Questions on BP

[WhiteSands]

I've helped my buddy setup her BP. Its in the DIR format with one continuous piece of webbing.

To get the straps equal, we've tried measuring it, stepping on crotch strap and stretching the shoulder straps and eyeballing it to make sure its equal, etc. I think her BP is cursed.

- Even after doing the above, sometimes when she just puts on the BP alone, it is not straight on her back. When we measure the straps they are equal. What are the possibilities?

- During a dive, I've seen her tank not being parallel to her back but slanted at an angle. It gets so bad she is unbalanced and puts more weights on one side.

We realized a few things that caused this. One was the inflator hose pressing down on the wing causing one side to not inflate properly.

Next I saw that her crotch strap was not centred but pulled to one side. Saw this in photos so now we pay attention to this.

What could be causing the sloping tank and the unbalanced rig? I don't seem to have encountered these issues so I suspect her plate could have a voodoo curse.

Any ideas?

 

[GCullen94]

Has she ever had a shoulder injury that could cause one to be lower than another? I have a buddy who was a quarterback and took a hit, his right shoulder is an inch lower than his left.

 

[lucca brassi]

Is plate standard ? Have she right angle between both sides ( it is not too flat ) .... maybe needs smaller backplate ?

http://www.diverite.com/blog/2011/01/11/proper-fitting-backplates-for-women/

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...ems/347844-backplate-sizes-really-needed.html

http://halcyon.net/bc/backplate

 

[divad]

Maybe you should ignore the relative length of the straps and just have her put it on, then you adjust one of the straps (via tri-glide on back of plate) until the BP looks straight.

 

[jeangadbois]

Clould the tank not being straight be due to the cam bands I know if I don't square up my plate it won't be straight, I usually put the top band on straighten the plate then the bottem band. Not sure if this helps.

 

[WhiteSands]

Has she ever had a shoulder injury that could cause one to be lower than another? I have a buddy who was a quarterback and took a hit, his right shoulder is an inch lower than his left.

No, she does not have a past injury. But it might be possible that anatomically it might be possible that one might be lower than the other. However I suspect the issue lies with how she's wearing it. Its not consistent which part of the shoulder she's positioning the straps on.

---------- Post added December 5th, 2013 at 02:01 AM ----------

Is plate standard ? Have she right angle between both sides ( it is not too flat ) .... maybe needs smaller backplate ?

Dive Rite - Dive Rite's online journal exploring the latest in technical diving » Proper Fitting Backplates for Women

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...ems/347844-backplate-sizes-really-needed.html

Backplate and Harness | Halcyon

I think you've nailed it! I think the plate is too long for her. Its a Hollis Ali plate. Thanks!

 

[TSandM]

Are you checking to be sure that the plate sits directly along the long axis of the tank, once the tank is mounted? With two cambands, it's quite possible to have the plate sitting at an angle to the tank, which will cause the tank to ride sideways.

I'd start by having her put the plate on without a tank. Look at the height of her shoulders; look at whether the plate is sitting (harness not done up, plate just hanging) along the axis of her spine. If it's okay with the harness not fastened, then fasten the harness. Is it possible that one of the shoulder straps is pulling through the slot at the bottom of the plate? If you can do up the harness and still have the plate sit in line with her spine, then mount the tank with careful attention to keeping it in line with the bend in the plate. Then have her don the entire rig and do up the harness. At some point, you should be able to discover what is changing. If everything is perfectly fine when she is standing on land, but the tank ends up sideways in the water, the shoulder straps are too long and the crotch strap isn't tight enough.

 

[WhiteSands]

Clould the tank not being straight be due to the cam bands I know if I don't square up my plate it won't be straight, I usually put the top band on straighten the plate then the bottem band. Not sure if this helps.

Yes I've checked this also. Btw are there any STAs out there that will ensure the plate is always positioned parallel to the BP?

---------- Post added December 5th, 2013 at 02:53 AM ----------

Are you checking to be sure that the plate sits directly along the long axis of the tank, once the tank is mounted? With two cambands, it's quite possible to have the plate sitting at an angle to the tank, which will cause the tank to ride sideways.

I'd start by having her put the plate on without a tank. Look at the height of her shoulders; look at whether the plate is sitting (harness not done up, plate just hanging) along the axis of her spine. If it's okay with the harness not fastened, then fasten the harness. Is it possible that one of the shoulder straps is pulling through the slot at the bottom of the plate? If you can do up the harness and still have the plate sit in line with her spine, then mount the tank with careful attention to keeping it in line with the bend in the plate. Then have her don the entire rig and do up the harness. At some point, you should be able to discover what is changing. If everything is perfectly fine when she is standing on land, but the tank ends up sideways in the water, the shoulder straps are too long and the crotch strap isn't tight enough.

Excellent tips as always Lynne. Will try all those tips out.

I think the problem is also due to a too long plate. Its wearing into the hip portion of her drysuit. Could be the hips are pushing the BP during the dive. The shoulder straps are also not hanging over her shoulders but coming out of the BP at kind of a right angle.

 

[letterboy]

Maybe you should ignore the relative length of the straps and just have her put it on, then you adjust one of the straps (via tri-glide on back of plate) until the BP looks straight.

maybe if I quote it someone will notice your post. . .

 

[lucca brassi]

Yes I've checked this also. Btw are there any STAs out there that will ensure the plate is always positioned parallel to the BP?

if I understood right ...any STA should made plate and tank parallel , because STA is fixed ( also wing ) in the centre axis of plate by two M8 bolts .

same thing if STA is integrated in wing

OOT : I have seen (huwporter style BP here) P?yta Alu Combo oksydowana,szara (850g) | Katalog Tecline ( looks like '' _M_ ''