What's this cable for?

[Spartan09]

Question for the hive mind...  i recently bought a tac vest on Ebay to complete my stargate cosplay in time for basingstoke comic con.  It arrived 2 days before, so I didn't have much time to check it too closely, just adjusting it's fitment on the day.

Once I got home though I noticed there is a steel cable tucked in to a flap at the front, then runs over the left shoulder in a channel and disappears under another flap at the rear 

Just wondering what the hell it's supposed to be

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[Shamal]

Isn't that the grab handle reinforcing for when you are dragged out of danger in combat?

 

[Tackle]

It's a "cutaway", real steel vests have them in case you end up in deep water or trapped in a confined space, usually there's a handle on the front of the vest that when yanked causes the vest to fall apart.

Great for safety, but an absolute pita when your mates keep yanking on it?.

Most people cable tie it so it can't be pulled.

 

[TheFull9]

Quick Release cables were allll the rage in new armour vests mid 00s, at least state side, long out of fashion with the fancy brands now.  I don't know for sure if the DDPM Ospreys had them but I don't think so (?), my own issued MTP Mk4 certainly doesn't.  The Virtus STV has a much abbreviated version on the left shoulder.  JPCs have the pull handles that just make it a lot quicker and easier to rip all the velcro on the shoulders and cummerbund.  The current USMC issued armour carrier just has FirstSpear Tubes which allow for rapid removal and of course there's lots of other vests/carriers that feature Tubes or the many other Tubes-copy QR buckles out there; far better idea than the old cables all things considered.

 

[gavinkempsell]

DDPM Ospreys

None in the MkII I have.