I may be the minority opinion here, but I don't think you need to worry too much about retaining a knife in one of those nordic-style sheaths... and while I've used lanyards on knives (on the water), I hate them.<br><br>I've used a variety of sheaths that come half-way up the handle or further, and I've never had one come out accidently, even when they were very loose. The more the sheath can swing freely, the more secure the knife is. It takes some getting used to, but.. have you ever seen ANY old time/primitive sheath with a retainer? (Ok, yes, I know the Vikings tied their swords into their scabbards, but that was only when they were going to be drinking..). If nothing else, you're enforcing that it will always take two hands to retrieve it- not always a good thing- possibly, someday, a very bad thing.<br><br>As for lanyards... as I say, I have used them on and in the water, where if you drop it, it's history.. but short of that, I would never bother. They're always in the way, and they get hung up on things. If you do actually drop it, having a (hopefully) very sharp knife suddenly swinging around your legs is not a great thing either... and on the trail, how far is it likely to go even without a lanyard?<br><br>I think they're mostly useful to prevent loss. An old timer that I used to camp with now and then as a teenager cured me of that problem on the trail- he would smack me on the head every time I put a knife down. He insisted that you NEVER lay a knife down, even for a second- it went back in the sheath or pocket, or even teeth, if you needed both hands. Once you REALLY rid yourself of the habit of setting a knife down, they don't disappear any more.<br>