Seatbelt material for b/p harness?

[divedivedive!]

My AL b/p is corroding so I'm getting a new b/p in, hence I'm probably going to be rigging up a new harness for it soon. But although I've had no problems with the chafing and blistered armpits (?!) that some people on this board have when using a b/p setup, I was just wondering about the feasibility of using the material they use for seatbelts in place of the nylon webbing for the harness.

Pros: Very sturdy, nearly impossible to tear, comfortable, No More Chafes, will probably be easy to slide things around and adjust fit, much more flexible for transport.

Cons: Might be a bit too smooth so things might not stay in place?, also, if it ain't broke, don't mess with it - the nylon webbing hasn't proved problematic.

Has anyone ever tried anything like this before? I know most crotch straps use something similar. If no one can think of any serious reasons not to attempt it, I'll probably have it rigged up and in the water in a couple of months...

Heh, maybe I can even get one of those searbelt buckles in place of the s/s buckle...

 

[Spectre]

Would d-ring keepers fit? I think seatbelt material would be too wide?

 

[tech3324]

It would probably work, but you may need to use D-ring keepers with serrated slots rather than smooth, or the webbing won't stay where you want it. Also, I would take extra care that all of the backplate slots and edges that contact the webbing are radiused and smoothed, or your thinner webbing will soon be cutting through.

Don

 

[ElectricZombie]

It might work, although I think the adjustments might slip a bit due to the nature of the material. I seriously doubt that seat belt webbing will be as abrasion resistant as normal webbing. I don't know where you would buy that much seat belt webbing anyway.

I would just stick with the normal 2 inch webbing, you know that works.

 

[nickjb]

I did consider this. My friend works for a seatbelt company and I have loads of it in lots of colours.

The main problems:
Very slippy - It could slip through the retainers and wont stay held in a weight belt buckle.
Not good at resisting abrasion, frays really easily.
Very flexible - the harnes would not hold its shape well which would make donning harder and the shoulder straps will move around when not under load.

It cuts very easily, not sure if this is an advantage of disadvantage.

Nylon webbing does the job well and is cheap enough.

Seatbelt webbing is very good for towropes, engine hoists, roof rack straps, lifting tree roots, etc...

 

[divedivedive!]

Thanks for the suggestions guys...

Actually that's interesting, I would've thunk that seatbelt material would be really sturdy, given that they're meant to hold in place in a high-speed car accident. If as suggested they're not really abrasion resistant and fray easily then it really won't be worth the effort.

I'll go ponder this one a bit more. Thanks anyway

 

[FredT]

divedivedive! once bubbled...
Thanks for the suggestions guys...

Actually that's interesting, I would've thunk that seatbelt material would be really sturdy, given that they're meant to hold in place in a high-speed car accident. If as suggested they're not really abrasion resistant and fray easily then it really won't be worth the effort.

I'll go ponder this one a bit more. Thanks anyway

She wasn't all together happy with that rig. Seat belt is a bit too limp to make shoulder straps out of if ease of donning is even on your list. It does make a pretty good crotch strap.

To lock it in even a smooth keeper simply slide a bit of inner tube over the webing at the keeper, or hot glue the keeper in place.

BTW seat belt webbing is VERY special stuff designed to deform in an accident to absorb energy, then stiffen up to retain bodies. As a matter of fact a seat belt loaded in an accident should be replaced or it won't provide the same level of protection in subsequent collisions.

FT