Crossing the straps?

[cool_hardware52]

The small plates I've seen are shorter, but not narrower.

Lynne,

The DSS "small" plate is not only shorter, but is also narrower than it's bigger brothers. I'm not at the shop right now so the exact measurements are not at my finger tips.

Having said that I do agree with your assessment of the impacts of crossing the straps, and I do recommend it for people of slighter stature that want to get the straps off the top of their deltoids

Is crossing DIR? My Fundies instructor's opinion was no, and the subject caused furrowing of his brow.

Tobin

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Whether a solution is DIR or not is something folks should worry less about than whether that solution effectively solves a problem without creating new ones.

If crossing your straps allows you to achieve your diving objectives with less pain, a better fit, more control, and greater range of movement for valve drills, etc., then that is an effective solution for you personally. You likely may be able to do the same thing with a custom cut plate, but if what you have works for you, then why bother? (AFAIK FredT's plates are also narrower.)

The critical elements are fit, comfort, and ability to perform response drills. If crossing your straps optimizes these elements for you, then cross your straps. What someone else thinks of the practice is largely irrelevant.

 

[*Floater*]

The small plates I've seen are shorter, but not narrower.

You could try a FretT custom plate; you could get perfect height and width, and we could hear whether the plate size really makes much of a difference.

My theory is that regular size plates have less impact on bigger people since they (and the overall rig) represent a smaller relative mass and take up less space on the back allowing for more up/down adjustment. For smaller people the standard plate goes from hips to bottom of the neck so there's no way to lower it (to move the rig's weight down) or to tighten the shoulder straps to move the plate and hence the whole rig's weight up.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

I have made some observations of other divers who cross the straps and some who don't.

Large more muscular divers can gain some advantage by crossing the straps. It seems that large upper back and neck muscles seem to conform to the shape that the crossed straps create, almost as if the larger back muscles move the plate away from their torso, and the additional support holds things tighter. GDI is a good exapmle of this.

Lynne, you have indicated that your frame is smaller. On other small frame divers I have seen with crossed straps, the cross puts the shoulder straps closer together as they pass over the shoulders. These divers tend to not have the larger back muscles so the plate stays close and the webbing seems narrower at the shoulders.

It seems odd, but my observations seem to support the theory that for large muscular divers, and small framed divers some advantages are realized by crossing the straps.

As for myself, I have a relatively normal frame for a 6' tall man. I have tried both crossed and uncrossed straps. I use uncrossed straps.

It seems odd, but those are my anecdotal observations. I say, try it both ways and stick with the one that is more comfortable in the long run.

Mark Vlahos

 

[TSandM]

I can't see any way in which my crossed straps impact my team at all, except that they make me more comfortable during the dive. You still get me out of the harness in precisely the same way, and with the same ease (or lack of it). My tanks sit where they should, and I can reach my valves. None of the three DIR instructors with whom I have worked has said a word about it.

 

[scubafool]

I am sort of tall, just over 6', and really skinny, just about 150 lbs. My shoulders are probably rather broad for my weight range. I tried crossing the straps when I changed the webbing on my singles plate. After several dives, I changed them back to uncrossed. The issue I had was with getting in and out of the harness. I can take a single up off of the ground and shrug my way into the harness, and take it off much the same way. But with crossed straps, it was a much more tedious routine. I noticed no difference in the water at all.

But it might very well be different for you, so try it, you can always change it back.

 

[gnwes]

Isn't that configuration non-DIR though?

who cares??? this is not the DIR forum!!!!

hog diving is not DIR in the same... its simplistic diving...

 

[Geoff_H]

who cares??? this is not the DIR forum!!!!

hog diving is not DIR in the same... its simplistic diving...

I know what a Hog rig is, I dive with one too.

The reason I asked is because TSandM bangs the DIR drum regularly and frequently, she makes no secret of how great she thinks it is. So I was curious if a minor config change like this broke the DIR guidelines/regulations.

 

[gnwes]

I know what a Hog rig is, I dive with one too.

The reason I asked is because TSandM bangs the DIR drum regularly and frequently, she makes no secret of how great she thinks it is. So I was curious if a minor config change like this broke the DIR guidelines/regulations.

Yeah I know, I was just giving you a hard time. Its just that hearing about DIR stuff outside the DIR forum sucks.

 

[J.A.S.]

To add to the mix, i had initially crossed my harness and liked the snug factor, but I couldn't reach my valve with ease, so i changed it back. Getting it on was sometimes a pain.
I haven't tried it with doubles, but i'm comfortable the way it is, so not bothering to do so.

hope this helps!