Can some of you help me to understand the purpose for having a lanyard on a fixed blade survival knife? I don;t get it.

I know what a lanyard is. I can imagine a few uses: tying off the knife to your wrist or elsewhere if you're working with it in a place where, if it fell, it would damage it or be lost forever; hanging it from a branch near where you're working on a project (skinning or dressing an animal); etc. But aside from that, I can't imagine using a lanyard.

Some of the fixed blades I've seen will have 6" of lanyard hanging from the rear tang. I don;t get it.

Please help with your insight.
Thanks

people working on or near water use them alot.

Lanyards can help you to keep your grip on a knife in many different ways.

It can help your knife work as a better chopper by extending your chopping radius by a couple of inches. On the other end, it can help you choke up on the knife for more fine work closer to the tip.

If you are in a situation where you want to use a lanyard and still be able to release the knife, instead of putting your hand into the lanyard loop and securing it to your wrist, you can use it like a strap, secured to your thumb.

Lanyards are a must on all of my fixed blades. 6" hanging off the end of a tang isn't too much, especially if you are wearing a thick coat sleeve over the wrist it goes around. They not only prevent losing a knife over such things as great heights and water, etc., they can also prevent damage to a knife if it is dropped on to rocks, etc. Safety is also a consideration. If you drop your knife onto your legs, feet, etc, it can get nasty. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Peter of Fallkniven explained a little secret to me once. Theres a small choil on the F1 and a few other models. And of course theres a lanyard hole. I like the choil, it's great for breaking wire. Peter likes it too: the two are securing points for the blade blanks during manufacturing. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Actually, a lanyard mounted to the but is only marginally safer. If you drop it the blade is oftentimes ( depending on balance) readilly in harm's way. The USAF survival knife actually has it right with the two holes in the upper guard for that spear sillyness. A lanyard there lets the blade tip harmlessly up when dropped. The late Chris Janowskie's RANGER knife incorporated a lanyard/ neck carry that doubled as part of the rangefinding system. There are times when a lanyard is asking to catch on heavy brush and pull your knife free. A deep and secure sheath should eliminate the need for a passive lanyard. It's easy enough to put one together if you think it necessary.

No, you're getting it. Those are the major reasons why you might want a lanyard on your knife. I think, based on your tone, you may be underappreciating those reasons, however.

Are you talking about loop lanyards or the braided type you sometimes see on leather braiding websites? All the reasons here for a loop lanyard are good, but I've never really seen the advantage of a braided lanyard. Why put a piece of string on the end of your knife? Besides it looks good?

Some put them on to store an extra bit of cordage as well.

Many of my knives have lanyard holes, and as a hobby knife maker (not really make, complete from kits), I usually include lanyard tubing, but the only one of my knives that actually has a lanyard on it all the time is my Randall #5. I have never felt the need to actually use it, but I leave it on, just in case. If wandering thru thick brush I usually tuck the lanyard under my belt as some added insurance against loss...

While a lanyard can help you retain your blade and help you to adjust the useful length of your blade, I only have a lanyard on my SAK. And it is primarily, as norad45 said, to have a little bit of cordage, and secondarily, to make it easier to take it out. I personally do not like the potential of a free swinging blade attached to me. I also don't normally use a fixed blade knife as a chopper.

I do like and use a lanyard on flashlights though.