The INSIDER Summary:
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- The lash tab is a common but mysterious feature on backpacks.
- The secret: You can attach stuff to the bag with a string.
- They've become more popular as Herschel puts them on its bags.
If you've looked at backpacks in the past few years, you've probably noticed that a lot of them have some kind of leather, diamond-shaped patch with parallel lines on them, like an equals sign or an illustration of a pig snout.
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And if you're like me, you've found it utterly baffling. What's it for? What does it mean?
It's called a lash tab. And it doesn't only look cool — it has a function, too.
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You can pass a string through the middle part and lash objects to your bag. It's useful if something doesn't quite fit inside your bag, or if you want to keep it within reach.
Historically, the feature was used by climbers and hikers, but it works equally well for gym shoes.
In the past few years, they've become more popular with the rise of Herschel's ubiquitous Heritage Backpack, which features the tab prominently on the front.
"Originally, it was designed to carry an ice ax," Jamie Cormack, co-founder of Herschel, told Today. Now it's "a nod to the past, to pay homage to those old alpine bags that had these."
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