Helicopter Retention Lanyard Issue. Heads up Air Wingers.

Brandon Webb's LoadOut Room has some information that might be of some interest to the guys in the air wing.  From his site....

Last month I learned of an in-house US Navy test of several COTS (Commercial Off The Shelf) helicopter retention lanyards. This test was not sanctioned but I met directly with my source who informed me that the TAG retention lanyard (an older model was used but it was still in inventory) had complete failure under a stress of only 300lbs. The test was conducted in a mock H-1 with a 300lb dummy thrown out of the cabin door. I saw the blown out stitching and put my hands on the lanyard personally, as an Army trained Rigger I could tell that the stitching and thread was below par and resulted in total failure under a relatively light load. The other complaint was that the TAG lanyard was not long enough to stand up while clipped into the floor.

As they say, go to his place to read the rest.  But the point is basically this.

Be careful with this piece of kit and stop using it if you bought it .  This is something that the Army has a better handle on than the Marine Corps.  They developed a list of Army approved items that can be used in the field.

The Marine Corps should do the same...and not just with articles of clothing but also with all the other types of gear that Marines might be using.

TAG is rock solid and will correct the problem I'm sure.  Other manufacturers not so much.

Long story short if its snivel gear then you can scrimp on costs. If its suppose to save your life, then buy the absolute best possible.