The diamond patch on your rucksack is not decoration - it actually has a purpose

You've probably never paid it any attention

Do you know what the patch on your backpack is used for?

There are some fashion features that continue to mystify even the most sartorially clued-up among us. Enter the slatted diamond patch found on your backpack.

Whether you’ve got a hipster Herschel or a trusty JanSport, many rucksacks feature this seemingly needless appendage - but fashion mag Marie Claire has revealed that it actually has an actual use.

It turns out the tiny diamond patch is called a ‘lash tab’ or ‘pig snout’ and was originally used to hold extra gear on cords to be strung through the openings.

Think flashlights, pots and pans or a canteen flask.

While this might not be news to the more outdoorsy among you, for the rest of us this is revolutionary.

Of course, unless you’re an avid mountaineer it will probably have very little impact on your life, or will it?

We think it would make the perfect place to stash you earphones so they don’t get untangled.

Other seemingly useless appendages with a surprising use include that tiny fifth pocket on your jeans - turns out cowboys used to store their pocket watches there to keep them from getting broken - and the metal bit at the end of your shoe laces - this is called an aglet and effectively stops them from unravelling.