"Extra" bits on clothes.

[BorderReiver]

Is it just me, or do other folks sometimes wonder what the extra bits, which appear on shirts, jackets and trousers, like tabs, buttons, poppers etc are for?

I would like to have a little card attached to the garment, along with the other bits of card, pointing out the features and what their purpose is.

On more than one occasion I've found an extra pocket on a shirt that I've worn for years

 

[smoggy]

Can't say I've ever had a problem with working out why all the buttons/zips/poppers/tabs etc are there............even the if the sole intent is simply for fashionable effect!

Then again we may n ot have the same taste in clothing!

Smoggy.

 

[Mikey P]

I'd like to extend this to other bits of outdoor kit. There may be pockets/loops/straps specifically made for something, but they don't tell you what it is! A small instruction book that informs you on how to use all features would be a real bonus. I've never understood why they don't do this.

 

[Wayland]

Make your own and then you know what all the bits are for.

 

[BorderReiver]

Make your own and then you know what all the bits are for.

Good point.

But the manufacturers may have hit upon a really neat idea that may not have occurred to me.

Several times I've come across stuff that I never knew I needed until I had it.

 

[John Fenna]

What is the purpose of a fold down collar? As in a city shirt and tie...
I thought it was to hide the back of your tie - but who wears a tie in the outdoos?
Some shirts have a DOUBLE fold collar - which never lies right, looks messy but can be folded up to tuck into your hat in the rain or sun (if you do not have a broad brimhat or hood) - but an ordinary collar????
A pain stand/mandarin collar does everything I need as far as protection/comfort/looks goes- so why do outdoor shirts persist with ?%*^$ fold down collars?
Useless - as far as I can see....

 

[BlueTrain]

It's not a tie; it's a field scarf!

 

[phaserrifle]

I've found this with a few bits of gear, and I usualy find that it is either for fashion reasons (in the case of every day clothing) or for some reason that you either don't think of untill you need it, or that requires some extra bit of gear.

a couple of examples:
1) I have an old leather jacket, with a zip running along the collar, which looks like it stores a hood. it actualy leads to the inside of the collar, and seemed to serve no purpose whatsoever. still can't really find a use for it. maybe I can hide an urban survival kit in there or something...
2) a waterproof from peter storm, with a zip on the inside (aswell as the normal zip) a loop inside each cuff that is formed using poppers, and annother loop at the back of the collar.
turns out it is so you can fit a compatible fleece as a liner inside the jacket, assuming you can find a compatible fleece.
turns out that the reggatta fleeces that goonhilly sell are compatible, which was a nice supprise.
3) some of the loops on top of the PLCE bergan. I have no idea what they do, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they where put there either to make it look even more functional than it allready is, or possibly as an attempt to give bored squaddies something to think about.

 

[m.durston]

3) some of the loops on top of the PLCE bergan. I have no idea what they do, and I have a sneaking suspicion that they where put there either to make it look even more functional than it allready is, or possibly as an attempt to give bored squaddies something to think about.

they are for adding utility straps to the top of the bergen so you can strap more kit to the outside.
the plce bergen was a close copy of the berghaus range of military rucksacks (crusader etc) and these have a set of straps right on the top for just this purpose.

 

[phaserrifle]

they are for adding utility straps to the top of the bergen so you can strap more kit to the outside.
the plce bergen was a close copy of the berghaus range of military rucksacks (crusader etc) and these have a set of straps right on the top for just this purpose.

what about the ones just above the top of the shoulder straps? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to strap anything there.

 

[m.durston]

what about the ones just above the top of the shoulder straps? I'm pretty sure you wouldn't want to strap anything there.

lol true! to be honest i dont know about them ones.i reckon you were right about a few of them just being put there for funtionalities sake.
like the small loops on the outside of the side pouches i definitely used the lower ones to loop the waist belt on the yoke out of the way when using them as a daysack, but the upper ones are surplus to requirements.
i did hear someone say the little loops dotted about were for personal cam but i think thats just walty wishful thinking lol