The DGX Gears Harness is a continuous piece of { 2 in | 5 cm } webbing that has a total of five D-rings: one at each shoulder, one on the left waist, one at the rear of the crotch strap, plus, the one at the front. The left shoulder has a bungee loop that can be tied to any user preferred size for use in retaining the BC inflation hose assembly. The combination of the left shoulder and waist D-rings are used for carrying stage and deco bottles. The SPG is also clipped to the waist D-ring. The crotch strap front D-ring is used when being towed by a DPV. The rear D-ring is used to carry additional equipment such as reels. The right shoulder D-ring is used to clip the head of the primary canister light, and also the primary long hose second stage regulator following gas switches. Backup lights are clipped to each of the shoulder D-rings and held in place by the elastic bands.

DGX Gears Harness Assembly Instructions

DGX Gears Harness Kit Contents

• Nylon webbing harness (continuous with S/S grommet at center and tubular webbing sleeves)    
• Your choice of crotch strap with the harness:
  • The popular {1.5 in | 3.8 cm} Crotch Strap is noticeably more comfortable and with a side-release buckle is a welcome change from outdated traditions to the convenience of a crotch strap that can be adjusted on-the-fly. The {1.5 in | 3.8 cm} crotch strap uses a soft nylon webbing that measures {38 in | 97 cm} in length with a {2,200 lbs | 100 kg} tensile strength and weighs {3 oz | 85 g}.
  • The traditional {2 in | 5 cm| Crotch Strap has a sewn-loop and includes a neoprene sleeve to protect exposure suit from abrasion. The {2 in | 5 cm} nylon webbing crotch strap measures {42 in| 107 cm}in length, with 2,800 lbs tensile strength and weighs {6oz |170g}.
• 2 bent shoulder D-rings
• 1 straight waist D-ring
• 5 webbing slides
• 1 S/S belt buckle
• 1 DGX Loop Adjustment Ring
• 4 DGX EPDM elastic bands
• 4 tubular webbing sleeves
• 1 plastic belt buckle
• 1 bungee cord loop
• { 4 ft | 1 m } of #24 cave line
• Assembly screws
• Assembly instructions

NOTE: Metal Backplate not included.

The nylon harness webbing has been carefully selected and is soft enough for comfort yet stiff enough to keep it's shape for ease of doff and don. The harness kit also includes four webbing sleeves as solution to a problem that early stamped backplates often had rough edges on the webbing slots that would rapidly wear through the webbing. Today, quality backplates are laser cut and the slot edges are polished smooth, eliminating the issue and thus the sleeves are no longer required. With some plates, the triple thickness of webbing created by the use of the sleeves can be a challenge to thread through the slots. Optionally you may choose not to use the tubular sleeves and two additional belt slides are included because some divers prefer to rig the harness with belt slides behind the lower slots instead of the sleeves in order to hold the webbing in place.

Divers commonly use rubber bike tire inner tube as elastic bands to hold their backup lights in place. Unfortunately, tire inner tube is not durable and some divers prefer to have a spare second band. Our kit includes EPDM elastic bands that are proven exceptionally reliable. However, the kit includes additional EPDM elastic bands for those who prefer two elastic bands on each side.

The now included stainless steel Loop Adjustment Ring (LAR) is an assembly option that allows the left shoulder strap to be freely adjustable, making your harness much easier to doff and don. The LAR is especially useful with drysuits and for those divers with limited shoulder mobility. Installing the LAR is simple: instead of weaving the left side of the harness waistband through the plate, insert the LAR into the back of the diver's left waistband slot on the plate and then thread the webbing through the LAR omitting the webbing sleeve.

Stainless-steel snap clips are used in a variety of ways with technical diving equipment configurations. The Hogarthian method to attach the clip to most objects is to tie it on with braided nylon line (aka cave line). This is because nylon line is tough enough to withstand a great deal of abuse, yet can be easily cut in an emergency if the clip is jammed or entangled. A length of #24 braided nylon line is included for tying snap clips to your equipment as appropriate so they may be clipped to the D-rings. See our separate article titled How to Attach a Snap for instructions.