Odd "vest"

[AK101]

I have had this since the early 90's and am hoping someone can help me ID it, at the very least you can see an odd, yet early vest.

 

My friend brought it back from Panama just after Just Cause. The plastic attachment points on the vest were good when I got it but has since become brittle and had fallen apart, it may have been Deeted to death in the past, and IIRC that kills plastic..

 

I need to find the mag pouches but they are buried in storage at the moment, they appear to be made for 30rnd 9mm MP5 mags and some for 30rn M16 mags, both types w/o any dividers. attachment system appears to be an early MOLLE type. The pouches have a strap the weaves thru the plastic attachment point and snug down using a fastex type locking buckle.

 

 

 

[RTS]

I have had this since the early 90's and am hoping someone can help me ID it, at the very least you can see an odd, yet early vest.

 

My friend brought it back from Panama just after Just Cause. The plastic attachment points on the vest were good when I got it but has since become brittle and had fallen apart, it may have been Deeted to death in the past, and IIRC that kills plastic..

 

I need to find the mag pouches but they are buried in storage at the moment, they appear to be made for 30rnd 9mm MP5 mags and some for 30rn M16 mags, both types w/o any dividers. attachment system appears to be an early MOLLE type. The pouches have a strap the weaves thru the plastic attachment point and snug down using a fastex type locking buckle.

 

AK,

 

I only remember seeing one other of those. No leads on who made it-possibly one of the smaller outfits that just

vanished over the years? The black plastic lash tabs were probably made by ITW-Nexus and they don't seem to

age well, bug spray or not. On the other hand, all of those materials were probably relatively available within the

system around Just Cause, and the way the loops of Type 8 are set up across the belly and chest, and at the

shoulders says "extrication harness" to me. Rigger-made or locally made on the East Coast within the community?

The pouches should be a very interesting part of the puzzle.

 

Nice piece!

[Nkomo]

Very nice vest!!!!

Arch

[hawkdriver]

I can identfy the toe as: Human, Left, Big, one each.

[RTS]

major situational awareness fail on my part, I was so busy eyeballing the construction details that I missed the toe, one each

[AK101]

Thanks fellas, anyone else have any insight on this vest?

[RTS]

AK,

 

Silly question, can you get some really close-up detail shots of the vest?

[hawkdriver]

I remember the Air Force some years back trying to develop a survival vest that used a plastic clip system much like this, but it failed the ejection seat testing and was abandoned. Wonder if this was some PJ prototype that allowed them to use modular equipment.

[RTS]

I remember the Air Force some years back trying to develop a survival vest that used a plastic clip system much like this, but it failed the ejection seat testing and was abandoned. Wonder if this was some PJ prototype that allowed them to use modular equipment.

 

Hawk, like this vest ?:

 

http://www.ultimatesurvival.com/product_vi...uct_line_ID=100

 

I believe that this vest might be an issued item for non-ejection aircraft but that's just a guess.

[hawkdriver]

Yep, that's it. Go down the list in your link to the "snap track" and there is a close up. Looks like these are two different systems on the same idea.

[RTS]

Hawkdriver,

 

I think the vest that AK101 has, has these plastic tabs on it:

 

http://www.itwnexus.com/catalog/index.php/...p/a/8/c/21/p/69

 

they're just ate up from time and insect repellent like he said. I have always wondered about the vests in my above

link, I have never met anybody who has used their products.

[MattD]

I have had this since the early 90's and am hoping someone can help me ID it, at the very least you can see an odd, yet early vest.

 

My friend brought it back from Panama just after Just Cause. The plastic attachment points on the vest were good when I got it but has since become brittle and had fallen apart, it may have been Deeted to death in the past, and IIRC that kills plastic..

 

I need to find the mag pouches but they are buried in storage at the moment, they appear to be made for 30rnd 9mm MP5 mags and some for 30rn M16 mags, both types w/o any dividers. attachment system appears to be an early MOLLE type. The pouches have a strap the weaves thru the plastic attachment point and snug down using a fastex type locking buckle.

 

 

Did you find pouches yet?

 

I would be interested to see some

 

Where did your friend work?

 

Matt

[Bob Hudson]

Did you find pouches yet?

 

It seems like I have a woodland camo pouch around somewhere that has a plastic back which looks lieke it would mate up with the ones on the vest. I'll see if I dig it out.