"Comfort Harness" vs Hog

[peteg]

So I am looking in to BP/Ws for the first BCDs for my wife and I. At this point in my life, I expect us to be a purely recreational divers, prolly no doubles, no stages, etc. But I realize this may change over time and I like that BP/Ws can be easily adapted to whatever direction we choose to follow. And I find much of the "DIR" equipment layout sensible and practical. I've done enough research to get to this point, so please no "BP/Ws vs Jacket vs Back Inflate" board wars ad nasuem, et al, etc

Can anyone comment on so-called "Comfort Harnesses" vs straight Hogarthian harnesses?

Some examples of a Comfort Harness:
*Dive Rite Transplate
*OMS Comfort Harness
*Oxycheq Adjustable Harness System
*Zeagle Deluxe Harness

These all seem to be essentially the same product, so I am not so interested in hearing the merits of one brand over another.

So my questions:
*Are the Comfort Harnesses really all that more comfortable? (I realize underwater, it doesn't matter, but how about on land?)
*Are they more bouyant? Or is it neglible?
*Should I be concerned about failure points from releases, etc, if I am only diving singles in a recreational fashion? (The idea here being, if I start getting into doubles etc, I can always keep the backplate and get a Hog Harness)
*Are these things total marketing BS and not worth the extra $$?

[willardj]

I have the OMS Comfort Harnesses. I use mine for singles and doubles and work's great. I like it, but is it worth the x-tra money? Don't know. Will I buy another Comfort Harnesses when this one is wornout? Prob. not.

My wife tried it on and did not like it at all. The straps were to wide and cut into her chest. Most females will prob. like the hog harness better than a comfort harness.

[somewhereinla]

I have the Dive Rite Transplate and it is more comfortable, certainly more ergonomic and very practical. A lot of my diving is shore entry, so if I walk a long distance to get there, I want as much comfort as I can. You can also tighten or loosen the harness as you see fit, it really has all the benefits of both a rec BC and a hog without any of the disadventages. Nothing on the Dive Rite is positively buoyant, so that's not an issue, and every little pieces can be replaced independently should they fail (very unlikely as this rig is built like a tank). It also come with a padded back that goes over the steel plate if you need more comfort (I don't use mine).

I am extemely happy with my choice as it gives me a lot of flexibility in any kind of diving I wish to do.

[Vercingetorix]

I have a Hog harness with HammerHead SS plate and GolemGear 35# wing. First, this thing has NO positive buoyancy at all...it sinks. In a 3mil wetsuit in fw, I use no weights(I'm 180, 6 ft).

On land, it is comfortable. I don't miss the padding the "comfort harnesses" provide; besides, that padding will add buoyancy I am told. The two-inch harness webbing spreads the weight across the shoulders on land.

I also do not like the additional failure points of the comfort harnesses. If one fails,you may have to return it to the manufacturer for repair. My Hog costs me $10 in webbing (which can be purchased at any LDS world-wide; so, if I'm on vacation, no problem).

One down-side: if you have aspirations to be a DM or Instructor, you may not be permitted to use your rig around the students. I've been told by multiple instructors "dive with what the students are using, i.e., jacket BCs; no BP/W allowed in my class" This is true even if you are a DM or Instructor in training.

Admittedly, my LDS sells BP/Ws, but not the brand I use. Even so, I would not be permitted to use the BP/Ws sold by the LDS. This is each individual instructor's decision.

[CompuDude]

On land, the comfort harness will be marginally more comfortable. This is partially determined by your exposure suit, however... you'll be able to tell the difference between Hog vs. Comfort wearing a 3mm wetsuit easier than while wearing a 7mm wetsuit, or a drysuit (with either of the latter two, I challenge you to tell the difference).

I wouldn't worry about the plastic buckles too much. Failure point, yes, but they don't fail that often, and for recreational diving, a failure is unlikely to be as catastrophic as it would be on a more complex dive. Keep an extra buckle in your save-a-dive kit in case one breaks and you have a chance to fix it on land.

Hog harness are indeed often more comfortable for women, as they are more adjustable, believe it or not, and adapt better to the widely varying body types.

I have a TransPlate harness, and converted to a Hog harness. My TransPlate harness collects dust in my closet. Why? Those extra D rings actually got in the way, and the adjustable buckles actually made it impossible to put the d-rings exactly where I wanted them. AND, the buckles complicated placement of my backup lights.

I miss the buckles... once in a while. Pretty rarely, though. In all honesty, I rarely used them even when I had them. But I liked them when I did use them, and they do simply things in a rescue situation if someone needed to rescue me but was unfamiliar with the simple ways to get someone out of a hog harness (easy once you know... but you gotta know).

In the end, either will work. If you think you want the features of the comfort harness, and the money is not a huge issue for you, I'd say go right ahead and try out the comfort harness first and see if you like it. It's fairly inexpensive to convert to Hog later.

[greyzen]

I still don't see how that groin strap can be 'comfy'

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by greyzen

I still don't see how that groin strap can be 'comfy'

If by "Comfy" you mean "really can't feel it's even there", then yes, if your rig is sized properly.

Unless you're diving in swim trunks only, then perhaps the strap could chafe? But in any sort of a wetsuit or drysuit, you really don't feel it... unless you're wearing it too tight.

[ianr33]

I use a simple Hog harness. Never felt the need for anything else.

If I am wearing a 3mm wetsuit it will leave marks on my shoulders after walking around in doubles. Probably a non issue with a single tank

Originally Posted by peteg

*Are these things total marketing BS and not worth the extra $$?

That would pretty much sum it up !

[Vercingetorix]

Originally Posted by greyzen

I still don't see how that groin strap can be 'comfy'

I have a 2-inch wide crotch strap on my BP/W. I never feel it, even when wearing only a swimsuit. I understand the crotchstrap is not necessary for single tank; needed though with doubles. I only dive with single tank so far.

[cgvmer]

The crotch strap is where you hang your scooter so when diving with a single tank and scooter it is needed...not that I have a scooter