Need help with Harness on BP

[wader]

I recently purchased a DSS BP/W for my wife. Neither of us have any experience with setting them up. The BP is small as she is 5'0" tall, about 120 lbs. (don't tell her I said that) with a DD cup and broad shoulders. We first tried the traditional Hog harness but with her, ummmm, broad shoulders, she felt uncomfortable. So I purchased the Dive rite dlx harness that has rings about a 1/3 down and a chest strap to help secure, her, ummm, broad shoulders.

I am having a very difficult time fitting either harness. Can I please get some guidance and what is considered a good fit? I hear that BP/W is the most comfortable, but so far we do not see it, but I am admitting to user error. Part of the trouble is that I am trying to adjust the harness to what I think she likes, if that makes sense.

So to summarize, how tight is is tight enough to be secure, yet loose enough to be comfortable? I appreciate any knowledge that SB wishes to bestow upon my humble self.:dork:

P.S. I do not have easy access to try it in the water, then make adjustments, and continue that process. Once we are fairly close we will go to a pool and make final adjustments.

 

[gsk3]

The shoulder straps can be pretty loose as long as the crotch strap is reasonably adjusted. Might help.

I know plenty of "broad shouldered" women who find BP/Ws very comfortable, so it can be done.

Are you sure you have it rigged properly? Have you tried this site:
DIR-diver.com - Adjust the backplate

 

[wader]

Thanks, that was helpful. I did the weaving properly. I think I have things too tight. I will try to loosen them up. I was hoping for some indication of what is loose enough but tight enough. Like when trying on shoes, the whole thumbnail from the end of your toe.
The whole reason we went the BP route was for flexibility and being able to adjust to her body, vs. a BCD that is less adjustable.

 

[vinegarbiscuit]

I generally find that I can fit two fingers under the shoulder straps of my harness. I tighten the waistband as I would a pair of well-fitting but comfortable blue jeans. As the above poster said, getting the the crotch strap adjusted properly is key. Too loose, and your wife's harness will ride up under her armpits. Too tight, and she'll feel like she's got a permanent wedgie, if you know what I mean.

IIRC, the webbing on my harness was rather stiff when we first put it together, but it 'relaxed' after a few dives. That - together with the inevitable post-dive tweaks as I recognized what needed to be looser/tighter or what hardware like D-rings needed to be repositioned - made the first month of diving with a harness rather annoying. It seemed that something always needed to be slightly adjusted in some way. Now, of course, it's perfect and I haven't touched it for a couple of years. I'm sure that's where your wife will be soon, too.

 

[gsk3]

It's hard to say without being there, but you shouldn't have to struggle to get your arms through both straps, and when I've got mine on with my exposure suit I can get a thumb under each strap pretty easily--and that's with the crotch strap tightened down (one of the tricks of being able to get your head back fully is loosening the shoulder straps and tightening down the crotch strap, so it's pretty common to have the shoulder straps reasonably loose). Maybe try starting with it very loose but comfortable, go dive it, and see if it needs tightening any, rather than starting with it tight and loosening incrementally?

Edit re: vinegarbiscuit...
Not sure what webbing your generic harness is using, but the DR deluxe harness is quite soft. Of course, it also has those integrated rings where the chest strap goes which dug into my shoulders to the point that I got rid of the harness. But it's a good point that you might consider some softer webbing as well...it ranges from extremely stiff to extremely soft. The stiff stuff is a little easier to put on since it doesn't flop (when you're putting the buckle through or trying to get your arms through the shoulder straps), but the soft stuff is soft like a Downy commercial.

 

[TSandM]

I have no idea how to adjust the Dive Rite harness. But I'm 5'4", 120, and DD, and I love my simple harness. If you adjust the shoulder straps so that the top of the backplate is just below the second big bump at the base of the neck (T1 spinous process), and then adjust the crotch strap so that it takes the slack out of the harness when everything is hooked up, it should be very comfortable.

I don't know how broad your wife's actual shoulders are, but I'm narrow across them, and when I first used a standard harness, it dug into my upper arms. I found that crossing the straps (so the strap from the top left slot goes to the bottom right slot) kept the straps in the soft hollow over my collarbone, and I didn't always feel as though one of the straps was going to fall off.

Good luck with this, and if you want to take some pictures and e-mail them to me at lynne@tsandm.com, please feel free.

 

[fisheater]

I used this website to set up my DSS BP/W.

BAUE How To Size a Backplate

 

[wader]

Thanks for the input. Here is what I am working with. She feels pretty strongly about having the chest strap.




On a side note, I bought a crotch strap for myself, the Dive Rite one. It is so stiff it feels like a 2x4 shoved up my :mooner:

Any ideas to make it softer? Not sure how long my baby soft butt will last...

 

[TSandM]

If she feels strongly about the chest strap, I'll bet you she'll be perfectly happy with the crossed straps. They accomplish the same thing.

Crotch straps are better if they are not made of 2" nylon webbing. If they are, I think you can boil the webbing to remove some of the resin reinforcement (I seem to remember reading that somewhere). But a better choice is softer webbing. You can buy polypropylene webbing cheaply, and it takes about ten minutes with a standard home sewing machine to put a crotch strap together.

 

[cmburch]

http://www.diverite.com/tv/gear-configuration/67

The chest strap places the shoulder straps in a position that is most comfortable for hiking.

The D-rings that the chest strap is attached to may be raised or lowered for the best fit. It takes a few tries to get it right. Also the 1" chest strap may be lengthened if need be.

I use a 2" DR crotch strap. Mine came with soft sleeve that goes over webbing. Softer tubular webbing may be obtained from Dive Gear Express or REI. Sewing machine not necessary. Can use two to four DR nonserrated belt slides. Fold webbing back through belt slide to make a loop on ends. Add bent or normal D-rings with serrated DR belt slides as needed. Melt cut ends.

I use an exposure suit. The belt slides may cause irritation then a sewing machine is necessary.

Search the videos on the TransPac adjustment or TransPlate for ideas on how a harness should fit a woman.