GB2525140A

GB2525140A - Hybrid Harness

Info

Publication number: GB2525140A
Application number: GB1317507.0A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Paul Bateman
Original assignee: Solo Int Ltd
Current assignee: Solo Int Ltd
Priority date: 2013-10-03
Filing date: 2013-10-03
Publication date: 2015-10-21
Also published as: GB201317507D0

Abstract

A military garment comprises a rear panel module 4 adapted for wearing against a users back, a front module comprising first and second shoulder straps 2a, 2b adapted for passing over respective shoulders of the user in use, each shoulder strap 2a, 2b being releasably connected to the rear panel 4 at a top end thereof, and first and second waist strap modules for extending around respective sides of a users waist in use, each waist strap being releasably connected at a first end thereof to the rear panel. The garment further comprises a cutaway (i.e. quick release) mechanism comprising a pull handle 7, a flexible shoulder line 30s1, 30s2 having a fixed end connected to the pull handle 7 and a free end, and a waistband line 30w having a fixed end connected to the pull handle 7 and a free end. The arrangement is such that when the cutaway mechanism is primed, the shoulder line 30s1, 30s2 connects at least one shoulder strap 2a, 2b to the rear panel 4 and the waistband line 30w connects the first and second waist straps.

Description

Hybrid Harness This invention relates to military garments.

There are various types of military garments capable of carrying armour plating. A traditional armour carrier, which is a relatively heavy-duty item, could typically comprise a one-piece vest which can carry armour plates both on the front and rear.

It may be possible to attach additional modular items, such as a waistband or belt, or these may be provided integrally with the vest.

Recently, so-called "hybrid harnesses" have become more popular as military apparel. These are garments worn on the upper half of the torso, which are lightweight and typically allow modular construction, so that separate armour-plate carrying pouches may be attached to the harness as required. In this way, the harness, especially without any armour-plate carrying pouches attached, is generally rather lighter than traditional armoured vests. Furthermore, the pouches can be replaced as required. This is especially beneficial since the front of a military garment may be placed under much stress, for example due to the need of a wearer to crawl or lie on their front. With hybrid harnesses, if an attached front armour-plate carrying pouch becomes damaged, it can be replaced with an alternative pouch, rather than requiring the replacement of the entire garment.

Various hybrid harnesses are in production, with examples manufactured by Crye Precision (TM). Typically, armour-plate carrying pouches are attachable to the harness by means of a zip fastening or clip, although some variants exist where the pouch is permanently attached to the harness for example by stitching.

Recently, it has been recognised that for military apparel it is beneficial to provide a "quick-release" system, to enable, for example, an injured soldier to be quickly and easily removed from his armoured vest. Such quick-release systems are also commonly known as "cutaway" systems. For vests, this has meant that the front and rear panels must now be detachable, in effect making them rather more like the harnesses.

For example, a soldier trapped in his vehicle after it has turned over needs to cutaway his body armour to get out -once out he will retrieve his armour and put it back together ready for battle by use of clips (i.e. not yet fully reattaching the cutaway mechanism) -only once out of danger and back in camp will he reassemble the cable cutaway and harness ready for use as an emergency cutaway again. It is presently required that following the cutaway, the user must be able to put back together in under 90 seconds.

Examples of cutaway harnesses and vests are manufactured by the company Blackhawk for example.

Generally, cutaway systems make use of a cable or strap that loosely interconnects various parts of the garment, with a first end being attached to a handle and the second end being loosely retained within the body of the garment. To effect a cutaway, the handle is pulled so that the cable or strap is fully removed from the garment, enabling the parts to be separated.

There are problems associated with such systems however. For example, the use of a long cable or strap adds to the complexity of reattachment. Furthermore, a long cable or strap may be problematic to release fully, especially if the wearer is injured.

In addition, the use of such cutaway systems may lower the integrity of the garment, possibly even allowing it to separate by accident.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide a quick-release system for a military garment, which enables modules of the garment to be rapidly disconnected, allowing the wearer to be released from the garment, and yet which provides no risk of unwanted release.

Garments in accordance with the present invention may also be quickly and easily re-assembled, and furthermore may be worn even without the cutaway being present, i.e. once the garment has been cutaway it may still be reassembled and worn without reattaching the cutaway mechanism. A garment according to the invention can be reconnected (after cutting it away) within 30-40 seconds.

