There are three basic qualities that should be considered when purchasing a fly fishing lanyard. the Mountain River Lanyard covers all these.
1. Simplicity - You want a lanyard because you don't want to have a whole bunch of crap in your pockets. You need the essentials, but not everything else for an hour or two of fishing after work. A lanyard should have the basic necessary attachments and that's it. A place for your nippers, hemos, tippet and floatant and room for one or two miscellaneous items is about all you need. Don't be fooled by fancy clips or gadgets because they usually don't work.
2. Efficiency - Ask yourself the following questions: Are the tools easy to reach? Are they spaced out a bit and not dangling in a V-shaped near your belly? Can the lanyard accommodate my necessary tools?
3. Comfortability - This might be the most important. Is the thing comfortable to wear for an extended period of time. A lot of lanyards will cause soreness on the back of the neck. Mountain River Lanyards solved this problem by widening the portion that rests on the neck and covering the lanyard with padding. This lanyard can rest on your shirt, behind the collar, making it almost unnoticeable overtime. Also, the lanyard features a tippet spool that bisects the bottom portion of the lanyards that prevents it from forming the dreaded V-shape.