Hollis Katana - One size does not fit all

[Sevenrider860]

Having read a number positive reviews about the Hollis Katana, I thought I would give one a try. I find the claimed "One size fits all 'H' harness" is not accurate.

I have long torso and have had no problems adjusting the Razor or Apeks side mount harnesses so that the waist strap rides low on my hips (crosses the lumbar region)...which I find to be the optimal location for me. I am unable to make this spine length adjustment on the Katana. There is not enough length in the shoulder straps to allow the waist strap to sit low and adjustment is limited because of the fixed length soft backplate.

Has anybody else run into this issue? I am not sure there is a work-around as the backplate is a fixed size. It looks like my brother-in-law may get a good deal when he starts side mount diving!

I will stick with the designs that allow the spine length to be adjusted.

 

[victorzamora]

That's a very strange issue to run into on the Katana. My buddy is 6'4" with a long torso and it fits him fine. I'm 6'6" and it fits me fine as well. I've dove it a few times, but it's his main harness. He's been diving it nearly exclusively for several months now.

 

[tbone1004]

I'm 6'4" with a 32" inseam and my katana is BARELY long enough with the H-harness. I think I have like an inch to spare on it. I had asked them to make the webbing longer since mine is a final prototype version, but apparently they haven't. If you haven't gotten it in the water yet, send it back, and contact Cave Adventurers or @Hollis Gear Nick directly and they may be able to get you one with long enough straps.

I'm not a fan of the H harness anyway which is a bit of a point of contention between Edd and I, but it shouldn't be much of an issue to get the one you have sent back to the factory to get lengthened, or send the new one back to the shop that you bought it from and have one with custom length webbing put on.

edit: just saw @victorzamora 's post, I'm the buddy he's referencing

 

[Sevenrider860]

@tbone1004,

Thanks for the reply. Looking at my current harnesses, I have about 21 inches of spine length. I measured the Katana to be 17.5. To get the waist belt on the hips the way I am comfortable, that few inches is significant.

Great information on contacting Ed or Nick to see what can be done. I definitely would like to give this harness a try based on the reviews I have read.

 

[sphyon]

So I have some direct experience here. I am 6'4 and all of my height is in my torso, 30 inch inseam.

When I bought my katana I spent a few hours with John up at Cave Adventurers and we rigged up some extensions to the h harness vertical straps that work perfectly. I can fire off some pics later to show you.

Otherwise if possible give them a visit and John will slice your gear up good.

Also for what it's worth, Hollis directly said they could do a one off with longer wraps for no charge if I wanted to go that route. Though I don't know if that's still an option with the sale.

 

[DevonDiver]

If diving steel tanks and using buttplate rails, it's unlikely that divers will have encountered the necessity for getting the waist strap down low over the hips/lumbar region.

That's why most American (Florida Cave) style rigs get away with fixed hard/soft backplates. Adjustability in the spine length doesn't particularly matter. The buttplate keeps the cylinder attachment point nice and low.... well below the waistbelt level.

Using aluminum cylinders (which won't ever trim properly with buttplate rails) you really have to use front/rear waist D-rings for tank trim. That attachment point (waist belt height) needs to be as low as possible, so that the cylinder band can also be set low (below the tank fulcrum).

Sadly to say that Hollis just don't 'get' the requirements of aluminum cylinders diving... and seem to find it impossible to break away from design concepts firmly routed in the needs of steel tank divers.

The SMS50 was an atrocious warm-water rig... assuming that aluminium cylinders are ubiquitous in most warm water locations.

Now the Katana... which attempts to mimick a more English (Mexico Cave) design heritage... but lacks the understanding and attention to detail... and is thus highly flawed for many divers needs.

 

[tbone1004]

@DevonDiver the Katana has drop attachment rings on the waist strap. That is where I attach both my AL bottles and steel bottles. I don't have rails on the butt plate and I don't know of anyone in cave country who is using the rails on the butt plate for tank attachment. You can see one of them poking out right above the rail on the butt plate. Most of us have removed the rails and replaced with bungee for canister light mounting.

Lack of lumbar adjustment is fine so long as the shoulder straps are long enough. My waist belt is right around my hip bones, so it's sitting quite low. This has the advantage of pulling the wing down with it which is very important for steel tank diving.

 

[scuba127]

Do the "drop attachment rings" on the Katana waist strip keep aluminum tanks in trim throughout the dive?

 

[tbone1004]

Do the "drop attachment rings" on the Katana waist strip keep aluminum tanks in trim throughout the dive?

if you position them correctly then the tanks will only be able to swing the length of the bolt snap. I have mine farther back for steel tanks and if diving aluminum will move them up to the front d-rings. I don't dive AL bottles very often, otherwise I'd move the rings

 

[DA Aquamaster]

@DevonDiver the Katana has drop attachment rings on the waist strap. That is where I attach both my AL bottles and steel bottles. I don't have rails on the butt plate and I don't know of anyone in cave country who is using the rails on the butt plate for tank attachment. You can see one of them poking out right above the rail on the butt plate. Most of us have removed the rails and replaced with bungee for canister light mounting.

Lack of lumbar adjustment is fine so long as the shoulder straps are long enough. My waist belt is right around my hip bones, so it's sitting quite low. This has the advantage of pulling the wing down with it which is very important for steel tank diving.

The same approach works with the SMS 50, you just need to leave the shoulder straps long, which puts the waist strap down where you need it. Since the tail plate is short, it doesn't prevent you getting the waist strap well down on the hips. First step in putting one on is to hop up and down a bit and let the wing fall as lo was as possible on your back, then use the comparatively short adjusted crotch strap to hold the wing and waist strap low on your torso. Combined with a loop bungee, it lets the noses of AL tanks ride up behind the arms where they belong, while letting you clip the tails to the waist strap. I normally clip them to a waist D-ring right at the edge of the wing when they are full, and then move them down to lower waist D-rings when they start to get light in the tails.

But my impression is that not everyone really understands how that can work with the Hollis units - or perhaps they just prefer razor style harnesses and refuse to see the upsides of anything else.