So much for financial plans... I'm a Halcyon owner!

[mikemill]

Now the padded webbing straps? Come on guys...don't go down that road.

Funny you should mention that, I'm almost to the point of wanting to rip the padding for the straps off of my dive rite harness. I like the adjustable part but those pads are being a PITA. And with my undergarments I already have enough padding there.

 

[Hepcat62]

Funny you should mention that, I'm almost to the point of wanting to rip the padding for the straps off of my dive rite harness. I like the adjustable part but those pads are being a PITA. And with my undergarments I already have enough padding there.

Yeah, the Halcyon shoulder pads aren't horrible, but the straps that run over the top of the webbing are a little bit in the way. Fortunately they just velcro on, so they're really easy to remove.

 

[mikemill]

Yeah, the Halcyon shoulder pads aren't horrible, but the straps that run over the top of the webbing are a little bit in the way. Fortunately they just velcro on, so they're really easy to remove.

That's better than mine. I'll either have to undo the webbing or cut the pad's straps in order to get it off.

 

[Peter_C]

That's better than mine. I'll either have to undo the webbing or cut the pad's straps in order to get it off.

Either way they are going to end up in the garbage. Take the easy road.

Even in the tropics with bare skin, using my Freedom Plate, I didn't feel like I needed padding. My Dive Rite plate is only used when diving doubles, and even with 100 lbs on my back I do not feel the need for padding, at least with my drysuit and undies.

 

[Guy Alcala]

<snip>

As for additional failure points, I really can't agree with you beyond the theoretical level. The design of the unit is such that it's still a continuous webbing harness - no additional buckles have been added. The plate is still the hub for rigid attachments. I would argue that if you trust any of the bolts attached to your current plate, the cinch plate adds essentially no new measurable risk.

I'm not a Halcyon apologist by any means (I'm a very new owner), but here's how I see it...

• Even with the cinch plate installed, there are still exponentially less failure points per square-inch than a conventional recreational BC.
• With the cinch plate installed, the harness is actually several times easier to don/doff when compared to my Scubapro Knighthawk. I get the stability of the BP/W/harness setup, and none of the hassles associated with getting in and out of them.
• If I ever decide to ditch the cinch and go with a fixed harness, all I need is a screwdriver, a $12 webbing kit, and a few tri-glides. I've still got a standard Halcyon SS plate with an Eclipse wing.

Honestly, it seemed a bit gimmicky to me at first when I read about it online. Once I sat down with a unit and got some hands-on time with it, I was sold. I think that as more people have a chance to try it out they'll see that it's just a really clever way for Halcyon to make the BP/W a bit more convenient/approachable without significantly compromising the rig's performance.

Have you tried adjusting the straps with a tank attached? From what I've read that's difficult if not impossible; opinion/instruction seems to be that you can't have any weight on it when you're tightening (at least) the straps. I had a look at it on Wednesday, and it seemed to work pretty well with just the plate (and padding), but that's kind of irrelevant since I didn't try it with a tank attached. Can you take enough weight off to tighten it if you bend forward once it's on your back? Ideally I'd want to be able to both tighten and loosen it while I'm wearing it. Much as I like my hog harness while diving, getting in or out of it can be a bit of a pain, especially on a small, pitching/rolling boat.

Guy

 

[mikemill]

Either way they are going to end up in the garbage. Take the easy road.

Even in the tropics with bare skin, using my Freedom Plate, I didn't feel like I needed padding. My Dive Rite plate is only used when diving doubles, and even with 100 lbs on my back I do not feel the need for padding, at least with my drysuit and undies.

Well shortly after my post I decided to pull them off. Undid the webbing as I wanted to remove a D-ring from each side anyways. I think it'll make things easier.

 

[Hepcat62]

Have you tried adjusting the straps with a tank attached? From what I've read that's difficult if not impossible; opinion/instruction seems to be that you can't have any weight on it when you're tightening (at least) the straps. I had a look at it on Wednesday, and it seemed to work pretty well with just the plate (and padding), but that's kind of irrelevant since I didn't try it with a tank attached. Can you take enough weight off to tighten it if you bend forward once it's on your back? Ideally I'd want to be able to both tighten and loosen it while I'm wearing it. Much as I like my hog harness while diving, getting in or out of it can be a bit of a pain, especially on a small, pitching/rolling boat.

By design, it's very difficult to adjust while the weight of the tank tank is on the harness, though not impossible. By leaning pretty far forward, I am able to adjust the thing.

Under normal circumstances, I have one of those x-sawhorse work tables with me which works great for getting in and out of this. Any surface where you can sit down also seems to do the trick nicely. It adjusts very quickly once you know where and how to pull on it, so I expect even sitting on a small bench seat on a boat for a few seconds would be sufficient. It depends how small of a boat you're talking about, I suppose. In any given scenario, it's no worse than getting in/out of an equivalent fixed harness.

Worst case scenario, you can also adjust or remove it fairly easily while in the water.

 

[Peter_C]

Which D-rings did you pull off? You should have two on chest, and one on your left hip that your SPG gets attached to. The right side remains open for that new can light. It is held in place by a simple buckle be it plastic or stainless. I prefer stainless as they are only around $6.00, and look much better. With my Dive Rite plate I use one of these to bring the can light a little more forward. I also prefer my left hip D-ring to be fixed to the weight keeper so it stays 90 degrees. Makes it easy to clip stuff to, since I am always clipping and unclipping my scooter. I can read my SPG just by looking down.

 

[mikemill]

I removed one of the chest D rings from each side.

 

[mikeguerrero]

I tried looking on the DIR thread about the Cinch just to see if any divers have switched over, but have not seen nothing.

I have reservations about the cinch since I'm finally dialed in with my current webbing, unless it just makes entering/exiting the rig so much easier, it's might make diving less of a hassle when prepping.