Crotch strap?

[stakanak]

Ok, I'll just come right out and ask, as I am getting close to buying a BP/W.
Do crotch straps crush your family jewels? Seriously guys!
Can you use a crotch strap when not wearing an exposure suit?
Would attaching a crotch strap help stabilize Longitudinal movement on my 5 Oceans BCD?
Are the 2 inch or 1 inch bands more comfortable on the cajones or are they made for different suits/setups?
I just cannot get a straight answer out of my local LDS on the subject. It just turns into a comedy routine with one liners about "sack rate" and "unit size", which is funny but none too informative.
Get Wet!

 

[cheeko8080]

With an exposure suit I've found no major difference in comfort between the 2 and 1 inch straps. I definitely feel a major difference in stability as the BC or bp/w doesn't ride up on me any longer. I will never dive without one again. I haven't been in water that was warm enough for me to dive without exposure protection as I get cold pretty easy so I can't really say about that one. To be honest though, I have found that with a 1 inch strap I have to "pick a side" when wearing thinner exposure protection whereas the 2 inch strap is too wide for that and fits across evenly at all times.

 

[Peter_C]

Those of us that use scooters have to use one. The pull on a scooter is much more than anything you are going to do to the family jewels. All of my backplates have 2" crotch straps. The crotch strap helps keep the rig from riding up too. Even sans wetsuit the crotch strap does not bother me.

BTW I would just go and talk to Tobin at Deep Sea Supply aka DSS regarding a BP/W. Especially since you are close he can provide invaluable information. If you have not heard of him he makes BP/W parts.
https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?page=contact

 

[dkktsunami]

Never had a problem. The 2" strap generally helps stabilize bp/w and prevents it from riding up on the surface.

 

[idocsteve]

I had a crotch strap on my last BCD. Half the time I'd forget to clip it and it would drag behind me.

Never did me a bit of good.

I don't miss it in the least.

 

[mikemill]

Ok, I'll just come right out and ask, as I am getting close to buying a BP/W.
Do crotch straps crush your family jewels? Seriously guys!

Not once. That is with a drysuit and a 3/2 wetsuit.

Can you use a crotch strap when not wearing an exposure suit?

I've done some pull work without an exposure suit while wearing one and it didn't cause any discomfort.

Would attaching a crotch strap help stabilize Longitudinal movement on my 5 Oceans BCD?

Not familiar with that BCD so no idea.

Are the 2 inch or 1 inch bands more comfortable on the cajones or are they made for different suits/setups?

I prefer the 2 inch strap. Softer and the 1 inch kinda dug into the crack during the pool work. To quote Jeff Foxworth "Cast and tug".

I just cannot get a straight answer out of my local LDS on the subject. It just turns into a comedy routine with one liners about "sack rate" and "unit size", which is funny but none too informative.
Get Wet!

Sounds like you need a new LDS then.

 

[Selchie in LB]

Not being a man I do not have the "jewels" issue, but I have to say I have been curious just because.

I will chime in that I have been considering modifying my SeaQuest Libra for use with a crotch strap! I haven't quite figured out how to attach it yet. But I definitely need one to prevent my BCD from slipping up over my head.

 

[diver 85]

Ok, I'll just come right out and ask, as I am getting close to buying a BP/W.
Do crotch straps crush your family jewels? Seriously guys!
Can you use a crotch strap when not wearing an exposure suit?
Would attaching a crotch strap help stabilize Longitudinal movement on my 5 Oceans BCD?
Are the 2 inch or 1 inch bands more comfortable on the cajones or are they made for different suits/setups?
I just cannot get a straight answer out of my local LDS on the subject. It just turns into a comedy routine with one liners about "sack rate" and "unit size", which is funny but none too informative.
Get Wet!

No......not on my BP/W it doesn't...

 

[Crush]

I will chime in that I have been considering modifying my SeaQuest Libra for use with a crotch strap! I haven't quite figured out how to attach it yet. But I definitely need one to prevent my BCD from slipping up over my head.

I am not familiar with that BC. However, I recently bought an awl for sewing webbing (to repair a torn weight pocket) and found the process to be easy. In general I would think that provided that you don't have to penetrate any sort of plastic backplate you should be able to sew a crotch strap onto your BC.

Oh, my 2" crotch strap doesn't crush anything. Bear in mind that my drysuit with heavy undergarments is plenty of padding - I might be able to get away with using piano wire...

 

[Rhone Man]

If you assemble it right, then it shouldn't exert much pressure at all (and I dive with a jacket only, so I have zero margin for error...!). But it is quite a common mistake when assembling a BP/W to make the crotch strap too tight.

But if you are worried, provided you are only using a single tank, you can usually get away with leaving it off. You can also do that with doubles, but they do rattle around a bit.