The present invention achieves this aim by providing two separate cutaway lines attached to a common actuating pull handle. One of these lines is used to interconnect front shoulder portions of the garment to a rear panel, while the other line is used to interconnect a waistband to a front panel. This design means that in order to cutaway, only around half the cutaway withdrawal distance is needed as opposed to known single line systems, producing faster and more efficient release.

Additionally, improved cutaway line attachment techniques are provided for enabling secure yet easily-releasable connection.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a military garment comprising a plurality of modules, the modules comprising: a rear panel module adapted for wearing against a user's back, a front module comprising first and second shoulder straps adapted for passing over respective shoulders of the user in use, each shoulder strap being releasably connected to the rear panel at a top end thereof, and first and second waist strap modules for extending around respective sides of a user's waist in use, each waist strap being releasably connected at a first end thereof to the rear panel, wherein the garment further comprises a cutaway mechanism, the cutaway mechanism comprising: a pull handle, a flexible shoulder line having a fixed end connected to the pull handle and a free end, a waistband line having a fixed end connected to the pull handle and a free end, and the arrangement being such that when the cutaway mechanism is primed, the shoulder line threadedly connects at least one shoulder strap to the rear panel and the waistband line threadedly connects the first and second waist straps.

In accordance with a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a military garment comprising a plurality of modules, the modules comprising: a rear panel module adapted for wearing against a user's back, a front module comprising first and second shoulder straps adapted for passing over respective shoulders of the user in use, each shoulder strap being releasably connected to the rear panel at a top end thereof, and first and second waist strap modules for extending around respective sides of a user's waist in use, each waist strap being releasably connected at a first end thereof to the rear panel, wherein the garment further comprises a cutaway mechanism, the cutaway mechanism comprising: a flexible line, a plurality of line receiving means, each comprising a loop through which the line may be threaded and an associated ring for releasably receiving the loop, whereby when the loop is received within the ring, threading a line through the loop prevents removal of the loop from the ring.

Other aspects of the invention are set out in the accompanying claims.

The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 schematically shows an oblique view of an assembled garment in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 schematically shows an enlarged view of the pull handle of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 schematically shows the pull handle of Fig. 2, when partially pulled; Fig. 4 schematically shows a top part of the garment of Fig. 1; Fig. 5 schematically shows a close-up view of a shoulder line receiving means of the garment of Fig. 1; Fig. 6 schematically shows a rear view of the garment of Fig. 1; Fig. 7 schematically shows a rear view of the garment of Fig. 1, with raised rear flap; Fig. 8 schematically shows a close-up view of the garment of Fig. 1; Figs. 9a-c schematically show detail views of the garment of Fig. 1; Fig. 10 schematically shows a garment in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 11 schematically shows a rear view of the garment of Fig. 10; Fig. 12 schematically shows a rear view of the garment of Fig. 10 with rear flap lifted; Fig. 13 schematically shows the shoulder straps and part of the rear panel of a garment in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 14 schematically shows a perspective view of the garment of Fig. 13 with a shoulder strap opened; and Fig. 15 schematically shows a perspective view of the garment of Fig. 13 with the shoulder strap closed.

A military garment 1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown in Fig. 1. Here, the garment 1 is a so-called "hybrid harness", meaning that a front module thereof, adapted to be worn adjacent a user's chest, comprises separate and separable components, i.e. first and second shoulder straps 2a, 2b and armour-carrying pouch 3, with the pouch 3 being removably attached to each of shoulder straps 2a, 2b in a known manner, e.g. by zip fastener, buckles, clips etc. which need not be referenced further here. A rear module of the garment comprises a rear panel 4 adapted to be worn adjacent a user's back, and rear armour-carrying pouch 8. Pouch 8 may be formed as a separate component to panel 4 and removably attached thereto (for example using similar connection means as the front pouch 3), or alternatively may be integrally formed with panel 4.

