Australian SAS SAAV Chest Rig

The South African Assault Vest (SAAV) is widely regarded as one of the most influential chest webbing designs ever produced and helped inspire later chest webbing systems used by the Australian Defence Force. During the 1990s, when many ADF soldiers were still issued simple webbing sets, SAAV vests were commonly privately purchased due to their superior layout and comfort, and were often customised by their owners. This particular example came from an ex-soldier, and has been customised with DPCU (Auscam) pouches stitched onto the vest, a style of modification sometimes associated with special forces. It has also been hand-painted in Auscam by the previous owner, giving it a distinctive field-modified appearance and making it an interesting piece representing the evolution of modern Australian combat load-bearing equipment.