The new Freedom Contour - The Rolex of backplates.

[stuartv]

What type Wing? I have Hog 32# that has two tubes, I was going to remove tubes, and Sandwich wing between Freedom Plate and the stainless steel bars. I have heard of pinch flats if the wing is not protected from tank sufficiently, so I wonder if your wing has this concern?

Unless you have a long wing and a short tank, the wing is not going to wrap under the tank and get pinched by the tank. I think a pinch flat is more likely to happen from, either, dropping the BPW when it's not mounted to a tank, where the a corner or edge of the plate pinches the bladder against the ground or a bench seat. Or, if you drop your assembled rig into a tank rack that has a lip that sticks up.

 

[seaseadee]

Anyone have a parts list for Freedom Plate Hog style Harness or other style with 6lb ditchable weights? I am making 3 or more harnesses, so I want to buy resin heavy nylon webbing in bulk.

I don’t want to sew, so I will buy the crotch strap with sewn loop.

I recently re-webbed my prior generation freedom plate and here's what I used:
1. 15' of Black Webbing from DGX. This was long for me and I probably cut off 18". But I'm small at 5' 5" and 150lbs.
2. A total of 6 D-Rings: 2 Chest, Two between the plate and the Wing using @Akimbo's trick and two Hip D-Rings. Here is a link to DGX's Page for those items.
3. One Stainless Buckle for the waist band and one plastic keeper for my shears. Here's the DGX link
4. I re-used my Hog brand Crotch strap as there was nothing wrong with it, but here's a link to DGX's site where they sell Dive Right crotch straps.
5. I've putting these velro weight pouches on my waist band before but got so annoyed with them that I gave up and went with the Rubber Freediving weightbelt from Mako. Weightbelts get a bad rap because most people try the nylon ones and they can slide around when they get wet. The rubber ones dont move and once their on their on. My only complaint is that where I place it it sits right on my bladder, and I don't like to pee in my wetsuit. It can get pretty uncomfortable on that second dive

It may seem like I'm schilling for DGX, but their site was the easiest to navigate to find these items. I do hope this was what you were asking for.

 

[stuartv]

I get almost all my harness bits from DGX also.

I prefer fixed D-rings. Low profile angled ones for the chest and plain fixed (90 degree) for waist.

I put a serrated tri-slide on each side instead of the D-ring trick like Akimbo. I like my harness to stay exactly how I set it until I really want to adjust it. If it's setup right, the shoulder straps are loose enough to go on/off without hassle.

I have a pair of DGX trim weight pockets that slip onto my tank straps, if I need extra weight. So far, with a 5/4 suit and a steel 100 tank, I haven't needed any weight beyond the plate itself.

The only piece I get elsewhere is the XS Scuba Clearpath buckle. It's glass-filled nylon with a SS hinge pin. Lighter and way less noisy (when unbuckled) than a normal SS buckle. And not shiny, so it doesn't attract attention from barracuda. I've been getting those from LP.

 

[Couv]

What type Wing? I have Hog 32# that has two tubes, I was going to remove tubes, and Sandwich wing between Freedom Plate and the stainless steel bars. I have heard of pinch flats if the wing is not protected from tank sufficiently, so I wonder if your wing has this concern?

The wings I have are: Oxycheq, Hog, and the new VDH. Pinch flats are not a concern between the wing and the plate as the bladder is not subjected to any pressure between the tank and the plate. A pinch flat typically happens when the bladder gets smashed by the bottom of the plate and a hard surface like a boat's tank rack.

If a wing (like your HOG) has the anti-roll tubes, it's not necessary to use a STA or or the rails.

 

[ams511]

@couv Do you have the newest version of the plate?

 

[ams511]

@ams511 : yep, guilty! Thing is, discussions can go on tangents, and there was a discussion here re: perceived fitment issues of a specific wing that cast a shadow of doubt. Now, in this great world, someone searching on a product can end up on this page, unrelated to the topic at hand, and likely form an opinion not clearly grounded to their specific inquiry. Sorry if putting a little clarity to a side topic offends you.

Anyhow, back to the FP (and I hope Eric is okay as the news from his area is not good).

Your posts do not add clarity but rather spread misinformation. You blatantly promote a wing that was reported not work with the Freedom Plate without modification (credit to Eric for offering to modify his plate to make it work, I hope he is OK). Especially after the vendor of the wing made it clear that the wing was designed to work with a proprietary plate. Then you recommend a single tank adapter which would not work with the Freedom Plate either.

BTW, your explanation does not make sense. Google can find your posts just as well in a Argonaut wing thread either on Scubaboard or on VDH's own BBS, there is no reason to post misinformation in this thread. Also most search engine users would much rather find a group of posts discussing a product in one thread instead of searching through multiple threads.

In closing, I think very highly of Bryan and VDH. I am also very satisfied with the items I purchased from from him. I recommend VDH myself when appropriate. However, I am not going to blindly recommend a product that I know will not work for the purpose at hand. When I find people that do, I will call them on it. I am sorry if this offends you.

 

[ams511]

Are people putting their wings on top of the 'tank adapter' - like between the tank and the metal rails? I started out using the tank adaptor to pin the wing to the plate, but as I think about it, the intent of a bolted system is to use pressure and friction to hold pieces together, not to use bolts in sheer. Obviously the 5/16" bolts are strong enough, but it just doesn't seem ideal. I'm an engineer so I overthink crap like this all the time. Thoughts/experiences?

Looking at your STA.jpg photo in post 322, could you not just run the cam bands through the wing itself and then attach it to the tank that way? While not ideal it does seem like it would work. I an not an engineer, but I don't think there is much stress on the wing slots. The stress is on the cam bands, plus you will have some compression on the rubber fuel line.

I don't think you need to worry about bolt shear because these bolts are also used for double tanks which are twice as heavy as what you are going to use,

 

[stuartv]

If a wing (like your HOG) has the anti-roll tubes, it's not necessary to use a STA or or the rails.

It is HIGHLY desirable to use the STA that comes with the Freedom Plate, even with a HOG wing.

 

[Bubblesong]

The freedom plate bars would keep the tank side from scraping against the ends of the S/S thread that is coming through the wing. The plastic insert anti roll tubes might let tank get scratched up is another concern.

 

[Aloha Joe]

For the record (for those searching and not reading the whole thread), I think just about everyone who has a Freedom plate loves it. I am THRILLED with the plate and feel very fortunate to have one.

Sorry I didn't mean to make a big deal about the bolts, I was just "thinking out loud" and and am always trying to find the best way to do something. An questioning brain feels like a disease a lot of the time.

I'm not at all "worried" about the bolts - lots of people use STAs on other plates with the wing sandwiched in between, so obviously it works. My consideration was more about keeping the bolts tight during use (enough/consistent tension) and without crushing the grommets. A lock nut is an easy solution, or plastic/Delrin nuts if you trust them, or lock washers, or .... . I would probably get a low profile lock nut if I keep the wing under the rails and be done with it.

My preference is to leave the rails on and not need a tool to setup my rig (which is a change, depending on how I plan to transport my gear). My preference is also to strap the tank to the plate, not just the STA. I think I can make that work with the bottom strap through the plate and the top around the rails.

I don't know about using the latest plate w/o provided rails on newest design since it has more complex curves. I believe it was said the tank would be at a funny angle w/o the rails (maybe too far from your head and too close to your legs). This is supposedly different from previous generations.

Eric said the plan was to NOT make the rails removable, but made the change to accommodate requests. So that suggests the intent is to have the wing under the tank, but also to give us freedom to do what we want (geez, pun )