Which HARNESS and why? for your BP/W

[dl348]

I used to prefer the Diverite deluxe harness, but have now converted to a HOG harness. I like the ability of placing the d-rings anywhere I need them to be, plus the harness is inexpensive and is easily adjusted when switching from a thin wetsuit to a drysuit with heavier undergarments. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Lobzilla]

There is HOG and there is hogwash like plastic buckles, shoulder pads, chest straps, etc.

Let's see, who are we going to trust when it comes to the 'right' equipment? A group of people who have surveyed hundred thousands of cave feet (and could have choosen anything they wanted for these endeavours) or an industry that promotes tank bangers and blinking yoke screws?

The classic HOG harness does not look comfortable but it is. It looks cumbersome to get in and out of but it is not. It looks simple but it requires proper guidance to be set up properly. Once set up correctly and used a couple times, it does what it is supposed to do without but and if.

I spent weeks worrying about the non-existing problems of the HOG setup and within minutes and the help of Bob Sherwood all these 'problems' dissolved in the water

Never try to solve a training problem by adding gadgets. This is not to say that people with severly reduced shoulder mobility may need to compromise on the bullet proof simplicity of the plain HOG harness.

(One word of caution about the IST BP and harness. The plate and hardware is great but the harness material is too soft and slips through the keepers - especially the crotch strap. A whopping $20 mistake on my part )

 

[SCUBANON]

The only mistake I see the HOG harness devotees making is assuming that their choice is correct for all divers or incorrect for only those with severly reduced shoulder mobility.

There are other reasons that well trained and experienced divers choose alternate harness designs.

Many experience divers have stepped up and voiced the fact(in this thread and virtually every other thread on this topic) that reasons for not using these alternates are often (although based in truth and facts) severly overstated. (getting caught on objects, Breakage and the difficulty to make repairs)


Also many of these experienced Alternate harness users have stated their opinion that in certain cases and under certain circumstances these alternates have what they consider to be advantages. (mobility issues, adjustability, ability to release harness when caught on something, doffing in water during rough surface conditions)

What those considering which harness to use must truely understand is what their needs are not anyones elses.

Polls and popularity are all well and good but often just point out the latest trends.

 

[bvanant]

I think line opening a buckle should only happen with it not under load because the loading tightens the buckle. Plastic QDs can shatter if you make contact with a hard surface (rock, wreck), but is probably only likely if there was some noncatastrophic damage done earlier (from tanks or weights, etc).

Have you ever actually tried to shatter a plastic buckle? Not as easy as you think. When I get back to the lab, I will put some plastic buckles on one of our impact tester machines and see what kind of force it takes to shatter one. I would guess that the diver would be hurt quite a bit from a collision that shattered a buckle but maybe I am thinking of this wrong.
Bill

 

[PfcAJ]

I guess I should tell all the plastic clips and buckles I've broken in the military that they shouldn't have shattered!

 

[bvanant]

There is HOG and there is hogwash like plastic buckles, shoulder pads, chest straps, etc.

Let's see, who are we going to trust when it comes to the 'right' equipment? A group of people who have surveyed hundred thousands of cave feet (and could have choosen anything they wanted for these endeavours) or an industry that promotes tank bangers and blinking yoke screws?

As for trust, I think the guys climbing Everest in really cold conditions have pretty much figured out that the plastic bits on their packs don't break at -50 degrees. I don't have an issue with someone choosing not to like something (I don't like Nikon for example) but I do object to folks who make mystical claims about material failures. You might not like a plastic bit on your harness but to claim that it is likely to somehow simply disintegrate (especially when not under load) and get you killed makes absolutely no sense.

Bill

 

[bvanant]

I guess I should tell all the plastic clips and buckles I've broken in the military that they shouldn't have shattered!

Shooting at them doesn't count. But why does the military use plastic if it is so evil. They have the money to use anything they want? I didn't say that you can't break stuff just that things don't just fall apart without some force applied to them. What were the failure modes of the things you broke? Magic?

Bill

 

[AfterDark]

Shooting at them doesn't count. But why does the military use plastic if it is so evil. They have the money to use anything they want? I didn't say that you can't break stuff just that things don't just fall apart without some force applied to them. What were the failure modes of the things you broke? Magic?

Bill

My guess is the people that procure them don't have to use them.

 

[PfcAJ]

They use plastic because its cheap, easy to use, and lightweight. That said, even some of the metal stuff breaks, too. I can't tell you how many metal buckles I've broken on duffel bags. Btw, the Army supplies replacement plastic buckles with the latest issue of ACU colored field gear.

Funny you brought up Everest, though. A plastic buckle broke on my friend's pack during our trip to base camp last summer. It wasn't a very important clip. and she didn't do anything crazy to it, it just broke in normal operation. I've had plastic clips break during normal use, and not so normal use such as getting run over by a truck, dropped, and stepped on.

When I go diving, I like to dive, not fix things.

 

[bvanant]

They use plastic because its cheap, easy to use, and lightweight. That said, even some of the metal stuff breaks, too. I can't tell you how many metal buckles I've broken on duffel bags. Btw, the Army supplies replacement plastic buckles with the latest issue of ACU colored field gear.

Funny you brought up Everest, though. A plastic buckle broke on my friend's pack during our trip to base camp last summer. It wasn't a very important clip. and she didn't do anything crazy to it, it just broke in normal operation. I've had plastic clips break during normal use, and not so normal use such as getting run over by a truck, dropped, and stepped on.

When I go diving, I like to dive, not fix things.

Me too, although we seem to do an awful lot of fixing of other folks cameras on most trips that we go on. I'll try to keep my dive gear out from under trucks. :kiss2:
Bill