Backplate Webbing

[Slym]

I really like my DSS setup but found that the webbing was always a little bit rigid. Few weeks ago for a pool session my buddy and I switched backplates, she found mine very uncomfortable because of the rigid webbing, Her Halcyon was nice, but I was still happy with mine. It did make me think about changing the webbing.

Went to my dive shop found some weight belt webbing and have now swapped it out. It is very flimsy almost like a seatbelt, there was one thickness above the one I bought that is comparable to the halcyon webbing I might try.

The biggest problem I found with the thick webbing that comes with the kit, is that it is difficult to change quickly. When I wetsuit dive, I like it tight, but in a drysuit I need it much looser. I'll update after todays dives with some pictures and review of the soft webbing.

 

[tbone1004]

be careful with the soft webbing, most of the time it makes getting into and out of the rigs a real PITA. If you dive with thin suits regularly it is also very uncomfortable. In webbing design, especially for tourniquets we have to be extremely careful about the rigidity of the webbing. When you put tension on it, the webbing has a tendency to curl and put excess pressure on the edges of the webbing. This causes a lot of issues with a tourniquet but the same principal applies to scuba webbing. If you can't distribute the weight across the full 2" of webbing, you'll have pressure points build up and it will be uncomfortable to carry on land.
If it doesn't hold its shape, it will also make getting into the rig particularly difficult because there is no structural integrity to the webbing.
The DSS webbing is stiff, but not excessively so. Mine softened up after about 50 or so dives. You can stick it in the washing machine on a hot cycle with towels to accelerate the softening if you want to.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I really like my DSS setup but found that the webbing was always a little bit rigid. Few weeks ago for a pool session my buddy and I switched backplates, she found mine very uncomfortable because of the rigid webbing, Her Halcyon was nice, but I was still happy with mine. It did make me think about changing the webbing.

Went to my dive shop found some weight belt webbing and have now swapped it out. It is very flimsy almost like a seatbelt, there was one thickness above the one I bought that is comparable to the halcyon webbing I might try.

The biggest problem I found with the thick webbing that comes with the kit, is that it is difficult to change quickly. When I wetsuit dive, I like it tight, but in a drysuit I need it much looser. I'll update after todays dives with some pictures and review of the soft webbing.

The "hand" (textile talk for the way a fabric feels, stiffness etc. ) Varies from webbing maker to webbing maker, and to some extent from batch to batch from the very same mill. Softer webbings will roll on themselves when you don the gear, and that's pretty annoying. The good news is there is some variety available, and webbing is inexpensive so you can test other choices. I'll bet you go back to something stiffer........

I will also predict that you will soon find a happy medium for harness adjustment WRT exposure protection. A Hogarthian Harness is not intended to be worn super snug and the actual variation needed for a wetsuit vs drysuit is usually fairly minor.

As with most elements of new gear my advise remains the same. Dive it a while *before* you start modifying it,you might *just* discover the manufacturer did all the trials (and more) that you are contemplating before finalizing the BOM.



Tobin

 

[cool_hardware52]

The DSS webbing is stiff, but not excessively so. Mine softened up after about 50 or so dives. You can stick it in the washing machine on a hot cycle with towels to accelerate the softening if you want to.

PSA: Remove the hardware and plate from the webbing *before* machine washing.

Tobin

 

[tbone1004]

PSA: Remove the hardware and plate from the webbing *before* machine washing.

Tobin

good call.
also good call on sizing. I leave mine relatively the same between drysuit and 5mm wetsuit. It's sized for my drysuit, and a bit loose for my wetsuit, but it's fine. The shoulder straps don't do much of anything in the water anyway aside from provide good storage locations

 

[Slym]

I'll give the washing machine a try, I didn't know that trick thanks! I kept the old webbing just in case I didn't like the new webbing.

I've got about 60 dives on the harness, and agreed my first thought was that it may turn in on itself on land, I am finding off the bat that the bungees for my backup lights do cause it to fold in on itself. Some other thoughts:
- Won't last as long even with the rubberized corners on the plate may soften up pre-maturely
- May be a bit flimsy underwater
- Will have a hard time supporting the weight of my canister
- Will be easier to ajust right before a dive (I dive in the pool wet often and drysuit at this time of the year as well, lots of adjustment throughtout this season)

Another addition I made was adding a large O ring to the left side D ring to hold my LP inflator. I've found that when I dive without the LP hose to the inflator that the inflator can get away from you which may be a bother when you have to manually add air. I know not ideal to dive without that hose, it was required for a past dive as I had a hose leak and had to choose between inflator or drysuit. My thoughts on this are that it may not be able to be raised up all the way and could cause a "P trap" effect. I may be wrong.

Whenever my buddy wakes up we'll do some testing.

I figure for $7.50 it's worth some trial and errors, even if you've been there before. Haha I've even found it in DSS Orange.

Aaron

 

[Wookie]

I really like my DSS setup but found that the webbing was always a little bit rigid. Few weeks ago for a pool session my buddy and I switched backplates, she found mine very uncomfortable because of the rigid webbing, Her Halcyon was nice, but I was still happy with mine. It did make me think about changing the webbing.

Went to my dive shop found some weight belt webbing and have now swapped it out. It is very flimsy almost like a seatbelt, there was one thickness above the one I bought that is comparable to the halcyon webbing I might try.

The biggest problem I found with the thick webbing that comes with the kit, is that it is difficult to change quickly. When I wetsuit dive, I like it tight, but in a drysuit I need it much looser. I'll update after todays dives with some pictures and review of the soft webbing.

I predict that the softer webbing will slide through the backplate and you will have a terrible time maintaining the sizing the way you like it. It comes stiff for a reason.

I have maybe 2500 dives on my current webbing. It's lovely and soft now.

 

[Slym]

First dive done on the new webbing. Was hoping for a second one but drysuit leaked and got too wet to continue onto another. (Water temp 43 degrees F at depth, fresh, 30' max)

The tank I used was a HP130 (was hoping for doubles but wasn't available), no weight need, dui drysuit. Had a canister and DSS knife on my right side waist, and backup light attached to the shoulder of my left, long hose setup.

I found that the weight of the canister caused the webbing to droop a bit more than I would have liked, both in and out of the water. Finding my LP inflator was a bit awkward compared to the usual stiff webbing; ditto for taking my backup light out of the shoulder bungee. Comfort was superior donning and doffing on the surface, adjustment was also superior. The buckle couldn't hold the webbing in place properly without double backing which made removal too tight if there were a situation I had to remove it in a hurry.

I added an O ring to the left D ring to hold my LP inflator reason was so that I could easily find the LP inflator if it wasn't connected to the tank. This will either have to be moved up the rig or will have to be more elastic than the O ring I had picked. This stayed too tight to the webbing and would not have been able to pull it up enough to vent air when needed; feature was not used in water.

I'll need another dive or two to properly work out kinks and adjustments, hopefully one of the dives will be in a wetsuit, as I've only recently started diving dry.

 

[Zef]

I thought the reason for the bent d-rings was to hold the ring slightly away from the webbing to facilitate easier clipping/unclipping of the bolt snaps....your shoulder d-rings look to be attached in the opposite direction. Is there a reason behind this choice?

-Z

 

[JohnnyC]

Looks like you need someone to help set that up for you. Right shoulder d-ring looks WAY too low. Knife goes on the left side and buckle should not be that far back on the left unless you've got a 14" waist. Also, your inflator hose looks WAY long for the length of corrugated hose. An o-ring is fine for the inflator but bungee is better since it stretches so you can manipulate the inflator easier if you need to.

I think some of the issues you had with the webbing are probably because the harness is not adjusted correctly from the get go.