Rear panel 4 is removably connected to each shoulder strap 2a, 2b at shoulder portions of the back panel module. In the embodiment shown, this connection is effected via hook and loop fastenings as will be described further below. The rear panel 4 is also removably connected to each of first and second waist strap modules 5a, 5b. Each waist strap module 5a, 5b is dimensioned to fit around approximately half of the user's waist circumference. The front end of each waist strap module is detachably fixed to pouch 3 via complementary regions of hook and loop fastening material provided on the front ends of waist strap modules 5a, Sb and a surface of the pouch 3 which surface is in use covered over by liftable flaps 6a, 6b. The rear end of each waist strap module 5a, 5b is releasably connected to rear panel 4 as will be described further below.

One of the shoulder straps, in this case 2b, is provided with a pull handle 7 of a cutaway mechanism. Pull handle 7 comprises a loop of material, and is kept tucked out of the way by a tab 9 which extends from the shoulder strap 2b, passes through the handle loop and is releasably connected to an upper part of strap 2b may complementary regions of hook-and-loop material provided on the underside of tab 9 and the outer surface of strap 2b.

The pull handle 7 in its closed configuration is shown in greater detail in Fig. 2. In Fig. 3, the pull handle 7 is shown partially pulled, so that tab 9 is forced away from the shoulder strap 2b and through the pull handle's loop. Here it can be seen that pull handle 7 is securely connected to two flexible lines of the cutaway mechanism, in this case flexible cables lOs and lOw, both of which extend up into the body of the shoulder strap 2b, so that removal of the pull handle 7, in the direction shown by the arrow, will cause associated removal of cables lOs, lOw from the garment. Also shown is a patch of hook-and loop material 22 provided on the underside of the handle 7, for releasable connection to a corresponding region (not shown) of hook-and-loop material on the shoulder strap 2b. This acts to keep the handle 7 in a closed position during normal use, to prevent interference with the wearer's normal tasks.

Fig. 4 schematically shows the top part of the garment, including revealing same parts of the cables lOs, lOw which would be obscured in reality, shown by dashed lines. As noted previously, here each shoulder strap is releasably connected to the rear panel by means of hook-and-loop fastening. Fig. 4 more clearly shows that the top end of each shoulder strap 2a, 2b is bifurcated so that there are two overlying portions 11, 12, and in this figure the front-most portion 11 has been folded back to reveal the rear portion 12. Handle 7 is received within an aperture between portion 11 and the main shoulder strap 2b which it may pass through to project out below the point of bifurcation. The internal surfaces of portions 11 and 2 are provided with hook-and-loop material regions, which receive respective projecting shoulder tabs (not shown in Fig. 4) of the rear panel, these tabs being provided with complementary regions of hook-and-loop material to engage with those of the portions 11 and 12. Such hook-and-loop connection provides a secure enough connection that the shoulder straps and rear panel can maintain a strong-enough connection to provide sufficient structural integrity for wearing, for example following replacement of the garment following a cutaway procedure, and yet will not provide an overly difficult obstacle to removal during cutaway. Cables lOs, lOw extend underneath the hook-and-loop material of rear portion 12 and emerge from the top of this portion. Further connections between shoulder straps 2a, 2b and rear panel 4 are provided by respective line receiving means, each comprising a loop of material 13 stitched onto the top of a shoulder strap rear portion 12 through which the line may be threaded, and an associated ring, in this case a rectangular buckle 14 secured to the rear panel 4, e.g. by using a stitched-in strap, for releasably receiving the loop 13. When the loop 13 is received within the buckle 14 so that the top of the loop extends out of the buckle, threading the cable lOs through that extending portion of the loop prevents the removal of that loop from the associated buckle.

Therefore, by threading cable lOs through the loop of each shoulder, the shoulder straps 2a, 2b are held connected to the rear panel 4. After passing through the loop 13 of shoulder strap 2b, the cable lOs is fed through the interior of rear panel 4 across a neck portion, and then extends out of the neck portion and threaded through the loop of shoulder strap 2a. The distal end of cable lOs is free, i.e. unconstrained, and may be tucked into the rear portion 12 of shoulder strap 2a for convenience.

Cable lOw meanwhile, after emerging from the top of rear portion 12 of strap 2b is fed into the interior of rear panel 4 at the neck portion thereof, and extends downwardly through rear panel 4.

