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HybridDiver

HybridDiver

Contributor
Messages
504
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Location
Kelowna
# of dives
50 - 99
Hello

This is my problem, When im in the water my harness is too loose, I can slide it off with my drysuit easy. On ground, it takes me 10 mins to get the bloddy thing off me. Does anyone have any tips for this?
One more thing, My backplate sits ontop of the back of my weight belt?
Chris
 
Chris,

You know, there is no rule that says your harness has to be tight. I keep mine relatively loose, and that works for me.

Do you wear a crotch strap with your harness (Not to be too personal)?

Jeff
 
One tip -- Make sure you have your wing completely deflated before you try to get out of your gear. I can't get out of my harness with my wing inflated to save my soul.

Second, make sure that, when you try to take the harness off, you have the tanks supported on something. A picnic table or a tailgate is ideal. It's very difficult to get out of a harness with the tank's weight hanging from it. The fact that you can get out of it in the water and not on land makes me think you're trying to do it with the weight unsupported.

As far as the weight belt goes, move the weights so none of them is directly behind you where the tank sits.
 
jtoorish:
Chris,

You know, there is no rule that says your harness has to be tight. I keep mine relatively loose, and that works for me.

Do you wear a crotch strap with your harness (Not to be too personal)?

Jeff
Click to expand...
Hey jeff, yes i do wear a crotch strap with my harness.
Chris
 
HybridDiver:
Hey jeff, yes i do wear a crotch strap with my harness.
Chris
Click to expand...

You can use the crotch strap to tighten or loosen your harness. Make sure you can cinch your crotch strop so there is no slack. Then you can use it to tighten your harness. Often, crotch straps are not really tight enough to do much good, but they can be very useful in fine-tuning your harness.

Also, the advice from TSandM was excellent, as her advice always is.

Jeff
 
Ive just about got mine right now for the drysuit. Its loose on the shoulders but no danger of sliding off. I can take it off though by bringing my hand back through the loop.
This is essential as 100% of my dives involve having to dekit from it in the water. In this situation deflating the wing isnt a great idea if you want to see your kit again.
On land though as others have said fully deflating the wing makes it far far easier to get out of.

Failing that, either put a break on one shoulder or a pinch clip with a 6" webbing loop.
 
Didn't know about the deflating the wing issue but it makes sense. Dove my BP the first time last weekend with doubles and getting out was my only problem. Thought about the clip like String mentioned.
 
Couple of different ways to do it. It helped me to think about how you would put on and take of a jacket or backpack.
- Rest the tanks on something, undo the waist and crotch strap, slide the harness off your shoulders (you can hook your thumbs in the chest d-rings to do it), then bend forward at the waist while making the motion of putting your hands together behind you.
-Rest the tanks on something, undo the waist and crotch strap, pull one shoulder off, then bend that arm at the elbow and run your hand between your body and the harness strap. Then twist to the side as you step out if it and your other arm will slide out.
There are other ways that are kind of combinations of the above, but those are the 2 main ways that work well for me. The first 10 times or so that I did it it took a bit, but with a little practice you can slide right in and out of it with no trouble.
If it helps, think about how you put it on (I am assuming that it doesn't take you 10 mins to put it on), and try to take it off using the same motions in reverse.
Good Luck,
Jason
 
Actually, if you get a harness properly adjusted, it's not hard to get out of without a release. But I did have to figure out the "deflate the wing" thing . . . You can't have a harness loose when you're diving doubles. There's too much mass to give it freedom to move around on your back. And if it's tight enough to keep the rig still, in my experience, you simply CAN'T get out of it with the wing full, as it often is if you did a direct ascent to the surface and got back on the boat, or swam to shore.
 
Very good, Just practice. My drysuit is little baggy for me I think, Im in need for a new drysuit. I think im going to go DUI, Nice and pricy :)
Chris
 
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