BP/W setup question?

[Gone for diving]

Thank you all for the responses. I happen to have a video which I was able to get a picture from. After looking at it Indeed it seems like the whole kit is way too high. Here is the picture to see what you all think.

Yes lengthen the shoulder straps.
And shorten the crotch strap.

Over the years I have kept loosing the shoulder straps. I don't adjust them even from drysuit to shorty.
I do usually use a chest strap with shorty.

Make sure the waist strap is going around you with very little slope from the back plate to your front.

The crotch strap is usually a bit tight when suiting up but gets loose when you are in the water

 

[Bierstadt]

It's a backplate, not a shoulderplate. Very useful to have the pic, first BP/W is a bit of a learning curve.

 

[inquis]

A common guideline is a fist width of slack (chest to strap) on each shoulder strap. It is quite loose when not walking around and makes it easy to put on. All the in-water stability comes from a tight waist/crotch strap.

A tip for putting it on: insert one arm as you would expect. For the second, go elbow first instead of trying to fish your hand through as you would when putting on a coat.

 

[Brett Hatch]

This video from ISE's Achim was helpful to me for my backplate and strap adjustments. It uses your body parts as a reference, so it will have some adjustment for different body types built-in. Achim is a tall and very fit guy, so his advice might not be perfect for every body type, but it is a good starting place.



The main takeaway I have from reading a lot of these types of threads is, most folks will start with their shoulder straps way too tight. I know I did. You ideally want a whole lot of slack in the shoulders, and very little slack in the waist and crotch. The waist strap holds the rig to your body, the crotch strap keeps the waist strap in place. And the shoulder straps, frankly, don't do anything at all in the water, they just make it easier to carry the rig around topside. For example, this guy removes his shoulder straps entirely to illustrate the point that shoulder straps are not needed to keep the rig in place while underwater.



Edit to add: regarding your idea to use an STA. I have an STA, and have mixed feelings about whether it is helpful or not. It does make it a little easier to change tanks on the boat, and it is about a pound negative, right near my spine, which is nice. And, like you say, it does bump the regs back a bit. But it does so by bumping the tank back a bit as well, which makes it more difficult to achieve a stable trim. The more negative your tank is, the worse this instability problem is. I do not think it is the first solution to your current issue, it would be better to correctly adjust what you have, before purchasing an STA.

 

[rhwestfall]

Yep, @Brett Hatch beat me to it...

look at the position in this image (screen grab) from that video above...

 

[Nemrod]

Thank you all for the responses. I happen to have a video which I was able to get a picture from. After looking at it Indeed it seems like the whole kit is way too high. Here is the picture to see what you all think.

You need to lower your plate IMO. You can accomplish that by opening up the shoulder straps. The shoulder straps do not need to be tight, your waist straps and crotch strap will assist stability. For a standard plate in "standard" position you should be able to reach over your shoulders and just barely touch the top of the plate. However, some of us, we all have different bodies and preferences, may need to lower it a little further.

 

[PR_SMITH]

Here's a good video on how to setup the backplate:

 

[rhwestfall]

Here's a good video on how to setup the backplate:

LOL, the third reference to this video...

 

[Brett Hatch]

It's a good video!

 

[RIHappyDiver]

It's a good video!

Yes, it is a good video. And, though I don’t know what your voice sounds like, I can hear you saying this in a higher pitch, with a smile in it, as you defend the video being posted 3 times.