Fig. 5 schematically shows a close-up view of a line receiving means of shoulder strap 2b, with cable lOs passing through loop 13, which itself is received by buckle 14. The arrow denotes the direction in which loop 13 is passed through buckle 14 when assembling the cutaway mechanism.

Fig. 6 schematically shows a rear view of the garment 1, with shoulder strap top portions 11 folded down. Here, it can be seen that cable lOw extends down through the interior of rear panel 4, behind rear pouch 8, so that its free end is proximate the bottom of the rear panel.

In order to access the free end, the rear panel 4 has a two layer construction, such that the outer layer can be lifted up as a flap, revealing the cable lOw underneath.

This is schematically shown in Fig. 7, with the flap layer 15 being raised away from under-layer 16. Under-layer 16 includes a window 17 where no material is present, allowing access to the interior of the layer. Hook-and-loop material 18 is provided around the window, with a complementary region of hook-and-loop material 19 on the inner surface of flap layer 15 to keep the two layers of the rear panel 4 held together when the flap is closed. Also shown is a pull tab 23 to help assist with opening the flap on the rear.

Fig. 8 schematically shows a close-up view of window 17. The window 17 allows user access to a plurality of connection straps 20a which extend from the rear end of waist strap module 5a and a plurality of connection straps 20b which extend from the rear end of waist strap module 5b, both waist strap modules being received within the interior of rear panel 4. These respective connection straps are placed in an interleaving pattern, and each forms a loop 13 for reception within a ring, in this case a buckle 14 carried by the rear panel, in a similar manner to the line receiving means buckles of the shoulder straps previously described. Here again, line lOw may be threaded through the loops 13, which secures the waist strap modules 5a, 5b to the rear panel. In addition, each connection strap 20a, 2b is also provided with an adjustment buckle 21 for adjusting the length of the straps to provide a good fit of the garment. The free end of cable lOw may sit freely just below the connection straps.

Figs. 9a-9b shows the operation of a line receiving means in more detail. Whether used for the shoulder attachment or waist strap module attachment, one module carries a buckle 14 while a separate module carries a loop 13. Loop 13 is inserted into buckle 14 (see Fig. 9b), and then a cable 10 may be threaded through the loop to secure the modules together (see Fig. 9c).

Although not shown in this figure, each waist strap module may carry a male or female clip portion, for mating with a corresponding female or male clip portion carried by the rear panel 4. These clip portions may be integral with the waist strap modules and I or rear panel, or be modular, for example attached to MOLLE-type webbing provided on the waist strap modules and! or rear panel.

In order to effect a cutaway, the pull handle 7 is pulled by the user. This causes both cables lOs, lOw to simultaneously unthread from their respective line receiving means, allowing the shoulder straps to disconnect from the rear panel and the waist band modules to disconnect from the rear panel also. Following cutaway, the garment may be partially reassembled using the hook-and-loop connections for the shoulders and mating male and female clips for the waist strap modules.

As can be seen from the above, the garment 1 is fully modular, without requiring any zip connections or sewing between the main component parts of the harness.

While the above embodiment relates to a hybrid harness garment, the present invention is equally applicable to a full armour carrying vest, where the shoulder straps and front armour-carrying pouch form a unitary front module. Front and rear views of such a vest are schematically shown in Figs. 10 and 11 respectively, while Fig. 12 shows the window provided in the rear panel of such a vest.

A third embodiment of the present invention is schematically shown in Figs. 13 to 15.

This embodiment has several differences to those previously described, for example: i) two separate shoulder lines are used instead of just one; ii) the line receiving means employed at the shoulder straps make use of washer rings provided on the shoulder straps, rather than buckles provided on the rear panel; iii) connection between the shoulder straps and rear panel following cutaway are provided by dedicated snap-fit buckles; and iv) brassard modules are provided which may be cutaway using the same cutaway mechanism.

