Replace regular D ring with fixed D ring on BP/W

[lexvil]

I’m not shy about doing whatever I want , trust me. I’m literally just trying to figure out why it’s frowned upon.

Any DIR divers want to chime in?

Like Pete says avoid dogma, the only concern for a 90° on my shoulder would (haven’t tried it so it’s just a guess) would be a possibility of a snag maybe pushing in into my shoulder, although in what situation that could happen I don’t know. Try it and let us know.

 

[MidOH]

My waist d rings are welded 90's. Makes it super easy to get my spg clipped and unclipped.

Theyre perfect on the waist. Especialy mounted back, out of sight, to reduce danglies.

I wouldnt use it on the chest though. Any weight hanging on it will torque it over, then itll dig into your chest. Maybe. And thats where my inflator lies, so itll get pushed out.

 

[rob.mwpropane]

Any DIR divers want to chime in?

I'm DIR... Do It Rob's way

 

[grantctobin]

Any DIR divers want to chime in?

My MAV(s) doesn’t route as well through a welded 45°

I don’t have a strong opinion. If there’s a pair of full 80s on your left ring, it’s almost nicer for it to swing out than it is to bend the harness in your shoulder. Same for light etc on the right. In other contexts, I don’t really have an opinion and have used an assortment of bent rigid shoulder rings on various SM harnesses.

 

[lexvil]

I'm DIR... Do It Rob's way

I thought DIR was dogmatic intractable religion

 

[macado]

I'm not a fan of a 90 degree D ring but not sure I understand the disdain for bent and welded Ds ; can someone help me out here?

Is it just because, "it's not needed?"

What else am I missing here? What harm is there?

I’m not shy about doing whatever I want , trust me. I’m literally just trying to figure out why it’s frowned upon.

Any DIR divers want to chime in?

I would not necessarily consider myself a "DIR diver" but I believe the rationale for not using welded/fixed d-rings is that they "could" pose a slight entaglement hazard/risk or even "keyhole" you a restriction in a cave/wreck since they are fixed and do not move / budge.

I would suspect for 90% of divers this is not an issue BUT I have personally had welded d-rings catch on things in a wreck and in smaller cave passages. Nothing major but it has actually happened.

For example, maybe backing out of a restriction in a cave or wreck, the line gets caught on the welded d-ring or catches on a rock or piece of the wreck. In this situation a non-rigid d-ring would move.

Having said that, I do find them easier to clip things off to some situations and I even have some on my sidemount harness for my front tank positions.

 

[SpeedyJ]

324 o-rings work great to make a d-ring stand up but still have flex. I use one on my hip d-ring.

With backup lights clipped off to the shoulder d-rings and secured with epdm bands to the webbing, I can't imagine I'd find a welded 90° D-ring to be more comfortable or functional. I have thought about giving one of the SumpUK (or a knockoff) bent d-rings a try, but over time clipping and unclipping even in big dry gloves has become so natural that now making a change would be a step backwards.

 

[lostsheep]

I’m not a fan of the 90 degree variants either, I like these:

 

[rjack321]

I'm not adamant about the 90degree or 45degree welded but...
1) I prefer not to fix a skills issue by changing equipment
2) When the stage/deco bottle is full the dring swings forward, when its empty is swings back, the 45degree welded dring would be a bit messy to have multiple stages on, a leashed stage or stages would be especially tangled and cross clipped. 90deg welded would be better than the 45deg but still not really ideal.

Basically now is the time to learn to work with the "normal" dring that will flip back and forth. Beginning with the end in mind and all that jazz. Using the correct clips with a large eye and medium hook size, putting your first finger through the eye, the thumb on the slider and using your middle finger to flip the Dring into clipping position is a learned skill.