Finally dawned on me.

[OntarioHunter]

This is my third upland vest and it's fast becoming worn out. After all these years I just now figured out the function of the rings attached to the vests' front yokes: keep the lanyard for whistle/e-collar controller out of the way. I can't count the times my gun has become tangled when I went to mount it. Similarly, it wasn't until just a few years ago that I discovered the purpose of the strap with snap on the front of my 1962 fly vest and looped strap dangling from bottom hem. It's a rod holder for re-tying flies and leaders. Chest strap holds rod shaft and bottom loop holds the butt below reel. Frees up both hands. Some gear really should come with instructions! Anyway, thought I'd pass it along for anyone else who decides to take up those sports without a proper mentor to explain the mysteries.

 

[elkduds]

You wrote wearing out upland clothing like its a bad thing.

 

[jtm307]

You just altered the trajectory of my life.

 

[OntarioHunter]

A couple more tips to pass along. Avoid using a classic metal dog whistle (like the one in above image). Sure, you may look like an upland afianado with a nickle plated Acme Thunderer hanging around your neck, but you may also wind up looking like a jack-o-lantern if you forget to spit it out when shooting at a pheasant that flushes at your feet. Also not fun when one of those metal whistles touches the lips in subzero weather. Dollar Store sells plastic ones that work just fine and are a lot less hazardous.