Fig. 13 schematically shows part of the shoulder straps and part of the rear panel of a garment in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. This garment is a hybrid harness, similar to that of the first embodiment. Common elements with the first embodiment have retained the reference numbering for convenience. First and second shoulder straps 2a, 2b are again releasably connected to rear panel 4 via a cutaway mechanism. Each shoulder strap 2a, 2b is again bifurcated, with a liftable front portion 11, which may be held down using hook-and-loop material (not shown) during normal use. A handle 7 for the cutaway projects from shoulder strap 2b below the bifurcation point. Handle 7 is attached to three separate flexible cables, forming a waistband line 30w, a first shoulder line 30s1 and a second shoulder line 30s2. These three cables all extend into the garment through an aperture between portion 11 and the lower part of the shoulder strap 2b. The rear portions of shoulder straps 2a, 2b are provided with rings, in this case washer rings 31 which provide access to the interior of the respective strap.

The rear panel 4 is provided with a loop 32 proximate each shoulder, which may project up through a ring 31 to threadedly receive a cable (i.e. a shoulder line). Fig. 13 shows three rings 31 on each shoulder strap, this is to enable adjustment in the length of the shoulder strap for enhanced fitting. Additional loops 33 are provided on each shoulder strap to assist with guiding the cables.

When the cutaway mechanism is primed: i) the first shoulder line 30s1 passes up from handle 7, along the shoulder strap 2b in the region between front portion 11 and rear portion, into the interior of the rear panel 4, behind the neck area of the garment, out from the rear panel 4 proximate the second shoulder strap 2a, threaded through a second loop 32, along the shoulder strap 2a and loosely retained by a loop 33; ii) the second shoulder line 30s2 passes up from handle 7, threaded through a loop 33, along the shoulder strap 2b in the region between front portion 11 and rear portion, threaded through a loop 32, and passes into the interior of the rear panel 4 where it is loosely retained; iii) the waistband line 30w passes up from handle 7, along the shoulder strap 2b in the region between front portion 11 and rear portion, into the interior of the rear panel 4, and down the back of the garment. The waistband line 30w attaches waist strap modules in a similar manner as for the previously described embodiments.

Fig. 14 schematically shows the garment of Fig. 13 with a brassard module 34 attached, with the cutaway mechanism primed. Here, front portion 11 of shoulder strap 2b is lifted to expose the cables underneath. The brassard module 34 includes a washer ring 35 which here threadedly receives waistband line 30w, although shoulder line 30s2 could equally be used. A corresponding brassard module for the other shoulder threadedly receives shoulder line 30s1 when the cutaway mechanism is primed. It can additionally be seen from Fig. 14 that the front portion 11 carriers a male clip portion 36, and the rear panel 4 carries a female clip portion 37 proximate the top of shoulder strap 2b. Following cutaway, the shoulder strap 2b may be quickly reattached to rear panel 4 by mating these clip portions. Similar clip portions are provided on shoulder strap 2a and the rear panel proximate the top of shoulder strap 2a. Fig. 14 clearly shows regions 38, 39 of corresponding hook-and-look material on the inside surface affront portion 11 and the upper surface of the shoulder strap 2b, for keeping the front portion 11 held down during normal wear.

Fig. 15 schematically shows the garment of Fig. 14 with the cutaway mechanism primed but with the front portion 11 held down. The male clip portion 36 tucks into the interior of rear panel 4, to keep it out of the way during normal operation. In other words, the clip only needs to be used following cutaway.

Although not shown in these figures, a separate collar module may be attached to the garment using ca-operating hook-and-loop attachment.

The above-described embodiments are exemplary only, and other possibilities and alternatives within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

In addition, various features from each embodiment above may be combined as required, for example, it is clearly possible to include the cutaway brassard modules disclosed with respect to the third embodiment with the garment of either of the first two embodiments.

For example, the shoulder straps may be attachable to the rear panel in a variety of ways, and are not reliant on either hook-and-loop fastening or buckles, for example using clips, zips etc. While the shoulder line receiving means described above show the loops provided on the rear panel and the rings on the shoulder straps, these may of course be held other way round, i.e. with the loop on the shoulder strap and the ring on the rear panel.

