So I used the BAUE site to help size ans align my harness. Cool site. I can touch the top of the plate when I reach over my head, etc.
I totally agree - its a good idea to be able to reach my valve. A few questions:
(actually, I'm typing this while standing at my desk with the rig on...I really need a life, man. Does typing while in BP count??)
1) it probably shoudn't be easy. It isn't. I remember reading in some thread someplace UP advising to arch your back and sort of thrust your right arm backward with your left hand on your elbow. Works to reach the valve. It's not like reacing in my pocket, bit I can get it.
2) I use a Steel 100 - so I always have my cylinder a bit high (I think its "normal"....but looking at all the people enter the water with their butt-banging low-rider tanks is a little weird) I set it up with the valve riding a bit over the top of the wing. Cool? For reference - the bottom of the cylinder boot is just above (about a inch or so) the bottom of the deflated wing
3) Is it OK to sort of cheat the valve forward (towards my dome) just a bit? I mean by turning the cylinder in the straps just a bit counter clockwise (not enough to knock my melon against it or anything) but just to get another inch or so? Is there some rule or safety issue I'm not considering that demands I line up the valve knob stem along the same plane of the top seam of the plate / wing?
I gotta go put this down. With all my typos and rework, this is about 10 minutes worth of work
Thanks all.
K
PS: just took if off and looked at it from the top...much to my surprise, with the DIN opening facing flush forward (12:00) the valve knob angles BACK a bit.... (to about 3:30) hmmm.
So if I spin the cylinder a bit to get the valve know plumb with the BP/W top line, the DIN opening will in fact face about 11:00.
Of course, it is the mighty "Thermo" branded valve that came with my cylinder in 1999, so who knows.
I totally agree - its a good idea to be able to reach my valve. A few questions:
(actually, I'm typing this while standing at my desk with the rig on...I really need a life, man. Does typing while in BP count??)
1) it probably shoudn't be easy. It isn't. I remember reading in some thread someplace UP advising to arch your back and sort of thrust your right arm backward with your left hand on your elbow. Works to reach the valve. It's not like reacing in my pocket, bit I can get it.
2) I use a Steel 100 - so I always have my cylinder a bit high (I think its "normal"....but looking at all the people enter the water with their butt-banging low-rider tanks is a little weird) I set it up with the valve riding a bit over the top of the wing. Cool? For reference - the bottom of the cylinder boot is just above (about a inch or so) the bottom of the deflated wing
3) Is it OK to sort of cheat the valve forward (towards my dome) just a bit? I mean by turning the cylinder in the straps just a bit counter clockwise (not enough to knock my melon against it or anything) but just to get another inch or so? Is there some rule or safety issue I'm not considering that demands I line up the valve knob stem along the same plane of the top seam of the plate / wing?
I gotta go put this down. With all my typos and rework, this is about 10 minutes worth of work
Thanks all.
K
PS: just took if off and looked at it from the top...much to my surprise, with the DIN opening facing flush forward (12:00) the valve knob angles BACK a bit.... (to about 3:30) hmmm.
So if I spin the cylinder a bit to get the valve know plumb with the BP/W top line, the DIN opening will in fact face about 11:00.
Of course, it is the mighty "Thermo" branded valve that came with my cylinder in 1999, so who knows.