Sosakonline Archive

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    There’s nothing worse than not having a SAK in your pocket when you need it, especially if you had it in your pocket when you left the house that morning.  Some of the most panicked moments of my life came from when I realized my trusty SAK wasn’t where I left it.  Fortunately I managed to find them eventually, but it was actually a pretty big deal to me at the time.


A variety of lanyard styles in a variety of materials

    There are many ways of keeping your SAK where you want it, but there are unfortunately more ways for it to not be where you want it.  Faulty velcro or snaps, open topped cases, holes in pockets, putting it down or dropping it outside and not remembering where you saw it last- all terrible causes for losing a pretty good SAK, but fortunately there is a solution.

    For years now SOSAK members have discussed lanyards, lanyard tying, lanyard materials, lanyard resources etc, but no one has yet mentioned why lanyards are important- until now anyway!


Even at about 4" deep, the black scales of the OHT make it almost invisible underwater

    Recently on a kayak trip I dropped the knife that was clipped to my PFD as I was pulling out to portage.  The water was little more than a couple of feet deep, but it was dark (under a dock in a heavily treed area) and the knife, being black was invisible at the bottom.  It wasn’t a SAK, but it was still a knife I would rather not lose.  Fortunately I had an orange and white lanyard attached to it and it was easily spotted as a result, and was an easy save.  Of course if it hadn’t been for the lanyard, I’d either have wasted more time searching for it, or I would have been in a bad mood for having lost it.

    Admittedly, this is why SAKs traditionally have red scales, but given the popularity of other colors and patterns, it’s very easy to lose one.  SOSAK member Francisco has made no secret of having lost a camouflage scaled SAK when it was put down in the woods.  A nicely colored lanyard would certainly have come in handy then!

    Lanyards also provide a little extra function- increased grip for one, as they make it easier to pull out of a pocket or very form fitting sheath, they can be decorative, and they also give you a convenient way of carrying some rope with you, and you never really know when that could come in handy.


Thanks to Sgt Mike, Johnny Cash is on a very short and secure leash!

    Of course, there are other options- I also use a short length of chain with clips at both ends, such as the setup I got from former SOSAK Grand ToolMaster Sgt Mike, also works quite well and has proven it’s worth on many occasions.

    Just about all the lanyard supplies you could ever need are available in Rotokid’s shop.  If you don’t see what you need or want, email him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and request it- remember, he’s got so much stuff he can’t list it all!        

    And, make sure to check out the lanyard tying tutorials here at SOSAKOnline!