Hardware for making a saddle?

[kevinz]

This might be a message for just Tom Dunlap, who mentioned in a previous post about buying saddle hardware from ParaGear (www.paragear.com), but if anyone else has tried making or modifying saddles, I'd be happy to hear from you.

I'm interested in experimenting with making my own saddle. I think that I can do this safely, after studying some of the make-it-yourself projects in 'On Rope' and making sailing life (chest) harnesses. Tom once mentioned hardware from ParaGear. I think the rings to use would be either the H309 or H310 (http://www.paragear.com/frame.asp?menu=group=34&level=1&main=templates/base_template.asp?group=34) ones, both rated at 5000#. I don't know what to use for a buckle, at the waist and leg bands. The closest thing to what's on my rock climbing harness is something like H429 (http://www.paragear.com/frame.asp?menu=group=34&level=1&main=templates/base_template.asp?group=34), but this has no strength rating. A larger one, H432, is only rated for 1000#. I also don't like this style buckle because it takes so long to take off and one, rethreading it each time, and losing the location where it was most comfortable. I'm not familiar with parachute-type buckles, which all this hardware obviously is.

Anyone ever do this before, or have the experience and patience to page through the hardware section at www.paragear.com, and recommend what I should use?

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.

-Kevin

 

[Stumper]

If your design is similar to existing designs the waist buckle strength will be a non-issue. (you are 'slung' in the belt for any strength rating calculations-the buckles just keep you from sliding out.) In your place I would just choose whatever I thought would be comfortable and secure.
I have modified a saddle before but just simple stuff like adding leg straps and attachment points.

 

[Jumper]

I have dealt with ParaGear many times and they are a top notch supplier. Their "store" is in suburban Chicago. If you find the mods are a bit more than your mother's/wife's/girlfriend's Singer can handle, you might consider consulting/hiring a parachute rigger to handle the mods you want. You likely can get a list of locally qualified people through the United States Parachute Association USPA , or Canadian Sports Parachute Association CSPA as applicable.

 

[NickfromWI]

be careful...

"the waist buckle strength will be a non-issue"

The buckle strength is never a non-issue. If the buckle cracks, even if the webbing is going all the way around you, it can't hold you with a broken buckle.

love
nick

 

[Stumper]

Yes Nick but I did say comfortable and SECURE. The buckle doesn't need a 5k rating.
If you are climbing with either a buttstrap with leg straps or individual leg loops try unbuckling your waist belt and moving around a little about 2 feet off the ground. I think that depending on the saddle you may not even notice you are unbuckled or, you may feel very 'loose' and uncomfortable. In neither case will you fall out on your butt----or head. If you are climbing on a belt only or a simple butt strap you could conceivably slide through it. (Who in their right mind would go to the trouble to custom build those rigs?):angel:

 

[NickfromWI]

point well taken

Good point, Stumper. Do the buckles used on, say, a Master II rate at 5k? I think I read on a post here or at Treeebuzz that they are not. Maybe there should be some guidelines in ANSI to direct people that want to make there own climbing gear.

love
nick

 

[Stumper]

At this particular point in history I don't think any bureaucracy or organization will do anything to endorse or encourage an individual producing their own safety gear. I don't agree with that reasoning but we live in a litigous society where noone can be trusted -we need big money to over-engineer things and then we can sue the company anyway. An individual without an engineering degree dare not be trusted to take care of their own life.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

There is nothing wrong with making a swami belt out of webbing or a rope saddle. Go for it!

I'm surely not the one to give the blessing for saddle construction but I will encourage you to go ahead. If you've read On Rope, you're ahead of the game. An industrial or heavy homeowner machine is all that's needed to sew double layers of tubular webbing.

I am going to assume that you understand all of the liablity obligations that you're assuming. If the saddle fails, be sure and have your lawyer sue the pants off the manufacturer

Good luck!

Tom