Optimizations of my DSS Backplate for DPV diving

[tbone1004]

After getting into a lot more DPV diving, especially in wetsuits, a split crotch strap was necessary for long trigger times.
Purchased the split crotch strap from Cave Adventurers a few weeks ago but haven't had time to get around to it. Unfortunately the split crotch strap causes loss of the rear d-ring for storage, and the use of a dpv makes some deco/stage bottle handling interesting, so here are the mods

Added an extra Dive Rite ring bungee I had laying around to the plate to hook around the valve of a left side bottle. Won't get it up into true sidemount position, but it will be better than hanging free. This will likely get replaced with a loop bungee at some point, but it was convenient to try for proof of concept.

removed the original crotch strap and replaced with the split crotch strap-ends to be cut and burned once I get it in the water to find out the longest and shortest points that I need

Installed a pair of counterlung offset D-rings from Deep Sea Supply on either side of the backplate for storage. The crotch strap is threaded through the loop created at the back of the plates to keep it in position *I would like it farther out and it is much farther out on my sidemount rig, but unsure how to keep the right side situated with a canister and I wanted to keep the drop-dring on that side for storage of reels and what not.

I am going to get on the trigger with this in the near ish future and may make some adjustments going forward, especially with the bungee since I'm not a huge fan of ring bungees but it's proof of concept since I had a ring bungee in my tool box and was too lazy to walk to the garage to find a normal bungee or the plain bungee and tie a loop bungee into it....

 

[bamafan]

You still dive bm?

 

[BoltSnap]

Why "split crotch strap" instead of the normal single crotch strap please?

 

[tbone1004]

Eric, yeah I still dive backmount quite regularly. All my teaching diving which is basically 1 week each semester is done in doubles, and any time I am diving in OW at a quarry or whatever I dive doubles unless I'm there specifically for sidemount gear tweaks.

Burhan, split crotch strap helps to protect the family jewels when on the trigger for extended periods of time. It is less necessary when in a drysuit, especially a neoprene suit with thicker undergarments, but I dive a 5mm wetsuit fairly regularly and even when I'm in my drysuit which is a trilam suit, it is with fairly thin undergarments so you start to feel it. The super thin, non resin impregnated webbing straps like those that come on the Hollis rigs actually left me with a bruised groin after ~90 minutes of trigger time in a wetsuit and that is with a UV-26. Half the power and 2/3's the speed of some of the modern big scooters which are just not possible to ride at full speed with that type of strap. The padded strap that uses the same harness webbing that comes on the Dive Rite rigs works quite well, but not quite as well. I have heard from my lady friend divers that the split straps also make use of the She-P a bit easier when on the trigger, but I can't verify that first hand for obvious reasons ;-)

 

[tbone1004]

hopefully going to get this in the water here next weekend and will try to post some in water pictures with a slung AL30 to see if I need to replace the ring with a loop bungee. I'm leaning towards living the ring in there so I can use standard DIR style stage rigging while in backmount and then just snap the bungee over the valve knob, but that's what practice is for!

 

[tbone1004]

it would appear the image urls' expired? didn't know that was a thing. Will repost them later this week when I get back from travel...