The question of how to wear a lanyard sounds simple enough, but oftentimes it depends on what the wearer intends to do with it. A lanyard is often used to hold keys, ID badges or small tools. The items being carried and the intent behind their use indeed go a long way to determine how one might wear a lanyard.
So, here are a few options on how you could wear lanyards.
Around Your Neck
This is by some measure the most popular way to wear a lanyard. Wearing lanyards around your neck is a convenient way to keep your small essential items like car keys, ID badges, etc. easily accessible at all times. During trade shows or concerts, for example, this could come in handy as it keeps your ID on display at all times.
Here is more on how this works:
- Practicality: Wearing a lanyard around your neck is practical because it keeps your hands free while still providing easy access to important items. It’s especially useful in workplaces, events or situations where you need to display an ID badge or access card frequently.
- Comfort and Fit: Lanyards are designed to be lightweight and comfortable to wear. They usually come with an adjustable mechanism (such as a plastic or metal slider) that allows you to customize the length of the lanyard to your preferred fit.
- Attachment Mechanisms: Lanyards typically have a small attachment clip or hook at the end. This is where you attach your items, such as keys or badges. The clip is designed to securely hold the items while also allowing you to detach them easily when needed.
Attach Items to Lanyard
Another way to go about using a lanyard is to attach the desired items to it. When you attach items to a lanyard, you drastically reduce the risk of losing or misplacing them. This works by using the metal clip – often a bulldog clip – that most lanyards come equipped with. Simply open the clip, attach the item and then close the clip securely. You can either then wear the lanyard around your neck, place it in your pocket or simply attach it to a belt loop.
More on this feature:
- Attachment Clips or Hooks: Most lanyards come with an attachment clip or hook at the end. These clips are designed to securely hold items while allowing for easy detachment when needed. The attachment mechanism varies, but it generally involves a clasp that can be opened and closed.
- Key Rings: For attaching keys to a lanyard, you can use a key ring. Simply thread the key ring through the hole in your key or set of keys, and then attach the key ring to the lanyard’s clip or hook. Key rings come in various sizes and styles, including traditional circular rings and more modern designs.
- Badge Holders: If you’re using a lanyard to carry an ID badge or access card, you can place the badge in a badge holder or cardholder. These holders have a slot that allows you to insert the card, and they often come with a hole or attachment point for connecting to the lanyard’s clip or hook.
Crossbody
In some scenarios, especially when you need to keep your items accessible accessible and secure, it is more convenient to wear the lanyard across your body. This works by placing one end of the lanyard over your shoulder and then running the lanyard strap across your chest to rest on the opposite hip. As usual, the metal clip on a lanyard makes this possible.
This method of wearing a lanyard offers a secure and hands-free way to carry items while distributing the weight evenly. Crossbody lanyards are commonly used that way because of the convenience, especially if you want to keep your essentials accessible while on the move.
Main advantages:
- Comfort: Crossbody lanyards, unlike other lanyards, aim to distribute the weight of attached items evenly across your body. This can help reduce strain on your neck and shoulders. In some ways, it offers the same benefits as wearing lanyards around the neck, except with a little more security.
- Hands-Free: In wearing a lanyard this way, you ensure that your hands remain free while it does the work of holding onto your small valuables. This ensures that you can engage in various activities without having to hold onto your items.
Wrap Lanyard Around Your Wrist
Wrapping a lanyard around your wrist is yet another way to go about handling your lanyard. This is typically best suited for carrying particularly lightweight items such as keys, ID badges USB drives and the like. It ensures quick access to your items, and with minimal fuss. This method of using a lanyard is not advisable if you have to handle bulkier items, as this will weigh on the wrist strap and can get uncomfortable fast.
Here are some advantages to this:
- Convenience: Wrapping lanyards around your wrist allow you to keep your hands free for various activities such as shopping, walking or using your phone.
- Easy Access: Attached items are within immediate reach. This makes it easy for you to grab what you need or get through, say, office security or access controlled areas without searching through your work bag or pockets.
Hang Lanyard From a Hook or Rack
When not in use, you can hang the lanyard on a hook, rack or doorknob. Among other benefits, this helps keep your lanyard organized and, more importantly, untangled. Which is a way of saying, that this method of using your lanyard goes a long way to keep your lanyard is good condition for a long time. It makes it easier to get a hold of your lanyard for whenever you may need it.
Here’s more:
- Organization: Hanging your lanyard from a hook or rack keeps it neatly organized and within arm’s reach. This makes it easy to locate and grab it whenever you’re ready to use it. So, if you find yourself using lanyards frequently, you might want to grab yourself a j hook and a hammer.
- Accessibility: This method is especially useful in settings where you frequently use your lanyard and need a designated place to keep it. Because sometimes your organizer needs an organizer.
In all of this, it is important to remember that lanyards are versatile accessories. The way you hold or use them can be adapted to your personal style, needs and preferences. Regardless of how you chose to wear them, it is important to treat your lanyard with care, that way they last you for a long, long time.
And should you wonder where to look to begin your lanyard journey, check out the Imprint page for a start.
You won’t be disappointed!