The Left D ring?

[shaggss]

Was told by my instructor that this should be welded in the 90 degree position so it is riggid and therefore makes clipping on the snap bolt easier?

Any thoughts on this?
Thanks in advance.

 

[Munin]

Was told by my instructor that this should be welded in the 90 degree position so it is riggid and therefore makes clipping on the snap bolt easier?

Any thoughts on this?
Thanks in advance.

Since this is the DIR forum, no, absolutely not. Shoulder d-rings should be bent so they don't rest flat on the shoulder, but they should not be welded in place. There are no welded d-rings in a DIR harness. To bend a d-ring put it in a vise about 1/3 of the way from the base and give it a light tap so it makes roughly a 30-40 degree angle. Practice will make it easy enough to clip anything to your d-rings.

 

[Boogie711]

What he said ^^^

No welded rings that stick out. Entanglement hazard.

 

[shaggss]

Cheers guys, I thought so.

 

[Cave Diver]

What he said ^^^

No welded rings that stick out. Entanglement hazard.

Ditto.

Enough practice clipping/unclipping and you will build a muscle memory making a fixed D-ring of almost no practical value.

Also, give some consideration to what happens if you bang into something with a fixed D-ring. Instead of it being able to swivel, it's likely to drive straight into your side/hip and could cause severe discomfort.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Huh, you learn something new about DIR every day. So, one would assume then, that a FredT harness is not DIR??? He sells the harness with a one piece left hip dring that is at a 90 deg angle. Nothing is welded, because he makes it out of a flat piece of steel, and then bends it to the desired angle, however, it is rigid.

So thats not DIR???

Im keeping it anyways...

 

[ERP]

If your D-Rings are in the right place and you use your right hand to clip to the right D-Ring and your left hand to clip to the left, it doesn't take a lot of practice to be able to clip things off.

Looking at the D-Ring when trying to clip off also makes it harder.

 

[FreeFloat]

Looking at the D-Ring when trying to clip off also makes it harder.

Like everything else, it takes a little practice. Best to get in the the habit right off, of never looking at your gear while adjusting it underwater - close your eyes if you have to. Then when maskless/dark/low vis you won't be lost.

 

[ElectricZombie]

Huh, you learn something new about DIR every day. So, one would assume then, that a FredT harness is not DIR??? He sells the harness with a one piece left hip dring that is at a 90 deg angle. Nothing is welded, because he makes it out of a flat piece of steel, and then bends it to the desired angle, however, it is rigid.

So thats not DIR???

Im keeping it anyways...

No, that is not DIR. What you are refering to is usually called a "Billy Ring". It is just like the welded version, just made differently. The rigid nature of these rings and their increased chance of entalglement is what makes them not DIR. I had some at one point...got rid of them all.

If you ask FredT, he will send you the correct hardware instead of the "Billy Ring" set...unless you've already ordered...

 

[LUBOLD8431]

If you ask FredT, he will send you the correct hardware instead of the "Billy Ring" set...unless you've already ordered...

Yeah, I knew that you could order keepers and drings instead, but I ordered the billy ring anyways. I had been using billy rings from Highland Millworks anyways on another BP that I have, and I didnt see any major issues with it. Ive never been the poster child for DIR anyways. Maybe before I take full cave I will consider swapping it out due to entanglement concerns...