Where I personally find the VTAC excels over the VCAS are in activities other than shooting.
IE, say if you're riding a quad for instance, and want to have the rifle instantly available and not stowed/bungied to the quad.... with the VCAS, I have found that there is not enough range of adjustment to cinch it up tight to the body so it's not flopping around, beating up both you and the quad... or horse..... or m/c..... or whatever. With the VTAC you can cinch the rifle tight to the body either across the front or the back as you prefer, and it stays put, doesn't flop around, and is still instantly lavailable with one quick adjustment of the sling. I've found that in order to have the same ability with the VCAS, I have to shorten the butt-end of the sling so much that the sling now has a less than ideal adjustment range with the adjustable end.
The VTAC's ability to cinch the rifle tight to the body is also of a benefit for a bunch of other activities like climbing (ladders, cliffs, etc), rappelling, fast roping (if one is inclined), going hands-on with someone (takedowns, cuffing, etc), etc.
As for the 5.11 VTAC being "cheap", it stays in one piece and gets the job done. Want a better quality one, look to Larue or VTAC themselves. Personally, I catagorize slings as a "consumable", IE. just like extractors, springs, lower parts kits, etc.. When it starts to get ratty and needs replacement, it gets replaced.
Either sling will work well, and in my opinion either is light years ahead of anything else on the market; if your choice comes down to having to choose one sling from two designs by two proven Spec Ops warriors like Larry VICKERS or Kyle LAMB, either way you decide will be a good choice.
IE, say if you're riding a quad for instance, and want to have the rifle instantly available and not stowed/bungied to the quad.... with the VCAS, I have found that there is not enough range of adjustment to cinch it up tight to the body so it's not flopping around, beating up both you and the quad... or horse..... or m/c..... or whatever. With the VTAC you can cinch the rifle tight to the body either across the front or the back as you prefer, and it stays put, doesn't flop around, and is still instantly lavailable with one quick adjustment of the sling. I've found that in order to have the same ability with the VCAS, I have to shorten the butt-end of the sling so much that the sling now has a less than ideal adjustment range with the adjustable end.
The VTAC's ability to cinch the rifle tight to the body is also of a benefit for a bunch of other activities like climbing (ladders, cliffs, etc), rappelling, fast roping (if one is inclined), going hands-on with someone (takedowns, cuffing, etc), etc.
As for the 5.11 VTAC being "cheap", it stays in one piece and gets the job done. Want a better quality one, look to Larue or VTAC themselves. Personally, I catagorize slings as a "consumable", IE. just like extractors, springs, lower parts kits, etc.. When it starts to get ratty and needs replacement, it gets replaced.
Either sling will work well, and in my opinion either is light years ahead of anything else on the market; if your choice comes down to having to choose one sling from two designs by two proven Spec Ops warriors like Larry VICKERS or Kyle LAMB, either way you decide will be a good choice.
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