Best webbing for a side mount belt harness? Nylon vs. PE?

[Subcooled]

Hi,

I need some webbing for my side mount belt harness (beeing built). This is a harness that consists of two small metal plates, one on the shoulders and one on the lower back, and some webbing.

Black is Boring while webbing in bright neon colours, or even reflective, is fun and functional.

We know that polypropen will rot, but why is everybody using nylon webbing and not polyethen? Polyethen webbing is durable, abrasion resistant, water resistant... So why nylon? What's the secret?

Is this because some back mounted doubles divers want extra stiff webbing because they need to remove the harness while in the water? Or is there some hideous unwated feature of polyethen that I am not aware of?

So, what's the optimal webbing for side mount harnesses?

Thanks

---------- Post added July 11th, 2013 at 03:12 AM ----------

I meant polyester, of course. The same material as is used in many cargo straps.

 

[loquat149]

I like the webbing Golem Gear uses on the Armadillo. It's thicker than standard 2" nylon, but is ribbed so it's more flexible. Unfortunately, I can't found a source for it (Jakub can't find any in his warehouse either).

Dave

 

[corvettejoe]

I've been wanting to rebuild my monkey harness with fun color webbing as well. Currently it's just black

Mine consists of 4 pieces (a shoulder triangle ring with a piece going off each shoulder and one down the center of my back and becoming the crotch strap, then a 4th around my waist for the belt going through a square ring crossing the back webbing). The only other piece to it is a bungee running across my back and to specially made chest keepers with an ring welded to it to hold the bungees in place (sidemount style).

I prefer the stiffer nylon webbing because it's more rigid than the poly straps. Its much easier to handle stiffer webbing under water should you run into issues. I realize that diving just a harness with nothing attached to it you really have no need to ever remove it (since you can remove everything off it and leave the harness on) but since it's the ONLY form of structure to hold it's shape (besides your body, since you dont have any kind of backplate) then stiffer webbing really helps out in this case.

That said... I do want to try some poly webbing myself and see how it handles. There's one company I found that has it in just about any color AND they had several pages of all kinds of crazy designs. I was planning to get this crazy green argyle webbing myself. LOL... why not have fun with dive gear?

I think this is the site I was thinking of. Check out all the crazy colors and fun designs:
Polyester Webbing at Strapworks.com

Also found this on their site: Military Flat Webbing (says its ideal for D-ring belts and all kinds of other high abrasion things)
Flat Nylon Webbing 2 Inch

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Thanks for the strap works link. Just ordered some tubular webbing from them for use on stage bottle clamps.