A vest is provided that may be quickly and easily removed (cut away) from a wearer of the vest. The vest may include a waist belt, a cummerbund, and shoulder straps which may be easily released from the portion of the vest by the use of a flexible retainer in cooperation with a connector device to secure the waist belt, cummerbund and shoulder straps to the vest in a releasable manner. A cable portion of the retainer moves in a generally straight line except for accommodating curved portions of the body of the wearer. An accessory pouch may also be provided which uses a strap and loop arrangement on the vest and pouch to attach the accessory pouch to the vest.