Claims

Claims 1. A military garment comprising a plurality of modules, the modules comprising: a rear panel module adapted for wearing against a user's back, a front module comprising first and second shoulder straps adapted for passing over respective shoulders of the user in use, each shoulder strap being releasably connected to the rear panel at a top end thereof, and first and second waist strap modules for extending around respective sides of a user's waist in use, each waist strap being releasably connected at a first end thereof to the rear panel, wherein the garment further comprises a cutaway mechanism, the cutaway mechanism comprising: a pull handle, a flexible shoulder line having a fixed end connected to the pull handle and a free end, a waistband line having a fixed end connected to the pull handle and a free end, and the arrangement being such that when the cutaway mechanism is primed, the shoulder line threadedly connects at least one shoulder strap to the rear panel and the waistband line threadedly connects the first and second waist straps.
2. A garment according to claim 1, wherein the cutaway mechanism comprises a second flexible shoulder line having a fixed end connected to the pull handle and a free end, and the arrangement being such that when the cutaway mechanism is primed, the first shoulder line threadedly connects the first shoulder strap to the rear panel and the second shoulder line threadedly connects the second shoulder strap to the rear panel.
3. A garment according to either of claims 1 and 2, further comprising first and second brassard modules, each brassard module threadedly receiving a shoulder line when the cutaway mechanism is primed.
4. A garment according to any preceding claim, comprising a plurality of line receiving means through which the lines may be threaded.
5. A garment according to claim 4, wherein each line receiving means comprises a loop for receiving a line.
6. A garment according to claim 5, wherein each line receiving means further comprises an associated buckle for releasably receiving the loop, whereby when the loop is received within the buckle, threading a line through the loop prevents removal of the loop from the buckle.
7. A garment according to claim 6, wherein, for each line receiving means, the loop is provided on a module, and the associated buckle is provided on a different module.
8. A garment according to claim 7, wherein, when the cutaway mechanism is primed, the shoulder line successively passes through a receiving means proximate the first shoulder strap, through the rear panel, to a receiving means proximate the second shoulder strap.
9. A garment according to claim 7 when dependent on claim 2, wherein, when the cutaway mechanism is primed, the second shoulder line successively passes through the rear panel, to a receiving means proximate the second shoulder strap.
10. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein, when the cutaway mechanism is primed, the waistband line passes downwardly through the rear panel into threaded engagement with the first and second waist straps.
11. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein each waist strap comprises a plurality of loops at its distal end, and when the cutaway mechanism is primed the waistband line is threaded through said plurality of loops.
12. A garment according to either of claim 10 and 11, wherein the rear panel comprises an aperture for providing access to line receiving means connecting the first and second waist straps.
13. A garment according to claim 12, wherein the rear panel comprises a cover panel for selectively covering the aperture.
14. A garment according to claim 13, wherein the cover panel comprises a region of hook and loop fastening material for selective engagement with an associated region of hook and loop fastening material provided on the rear panel.
15. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein, when the cutaway mechanism is primed the pull handle is located proximate a shoulder strap.
16. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein each shoulder line and waistband line comprises a flexible cable.
17. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the first and second shoulder straps are releasably connected to the rear panel by a clip.
18. A garment according to any of claims 1 to 16, wherein the first and second shoulder straps are releasably connected to the rear panel by a hook and loop connection.
19. A garment according to any preceding claim, wherein the front module comprises a panel adapted for wearing against a user's chest, the panel incorporating the first and second shoulder straps.
20. A garment according to claim 19, wherein the front module comprises an opening for receiving armour plating.
21. A garment according to any of claims 1 to 18, wherein the shoulder straps are separate components.
22. A garment according to claim 21, wherein the shoulder straps comprise means for connecting a pouch for carrying armour plate.
23. A military garment comprising a plurality of modules, the modules comprising: a rear panel module adapted for wearing against a user's back, a front module comprising first and second shoulder straps adapted for passing over respective shoulders of the user in use, each shoulder strap being releasably connected to the rear panel at a top end thereof, and first and second waist strap modules for extending around respective sides of a user's waist in use, each waist strap being releasably connected at a first end thereof to the rear panel, wherein the garment further comprises a cutaway mechanism, the cutaway mechanism comprising: a flexible line, a plurality of line receiving means, each comprising a loop through which the line may be threaded and an associated ring for releasably receiving the loop, whereby when the loop is received within the ring, threading a line through the loop prevents removal of the loop from the ring.
24. A garment according to claim 23, wherein, for each line receiving means, the loop is provided on a module, and the associated ring is provided on a different module.
25. A garment according to either of claims 23 and 24, wherein the ring comprises a buckle.
26. A garment substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying figures.