2023Vests forum
Relocating waist ratchet buckle holes on vest to prevent aluminum stiffening block interference with strap guides
What the thread found
- Moving ratchet buckle attachment points inward by approximately 1.5 inches can resolve interference between the aluminum stiffening block and the strap guide at the end of the waist pad without causing structural failure
- Relocating the buckles closer to the center spar can work because the load path runs between the new hole location and the spar connector, rather than downstream of the new hole
Depends on
- The recommendation applies specifically to vest designs with this particular interference problem
- Structural analysis was not performed in this discussion to quantify stress distribution
- The solution may not apply to all vest models or materials