PerroneFord:Yea, your knife goes where you just put your buckle.
Seriously, the buckle should move about 6" away from the crotch strap. Unless your body is built vastly different from mine, or you can move your hip out of joint easily, there is not feasible way to move the crotch strap over far enough to undo the buckle. I can't do it if I "TRY" to do it.
The other consideration is when you wear a weightbelt, the buckle for THAT is on center. I've considered making it left hand release, but haven't done that. I think they used to teach that, but I see it's not that way anymore.
Since my weight belt goes on last, I put the buckle right in the center, on top of the crotch strap, right hand release. Apparently I have been keeping the harness buckle closer to the center hence the trouble with the loop on the buckle side: I had the buckle just to the right of center and the loop was right there ready to release the lever. I didn't consider moving it further right since I am new to crotch straps and prior I always kept my harness buckle in the center and my weight buckle just to the left of center and below: probably the left hand release but I have been diving a Zeagle Ranger with weight integration for the last year and have forgotten many details from the past.
I keep my cutting instrument right off the backplate (shear), another (knife) on the chest harness opposite my backup light, so I hadn't encountered that limiting factor with my current setup, but I do appreciate the insight.
I'm pretty certain they taught left hand weight, right hand harness, but I don't do it that way now, and in the early 80's my instructors (NASDS/NAUI) didn't really "push" much of anything, just pointed out the options (e.g. donning/doffing via over the head method vs off the back method were both presented and their advantages/disadvantages were discussed, octopuses were advocated but not required, ...). Left hand weight/right hand harness was for the quick two handed exit that all wanabe spy/scuba divers require in a proper exit routine
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