OK - I've got pictures

Augh - OK - if there's a moderator around, feel free to add this post to the bottom of the "Now I've done it" thread. I meant to hit reply, not start a new thread. Sorry. Anyway...


Thanks for your help everyone. OK - if you promise not to laugh at my gross ineptitude, I'm going to try to post some pictures of what I've managed to produce so far.

Obviously, sizing is still up in the air, since I haven't tried it on with my 7mm semi-dry, or for that matter, in the water yet. I've left lots of spare webbing.

This is facing front

Face down, with the STA attached...

Hanging on my arm

A look at the back shoulder area...

Chest D-Rings - one is too high, I think. I know they're offcentre

So now I need to do up a crotch strap. I need to rustle up some more webbing to do that - I've got lets of webbing, but it's about 1/4 of an inch too wide for the slot on the backplate. I'm told seatbelt webbing makes a good crotch strap? I'm not looking forward to this one, although once I figured out the webbing on this one, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be.

The waist strap buckle goes on the right hand side, right? Attached to the left strap, but connects on the right?

I forgot to hook the bungee on the left D-Ring - but I can just tie one in.

And the webbing at the top, where it loops around, is sort of... loose and loopy. Does that make sense? I figure it will tighten in as the webbing bends into place.

What have I brutally screwed up on so far?

The threading of the webbing is correct .
I think you got the BP the wrong way round, the ridge should be facing the tanks, not your back. This will stop the flynuts and thread jabbing you in the back.

<snip stupid is as stupid does>

Jeff


Edit Again: I'm just blind.... It looks good

but the wingnuts are, indeed, facing my back. The little 'spine bump' for lack of a better word, does face out. Just to clarify - there is dead space between my spine and the backplate, and the wingnuts face in there.

Is the STA backwards? I don't think so - the nuts and screws are countersunk, so they can only go one way. It faces... out. If I were to lay face down, it would be like a 'w' on top of my back, not an 'm'.

There are two ways to rig the webbing

this way

Or crossing the shoulder straps

Is there an advantage to the crossed shoulder straps?

Crossed Shoulder straps

Well i dove mine that way for years and it worked ok. However it was hard to get into my bp with crossed straps and the Vulcanized rubber of my Viking Drysuit. I could do unassisted, but hindsight it was the wrong way to do it.

I re-webbed my harness the DIR way and low and behold it is alot better to get in and out of. So having dove the crossed style for years i can say its better and easier for me un-crossed.

Also, i wasnt using a crotch strap back then and i do now, i feel more at one with my gear. The bp doesnt move around and i dont even notice the 2" soft webbing.

Andy

Andy
Do you find at all having the shoulder strpas not being crossed they tend to fall off your shoulders at all ?

I am diving crossed at the moment and thinking about swapping, just too laxy to re-web the thing

SD

yeah switching it is a project.

Not really falling off no.

What i did notice is that using them uncrossed without a crotch strap they tend to move around more. i wasnt used to using a crotch strap so i left it off at first. It was annoying having the tanks move so i tried the Crotch strap just for gins and i see that it is the key. It keeps the tanks in place, at least it does for me.

its alot of work to to change it. Not so much the re-webbing part as the adjusting for a good fit. The shoulder D rings, the waist D ring and the height of the bp takes time to get it right. This was my first re-web and it went well, i am thrilled with my efforts. The webbing took an hour maybe 90 min to get everything where i wanted it. The fitting and adjusting was about the same. Then after some pool work i adjusted it more.

it was a pain, but it was fun

Andy

If I am feeling up to it I might try re webbing it this weekend, as I need to take it apart to get the tanks tested.

I was thinking about wacking on a chest strap between the shoulder D Rings with a clip in the middle, just to keep the shoulders in nice and close, what do you think ?

Oh I am diving with a crotch strap now and would not part with it.