Chest strap for backplate/harness setup?

[gregbenson314]

As others have said, a chest strap isn't necessary for a one piece harness. Unlike a jacket style BCD, the stability from a BP/W harness comes from the waist and crotch strap.


I'd hazard a guess that most divers that move from jacket BCDs to BP/W start with their harnesses' shoulder straps too tight.


Here's a good video which demonstrates this:

 

[johndiver999]

That video appears to show a diver with a steel tank and not enough air in BC to provide enough lift to pull the tank up off the body. If there is considerable air in BC (say at depth when a wetsuit is compressed), and it is pulling the body upward, a loose harness is much sloppier - especially if you are doing anything underwater.

Also some people dive with larger tanks than that and some of us even have a pony bottle hanging off the main tank and we might even be doing some activity underwater that presents more challenges than floating horizontally.

It all comes down to personal preference, but that video of a guy floating in a pool, (in perfectly still water) is not representative of the type of conditions I am presented with very often.

 

[fatgeorge]

So the conclusion seem to be there are no contradictions for having a chest strap; at most it just might not be useful. Gonna be making one then.

 

[rhwestfall]

I love the zealots...

People who are tall (long torso),
People who are barrel chested,

There are reasons where a chest strap is a highly useful item....

 

[lexvil]

I love the zealots...

People who are tall (long torso),
People who are barrel chested,

There are reasons where a chest strap is a highly useful item....

The little people will never understand

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Try it.
The only thing I can yell you is some people claim that chest straps inhibit their free breathing and can put pressure on your chest. But others say you should be breathing from your lower diaphragm anyway and not stretching your chest upper rib cage to breathe.
With those doubles style plates the shoulder straps can sometimes feel like they want to wander off your shoulders so a chest strap would help with keeping them in place.
I use a different plate that the shoulder straps come out of a single point/slot so the straps fit over the shoulders more snug. With that plate I don't need a chest strap.
But I just recently fired up an old OMS doubles style plate (for a new set of doubles) and I'm wondering about the same issue being that I'll be using it for high action diving collecting purple urchins for a kelp restoration project.
But please don't let the fanatics around here influence your decision, try one for yourself.

 

[-JD-]

As @rhwestfall, @Eric Sedletzky, et. al. pointed out that rig structure and body morphology can effect how stable the rig is and where the straps want to lay (or not stay)

I have shoulders that are pretty well trashed. Not bad enough for surgery (yet?), but enough to go almost non-functional after enough (ab)use.

I prefer a relatively tight sternum strap on all of my shoulder-strap setups (Scuba and backpacks). It both increases stability (coupling between body and load) which reduces unexpected shifting and helps to keeps the pull off of my outer shoulders where the straps always seem to want to migrate. I can't ever remember it impairing my breathing in any way.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

When I was selling HOG gear I built a number of BPW's for people who wanted a chest strap. As others have said, either someone very tall or barrel-chested. I built a couple with H-style harnesses because they had larger chests and their backup lights would end up so far under their arms that they couldn't reach them.

 

[Chavodel8en]

I love the zealots...

People who are tall (long torso),
People who are barrel chested,

There are reasons where a chest strap is a highly useful item....

I think my issue is I dont have pronounced shoulders. Without a chest strap, the harness is too loose for my tastes - it will slide off my shoulders if I tilt up on one side. A chest strap keeps things nice and secure.

OP, chest straps are super cheap and easy to attach.

 

[Litefoot]

OP, chest straps are super cheap and easy to attach.

+1. The strap mentioned by @lexvil from Piranha is surprisingly inexpensive, as dive gear goes. Kind of a no-brainer to give it a shot.
Edit: I just added this strap to my harness a couple of weeks ago in hopes to improve shoulder strap routing in my dry suit and to create some separation between my inflator hose and my shoulder dump.