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if your shoulder pads are cutting into the suit the shoulders are too tight or you are hiking with the thing.... If you are shore/boat diving and not walking more than about 50yds in and out of the water, your harness isn't fit properly.
WRT the dive rite pads, they are plenty robust, they may not last forever, but it will prevent the webbing from cutting into your wetsuit. The physics behind this is that the edge cord in the webbing doesn't run with the weave pattern, so it can't stretch under load like the rest of the weave pattern in the middle so when you put the webbing under tension it actually cups. This is really a problem in the tourniquet world, but this is the problem you're having as well. If you loosen the shoulder straps it will help the webbing lay a bit more naturally. Dive Rite used to sell the Transpac/Transplate shoulder pads separately and any dealer should be able to get it for you.
I'd readjust your harness first. Make sure you have the fist space between the shoulder straps, it helps.
edit: take Crunchie up on that offer, you're out shipping, but it's the same style pads as all of the "comfy" harnesses. I think I have a few of the dive rite ones but they are way too long to use with a one piece harness *XXL size, no bueno*, they're also somewhere in a storage unit, so there's that
WRT the dive rite pads, they are plenty robust, they may not last forever, but it will prevent the webbing from cutting into your wetsuit. The physics behind this is that the edge cord in the webbing doesn't run with the weave pattern, so it can't stretch under load like the rest of the weave pattern in the middle so when you put the webbing under tension it actually cups. This is really a problem in the tourniquet world, but this is the problem you're having as well. If you loosen the shoulder straps it will help the webbing lay a bit more naturally. Dive Rite used to sell the Transpac/Transplate shoulder pads separately and any dealer should be able to get it for you.
I'd readjust your harness first. Make sure you have the fist space between the shoulder straps, it helps.
edit: take Crunchie up on that offer, you're out shipping, but it's the same style pads as all of the "comfy" harnesses. I think I have a few of the dive rite ones but they are way too long to use with a one piece harness *XXL size, no bueno*, they're also somewhere in a storage unit, so there's that