Thumb Lanyard for Knife Retention

There are various types of lanyards that can be attached to knives if a lanyard hole is available. A lanyard can be used to keep from losing the knife when working over water, etc. Some go over the wrist and I don't prefer this type of lanyard. I want a lanyard to keep me from dropping the knife, as well as help me control the knife. I use the following type of lanyard on my knives, which I call the Thumb Lanyard, which provides me with both security and controllability.

I use a loop of parachute cord and tie a diamond knot at the end, after setting the length of the loop so it reaches over the back of my hand. I then use a Cobra stitch over the loop. For regular sized knives I use mini parachute cord for the Cobra stitch. On larger blades I use regular parachute cord for both the loop and the Cobra Stitch.

As you can see in the following photos, one of the advantages of this type of lanyard is, when the knife is dropped, all you have to do is turn your wrist, reach down, and re-grasp the knife handle. Because the lanyard limits your reach you never have to worry about accidentally grabbing the blade of the knife when reaching down. Another advantage is using the end of the lanyard to secure the knife in your sheath. I tuck the diamond knot between my belt and trousers. If the knife accidentally started to come out of the sheath, the knot will keep the knife from rising up and out of the sheath.

The following photos show the Thumb Lanyard from various angles and should provide you enough information to make your own. 

This shows the Thumb Lanyard attached to a knife.

This shows how the loop at the end of the lanyard goes over the thumb.

This shows how the lanyard lays over the back of the hand.

A view from the right side showing how the knife is held using the lanyard. 

A view from the left side showing how the knife is held using the lanyard.

This shows how the knife hangs if dropped.

This shows how easily the knife is retrieved by reaching down and rolling the
wrist to re-grasp the handle.

This shows how the knot is slid down between the belt and trousers when the knife
is in the sheath. If the knife accidentally started to slide up out of the sheath, it
would be stopped when the knot reaches the bottom of your belt.

This shows the Thumb Lanyard on a larger blade. The Cobra Stitch and the loop are both made
from regular parachute cord so that the strap over the back of the hand is wider.

Well there you have it. A Thumb Lanyard can provide you with both security and controllability when using your knife in the field. Give it a try.

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Copyright © 2017 by John D. McCann