Where can I find the best lanyard?
I really don't know where to put this, so feel free to move, but I have this issue. I carry a LOT of shit on my keychain. Two sets of keys of four each, a SIM removal tool, a tiny retractable box cutter, a USB drive full of installer ISOs (you never know), an AirTag, a CPU with a hole punched through, a 3D printed whistle, and that may very well grow.
Now the problem I have is that the lanyard that I currently have has, over time, widened the gap on the karabiner to the point that I'll regularly lose a key ring in my pocket when pulling it out. Nothing major's happened yet, but it's a matter of time.
So, clearly, I need a better one. A higher quality one. But going on the eTailers of today I really only get garbage. A pack of 20! For ten bucks! Well, thanks, but we all know they'll suck. And frankly, I really don't know how to get my hands on a high quality one. I bet they're out there, I'm sure, but where do I look? What's good, what's bad? I really don't need the high-end climbing gear, or do I? Is my key lanyard a candidate for buy it for life, and if so, am I ready for that commitment?
Looking for any and all advice on this.
PS: I don't wear the lanyard. I'm one of those assholes that puts the active end in my pocket and lets the lanyard itself dangle out.
Do you need a lanyard or a carabiner? I’ve had pretty good results with the Nite-Ize carabiners.
Sorry, should have been more clear. Yes, I guess I just need some way to keep all my things together and tie a ribbon loop to it. I'll check out Nite-Ize, thanks
Sounds like you mainly use it as a long ribbon attached to your keys. You can probably just get a fairly nice carabiner, tie some rope to it or a ribbon, and call it a day.
To simplify even more, do you actually take things off of the lanyard much? If not, you can probably get away with just not having a karabiner and attaching some kind of loop directly to the keychain.
My key chain is a carabiner I got from Home Depot (not Nitize but I second @r3qn65 's recommendation). The rest is a woven section of paracord about 6" long which is perfect for pulling them from my pocket. I'd say paracord is perfect for what you described because it will be very strong and unlikely to break. There are about 10 million paracord keychain videos on youtube you could adapt to your needs, so you can really customize how long, how thick (by braiding or weaving it), etc.
Mine is a "survival keychain" because the weave is a kind of double interlocked crochet that is held close by a single knot. If I need the cord more than I need the keychain, I can undo that one knot and quickly unravel the whole thing. I made it ten years ago, so I'd have to sit down and figure out how again. But it's nearly perfect as a keychain.
Offtopic, but I made my belt the same way. It's woven from paracord, but the weft is a loop pulled through, and then the free end is caught by the next loop, and so on. So in a pinch, I could pull it out into 160 feet of paracord. It's the most comfortable, durable belt I've ever owned.