Neck Lanyard

I wear trail cargo pants (some are convertibles, but i rarely wear shorts due to the prevalence of deer ticks in New England). My UL, low volume essentials/emergency survival kit is easily contained in the 8 or 9 pockets (depending upon the pants being worn), and the compass and whistle hanging fr/my pack’s sternum strap is easily detached and stowed in a pocket if i leave camp w/o my pack.

I virtually all the time wear a neck knife (Benchmade Tether knife). Total weight with lanyard is 61 grams.

http://www.benchmade.com/products/product_detail.aspx?model=160

When hiking I add a Photon freedom microlight (white or tourquois night vision green). Beyond that I keep things in a pocket with a fine cord lanyard securing some items to belt or pants loop.

The lanyard came with the knife. It is a break-away design consisting of a round, tightly-woven ~5/32″ dia. hiking-style 28″ shoelace. The ~9/64″ dia. ends are pushed into a 1 1/2″ length of clear plastic tubing (PVC?) with a 1/8″ ID (~7/32 OD). This holds very securely but will quickly come apart if snagged and pulled hard; no danger of choking. The beauty is that if pulled apart nothing breaks; just stick the end back into the tubing. Also, the way I thread the cord through the lanyard (I add the light at the lanyard where it is contained), it is very unlikely that any individual item will separate from the lanyard; you won’t loose anything (except the whole works over a cliff!).

These are very easy to make. Any desired shoelace will work; just find a piece of plastic tubing (hardware store, hobby shop, etc.) that has an ID that will provide a sufficient friction fit to the lace ends and you’re in business. I even considered spraying the lace with a DWR treatment to minimize sweat absorption but that really hasn’t been much of an issue.

On neck lanyard:

knife
micro compass
micro flashlight
spark-lite
SPF-20 chapstick

I wear a modified version of the Ranger Rick SOS Necklace:
http://www.therangerdigest.com/Tips___Tricks/Necklace/body_necklace.htm

It consists of:
wire saw inside a flexible plastic hose
small compass
flint
dog tag sharpen on one edge (id & knife)
whistle w/ fishing line & hooks
photon light
small clock

Brett,
I’ve never worn one on a lanyard, but we’ve got those guys here in eastern China as well. I’m teaching Biology grad students tomorrow, should be able to get an id from one of them. I’ll let you know.

The only thing on my neck is a neck knife-Becker Necker. My compass is in my shorts pocket. GPS unit is in my belt pocket that is on the backpack. I always know where my knife is and it is quick and easy to get to it.

I keep a Group Health Card (my medical coverage) around my neck 24/7 at home and when hiking. It tells them who I am and who they should call in a medical emergency.

I also carry a car key around my neck. It has the big part cut off but will open my car door if I lose my key. I have a hide-a-key attached to the car but I would much rather use the one around my neck than the one hidden under the car.

No lanyard for me. I keep all that kind of stuff in my OR Possum Pocket(long discontinued) on my shoulder strap.
Love these long dead threads brought back to life. Some great posters that we don't see anymore.

I met a thru-hiker on the Pacific Crest Trail once who had his map (in a plastic sleeve) hanging around his neck. It behaved just as you might expect–dangled around, flapped in the breeze. I'm sure it was handy, but it would drive me batty.