Stand-Alone Sidemount Harness Options

There are a number of stand-alone sidemount harnesses on the market. Whilst not complete sidemount diving systems, they may warrant consideration if building a mixed, or DIY, configuration rig:

Contents

1 Stand-Alone Sidemount Harness Options

SUMP UK Sidemount Harnesses

sump uk sidemount harness hardware options

‘H’ Style Harness showing custom hardware options

Andrew Goring at SUMP UK is well known for his excellent range of custom sidemount hardware – so it’s natural that he should produce a range of harnesses to suit every need. There isn’t one specific harness option – but rather, you can consult directly with Andrew to specify exactly which design and hardware options you prefer.

Photo courtesy of Andrew Goring

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Nylon webbing and stainless steel fittings.
Weight: Not Known
Manual: Not Available
Manufacturers Link: SUMP UK Facebook

Deco Sidemount Harness

Deco Sidemount 2

There are two harnesses available; a traditional harness (shoulder straps to the rear lumbar plate) and an ‘H’ style harness (shoulder straps routed to front of harness via ‘T’ attachments). Both harnesses are lightweight and minimalist; providing all the functionality that you’d need with zero superfluous clutter. Many other types of sidemount wing could be attached to this harness. The harness is supplied with 6ft of 5/16th bungee and two bolt-snaps, so the diver can rig out their own tank bungee method (loop, sliding loop, independent, ‘old school’ etc). Both harnesses include fixed front D-rings and offset (drop) D-rings at the read.

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The rear crotch strap D-ring is a dual/double ring design; giving more options for equipment attachment. There is no weighting system included with the harness. My solution for weighting, on ‘bare’ harnesses like these, has always been to put a couple of stand-alone weight pouches directly onto the spine webbing. It works great and keeps things very simple. These would be an extra purchase… or you could just thread weights directly onto the spine strap for a more permanent option (less ideal for travelling). The regular harness costs $145.99 and the ‘H’ style harness is $163.99….. very cheap compared to most on the market.

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Nylon webbing and stainless steel fittings.
Weight: Not Known
Manual: Not Available
Manufacturers Link: Deco Dive Equipment

Darkside Harness

Darkside sidemount harness

The Darkside harness is manufactured in the UK and consists of a hogarthian webbing rig with lumbar and shoulder plates. It has regular sized D-rings and crotch strap.

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Nylon webbing / 316 marine grade stainless steel plates
Weight: 1.4kg shipping weight
Manual: Not available
Manufacturers Link: darkside-diving.co.uk

Farr Explorer 1 Harness

Farr Explorer Harness

Designed by renown cave explorer Martyn Farr, the ‘Explorer 1’ is a seriously robust harness designed for exploratory cave diving. All metalwork is 316 stainless steel and the waist belt can be stripped down quickly to add/remove weights. Not currently listed on the Farrworld website.

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Nylon webbing / 316 marine grade stainless steel plates
Weight: Not known
Manual: Not available
Manufacturers Link: farrworld.co.uk

Warmbac ASM Sidemount Harness

warmbac asm sidemount harness

Another UK manufactured stand-alone harness is the Warmbac. It has a fully adjustable belt and shoulder straps. The bungees run from between the shoulders to the shoulder mounted large D rings. It features a highly adjustable roller-style belt buckle and single “floating” belt through the main ‘H’ harness with lead attachment points. Often worn in conjunction with a dedicated climbing seat harness by UK sump divers.

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Nylon webbing / 316 marine grade stainless steel plates
Weight: 1.23kg
Manual: Not available
Manufacturers Link: Warmbac Divers Sidemount Harness

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Kent Tooling Sidemount Harness

Kent Tooling make a variety of stainless steel diving accessories, including this stand-alone sidemount diving harness. The KT harness features stainless steel lumbar and shoulder plates on nylon webbing. Available in two sizes: S-L (7m webbing supplied) and XL-XXXL (10m webbing supplied). The harness will accommodate most ‘warm-water’ style sidemount wings.

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Nylon webbing / 316 marine grade stainless steel plates
Weight: Not known
Manual: Not available
Manufacturers Link: Kent Tooling Sidemount Harness

DiveRite Transpac XT Harness

The original DiveRite Transpac harness was a popular choice for DIY rigs back in the days when no dedicated sidemount rigs were being manufactured (or used with the, now discontinued, DiveRite Junior or Trek wings). Designed by cave explorer Lamar Hires, the current generation transpac features integrated hip pads, molded foam lumbar support pad, and ergonomic shoulder pads. The harness is available in sizes XS-XXL.

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Soft backplate constructed of 1000 denier ballistic nylon. Marine grade stainless plates and fittings.
Weight: Small 4 lbs 4 oz / 1.92kg to Large – 5lbs / 2.29kg
Manual: Transpac XT Harness Manual
Manufacturers Link: DiveRite Transpac XT

DiveRite Transpac XT Tech Harness

The ‘tech’ version of the Transpac features a single-piece continuous webbing harness, molded foam lumbar pad and chest-support strap

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Soft backplate constructed of 1000 denier ballistic nylon. Marine grade stainless plates and fittings.
Weight: < 5lbs / 2.29kg
Manual: Transpac XT Tech Manual
Manufacturers Link: DiveRite Transpac XT Tech

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Santiago Ultimate Harness

This Mexican produced sidemount harness follows a common minimalist theme and is designed to provide a mounting option for the Z-Trim and Stealth 2.0 wings. It features low-profile D-rings and manages to eliminate heavy lumbar/shoulder plates through innovative use of ‘folding-back’ the webbing through weight retainers. It also comes with a double 4.5mm high-strength bungee to provide redundancy. One very novel feature is the LB-SR (Sliding Ring) System: an adjustable sliding D-ring that allows quick adjustment to precision cylinder trim whilst wearing/diving the rig.

Buoyancy: Not applicable – harness only
Material: Nylon webbing and stainless steel fittings.
Weight: Not Known
Manual: Not Available
Manufacturers Link: Santiago Diving Sidemount Ultimate

Innodive Sidemount Harness

This French designed stand-alone sidemount harness features low-profile D-rings and uniquely shaped lumbar and shoulder plates. The lumbar plates has integral equipment attachment points.