at BPL always amazes me. I researched the rat snake and found it does live here in Japan, and throuought Asia. It comes in many patterns depending on its environment, and only has one lung!

I agree it was beautiful, but my female hiking companion chose a different word which translates to: “creating an unpleasant feeling in one’s stomach” It seems we never see “cute” animals such as deer; only rats, snakes, and spiders.. such as this unknown species about 7cm in diameter, leg to leg. A small rain-forest type island called Sarushima in Tokyo bay was swarming with them. (I did not go off-trail even for a moment). Sorry to dwell off the UL topic, but can you or anyone identify it?

Wow, that’s cool. I didn’t realize you were in Japan. But yes, rat snakes are common throughout much of Asia. It’s very unusual for a snake genus to have such a large range.

Sorry, don’t recognize the spider. That sucker looks impressive.

Ryan Jordan wrote: “What I’m trying to accomplish personally is to simplify my kit. I don’t want all my minor essentials split between trekking poles, lanyard, pack straps, belt pouch, and pockets!”

I use a pouch that mounts on my shoulder strap for camera (Canon Digital Elph), GPS, and sunglasses/reading glasses.

What I call absolute essentials (knife, LED light, whistle, firestarting, backup compass and whistle) go on a lanyard looped around my belt and in my pants pocket.

All other essentials/survival items go in a 2 liter Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil stuff sack that is at the top of my pack. I keep my water treatment there too. I’ve tried tiny daypacks and fanny packs and the Ultra-Sil sack is light and compact. I could carry it or sling it on a strap bandolier-style if I needed to bug out.

Toilet and hygene items go in an Alocksak (to keep the TP dry) in the front pocket of my pack (GoLite Jam).

Maps go in a waterproof cover (if not laminated) and go in a side pocket. I tether the water proof cover to a daisy chain or compression strap.