This is one reason I wouldn't use an inner tube as a bladder, as an inner tube alone weights 2lbs. The Intex ring weights 0.1lb.
The wing with the harness but without the power inflator and brackets is 1.1lbs.
A combined wing-harness - don't even know what's the proper name of this thing (many pics)
- Thread starter fatgeorge
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The wing with the harness but without the power inflator and brackets is 1.1lbs.
This is really neat! I do wonder, though, about what seems to me to be a lack of lateral strength (bracing) both across the bottom (waist) and across the top. I'm thinking that it should be possible to arrange and sew the internal webbing in such a way that the webbing itself does the major work (rather than that back panel of flexible material). Might have to resort to using only a single tank strap, though.
rx7diver
The forces on the backplate mainly come from the weight of the hanging tank, vectoring toward the ground, thus the main factor is tensile strength of the cordura. This is why I did not add any more bracing across the top as the harness straps are not pulled sideways, so having the two sides of cordura + the side strap bearing the load (2*138lbs + 65lbs total tearing strenght) shall be good enough. There is no reinforcement on the lower bottom of the wing, but it doesn't carry any weight.
The vertical harness goes all the way down to the side straps - see the fifth photo which shows the backplate panel from the inside. The side straps extend and cover the vertical harness and are sewn into it. The horizontal strength is provided by three pieces of cordura (shell top, shell bottom and the central panel which is sewn to both the right and the left side straps and is also 1680.
The cordura I used is 1680D ballistic nylon. 730lbs tensile strenght and 138lbs tearing strength. I'm a former skydiver, so I trusted nylon fabrics with my life in past. Used to work on my own main as well.
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