Deep 6 wing questions and an issue

[aviator8]

I picked up a few things from Deep 6 last week, thanks for your help @LandonL . I got a wetsuit, their BCD, and some Eddy fins with boots. I haven't gotten anything wet yet but can say that this wetsuit is really nice. The neoprene is very good and the lining is fantastic. It makes donning a breeze, well at least until you hit the end of the arms and legs where the cuffs are not lined and form a really tight seal. The attention to detail on this suit is just fantastic. If they ever do a 5mm I'll buy it in a heartbeat.

I went with the Large Eddy fins. I am an 8.5 but since there are no half sizes i did a 9 boot. There is enough room in the boot to wear a sock but not to much that things feel too loose. I will need to see how this is in the water but there is more play in the Eddy foot pocket than any fin I have used before. Hopefully I wont get any side to side slop. Top to arch feels fine to me, and violently flopping around did not dislodge the fin from my foot. The boots do a really nice job of keeping the spring straps on with the lip at the heal of the boot.

I am having a few issues and have some questions on the BC for those that have gotten one of these. I like the idea of the coated webbing so that everything dries really fast, but I have to say this stuff is REALLY REALLY hard to work with. The webbing is quite stiff and in my shoulder pocket it creates a lot of chaffing. Here is the spot

I am not sure if I just have this setup wrong or this is common. any cross body reaching or pushing my arms out in front of me really digs the strap into my arm.

I have moved the D-rings higher above my armpits (I know one looks low in the pics, I let a strap slide through the chaffing sleeve) to make sure it is not due to the D-rings and retainer pushing into my armpit. I hear a lot about the comfort of BP/W setups even in just rash guards, but I'm not sure this could even be comfortable in a thick wetsuit. It is just this armpit spot I have an issues with. Wearing it with a shirt and no tank begins creating a red irritated spot within a few mins. Here is what it looks like having it on just long enough to take these pictures which was about 5 mins.

The wing was a little bigger than I expected but completely acceptable. Everything appears to be well constructed like all the Deep 6 gear I have seen. I know that the bladders are always larger than the outer shell but I have these few spots were the fully inflated wing bunches and creases up. I have tries unzipping and shifting the bladder around but it always creases up at this side spot and around the curves. My DiveRite doesn't have any of this. Is this normal? I just wonder over time if these creases are going to create pinch points for a failure.

For the inflator hose whats the consensus for holding in place but giving enough range of motion to move above your head in a vertical position? Are you using a bungee like this:

I ended up with two of these after assembling.

I have seen them placed here before but I am not sure how that would work with the chaffing sleeves in place.

The plate size seems to line up butting right up against the kidney dump. Is this normal. I tried every combination to move the plate higher but with the pre riveted webbing center only the middle hole in the top of the plate would work.

Lastly the kit included some line. Can someone let me know what the intended purpose is?

 

[Southside]

So what I did with my setup was to put triglides on the bottom instead of the anti chaffing sleeves. The harness wouldn't stay put in that configuration and the shoulder loops would tighten to the point where I couldn't get out of it after a dive.

I'm no expert but the shoulder straps look very tight on you. I think the common sizing is that you should be able to fit a fist underneath the strap. The crotch and waist strap are what really hold it in place.

I have never noticed any issue with the kidney dump placement and I use that dump mostly. With the crease in the bladder I have never inflated my bladder without a tank so I don't know if it would crease like yours is but with a tank strapped in mine doesn't.

The line in the kit is for tying boltsnap. I tried a bolt snap to my primary second stage using it.

Edit: Hogarthian Harness Assembly Instructions | Dive Gear Express® these are the instructions I followed for setup and sizing my bpw.

 

[rhwestfall]

Harness is way too tight...

 

[DBPacific]

Yeah, I think you should loosen the straps. If you can as well, it might help to put a low chest strap to take strain off your shoulders. I put a chest strap on my BCD just above my lower ribs (more of an underboob strap than a chest strap) and it helps pull the straps away from my armpits and reduce chafing on my suit. It also keeps everything more accessible instead of searching for a D-ring in my armpit and awkwardly trying to remove or replace something from it (I'm not the most flexible in a 7mm + a vest)

 

[aviator8]

Ok thanks everyone. I think the shoulder straps are too tight. let me adjust this and see how it feels. I can get a fist in between the strap and my shoulder around the armpit area but tightly. I can get in it fairly easy but have to chicken wing it to remove, by sliding my hand under the strap pushing it out and away then rotating my elbow underneath. I hope loosening helps.

 

[ScubaWithTurk]

I agree that it looks too tight. Also, having to chicken wing to get out is pretty normal. It is just something you get used to unless you sit the rig on something higher than a bench and slide down out of it.

 

[Griffo]

As others have said, straps way too tight. Also D-Rings too high.

 

[Zef]

Regarding your boots...for wetsuit boots I like to buy a size larger than what fits perfect...it makes the boot easier to take off after a dive. When neoprene dive booties are wet there tends to be some "sticktion" that can cause it to be a pain in behind to get the boots off...a little extra room allows that "sticktion" to be easily overcome/not present helping the boots come off easier...it also allows one to wear a wool or fleece sock if a little more insulation is needed.

Regarding your backplate harness....it is too tight as others have noted. You will need to experiment with the adjustment but once you have it down you should not feel them at all in the water. A good rule of thumb for how much slack you should have is that you should be able to put your fist comfortably against your chest under the should strap ((humb/index finger side against your chest and strap over the pinky side)...be sure to check this while wearing your exposure suit. Then mount your backplate on a tank to gauge where you want/need your shoulder d-rings.

-Z

 

[LandonL]

Shoulder straps are too tight, D-rings need to be adjusted, and if you want to use a different hole at the top of the webbing, you have to web it again, but flip the webbing.

You can video call if you want and I can show how to setup a BP/W and do your personal adjustments.

 

[Zef]

Regarding the corrugated inflator hose: On my bp/w setup I have a loop of 1/8inch bungee that passes through the same area on my left shoulder d-ring (the tri-glide keeps the loop in position)...I used to have the corrugated hose and the LP inflator hose pass through the bungee loop but have since stopped that practice. Currently, I just pass the LP inflator hose through the bungee loop and connect it to the corrugated hose. This gives greater freedom/range of motion for the corrugated hose.

Regarding the extra tri-glides: as you surmise you cannot really install them if you are using the anti-chaffing tubular webbing for the lower slots for the shoulder/waist strap webbing. I used to use the anti-chaffing webbing in this location until I found that my straps adjustment would occasionally creep which was mildly frustrating. I removed the webbing and installed the tri-glides and all is solid now. Webbing is not very expensive and one should get plenty of use out of their harness without the anti-chaffing loops before the harness deteriorates.

Regarding the position of your wing on your backplate: If the webbing blocks access to the lower holes then you can melt a new hole through the webbing by heating up an appropriate size drill bit or screw driver tip and pushing through the webbing. Start small and increase the size is better than starting too big....then pass the bolt through the new hole.

Or, if the grommet in the webbing is offset along the width of the webbing, you can unthread the harness webbing and turn it over to reposition the grommet to line up with a different hole.

Regarding the line that came in your kit: This line can be used to create a loop for the corrugated hose/LP inflator hose instead of the length of bungee that came in your kit but typically the bungee is used. The line is just extra and can be used to attach bolt snaps to things like your SPG high pressure hose, your torch, and your primary 2nd stage hose (especially if you are diving with a primary donate setup as it allows you to clip off your 2nd stage when you are out of the water so that it does not hit the ground when you take off your rig).

-Z