Chest Strap: Necessary or Not?

[Teamcasa]

Whether you need a sternum strap or not generally depends on how the harness is built ... the other major consideration is the physiology of the person wearing it.

Exactly. There is no perfect setup for every diver.

 

[Downing]

Next topic ... does your BCD use bent D-rings or straight D-rings? Which is better?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Owch! Sorry, Bob. Stupid question, I guess, but I suppose I asked for it. I actually learned something, though.

Thanks, everybody, for your input.

 

[claymore]

I prefer a chest strap as it pulls the shoulder straps inward on the chest and keeps the straps away from my arm pits. If it is choking you it is either mounted to high or the plate is riding up. On my ET before I got the Deluxe Harness I use a couple of plastic tri glides on each side to keep the chest strap from sliding up, on the Deluxe harness I hooked them into the chest strap D rings.

 

[fire_diver]

People need to identify the USE of a BC. How it feels on land has very little to do with how it perfoms underwater. How are standing with your BC on? 30 seconds? a minute?

Don't add useless stuff to a bc because of how it feels for a few seconds before you hit the water.

 

[DennisS]

How are standing with your BC on? 30 seconds? a minute?

.

Walk across the parking lot, over the beach and into the shallow water while I put on my fins. Do a dive, get into shallow water, take off fins,switch from floating to carrying 50 lbs, struggle out of the water and on to the beach, walk across the beach, shower off gear and body, walk across parking lot to the van, carrying the 130 tank on my back-like a backpacker.

 

[paddler3d]

...chest strap as it pulls the shoulder straps inward on the chest and keeps the straps away from my arm pits...

Claymore summed it up quite well here. Sternum strap is really good when used with a backpack. We're not backpacking...were diving. Useless for diving.

 

[CT Sean]

Claymore summed it up quite well here. Sternum strap is really good when used with a backpack. We're not backpacking...were diving. Useless for diving.

I , like others above, like my chest strap. Just because you have no use for it doesn't mean it's useless. I think DennisS said it best in the very first response

It's just personal preference. Put it on, take it off, whatever you are most comfortable with.

 

[knowone]

Whether you need a sternum strap or not generally depends on how the harness is built ... the other major consideration is the physiology of the person wearing it.

If you need/like one, use one ... if you don't, don't.

Next topic ... does your BCD use bent D-rings or straight D-rings? Which is better?

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Regarding psychology, I think I'm mostly bent......over

walking a mile to some groovy spots where boats can't go.

 

[paddler3d]

I , like others above, like my chest strap. Just because you have no use for it doesn't mean it's useless. I think DennisS said it best in the very first response

DennisS may sort of have the 1st argument I've seen for the sternum strap on a BC.

But I'm still going to call it useless.

A properly designed backpack is going to transfer the load to your hips. This is achieved by the hip belt. The shoulder straps are there to merely keep the load to your body and then the sternum strap is meant to pull in the shoulder straps so they don't cut into your underarms where their is a large vein and nerve, which the shoulder straps can apply pressure to.

A BC is meant to compensate for the weight of our scuba gear and control buoyancy. It is also meant to hold the tank on our back.

It is not designed to use as a backpack.

Sternum strap on a BC, useless.

 

[Bratface]

Female here...chest strap is not useless at all. It helps my BC fit snug (Scubapro Lady Hawk). Strap also has a small D-ring that I clip my SPG to.