Slight misalignment in left ribbed shoulder strap

[RageQuit[501st]]

I redid my shoulder straps with the red lines indicating were they run under the armour.

I am getting a consistent shift of the left ribbed shoulder strap as per the photo.

The elastic is hooked under the new shoulder straps so that should keep the ribbed straps aligned, alas to the case.

Hoping I can get some advice what to look for to solve this problem.

I have thought of some velcro, was thinking if I did that it would not allow the ribbed straps to move around and may induce a stress crack somewhere over time.

Thanks.

 

[Sly11[Admin]]

The main reason why the bridges tend to do this is because of the curve. They will always move to the location where that curve lies.

Only way to change it is to either heat bend the bridge so it naturally falls to the position you want.

I had/have the same issue, so I actually added some industrial Velcro to mine. It is low profile enough to allow the bridge to sit almost flush on the back plate and stopped it from sliding out to the side following the set curve of the plastic.

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

Could you post an image of the front of the straps, a small angle to the strap positioning on the front can make a difference.

 

When I set mine up I now use use a mannequin or if it's too cold in the shed just a small box to hold the chest and ab apart, clip the elastic straps on then you can work out where the straps will sit the best. Once happy with the positions add some painters tape around the front of the straps, remove, rough both surfaces then apply E6000 glue and clamps, then check positioning on the rear.

j

 

I also have the elastic loops further back on the shoulder elastic, around the tabs on the backplate which also helps to stop the shoulder straps rotating.

If you notice in this image the elastic loops are around the plastic tabs on the backplate

 

 

As Andrew mentioned at times you may need to use some heat but fortunately the way I've been doing them I've never needed too.

 

 

[RageQuit[501st]]

Thanks guys,

I took a few days to think about the mechanical changes I made with my shoulder re-strapping - had a watershed moment this afternoon and realised my current problem was due to the way I redid my new shoulder straps which induced an unexpected lateral shift - quick amendment today rectified my problem.

Will pop my solution into this post and link to my my build thread in next couple of days.

Thanks for your input - all this info goes towards making a build easier for future troopers

[RageQuit[501st]]

 

Backtracking a bit, I found the original ANH shoulder strapping method made it hard for me to fix the shoulder bells snaps in place by myself - somedays I could, other days no. One troop I had to waylay a passing stranger to do this for me during a carpark change.

With this in mind I mirrored the strapping design I used in my Death Trooper build which enabled me fully kit up by myself.

Photos 1 & 2 show the lateral shift induced with my amended strapping [ignore the velcro].

Photos 3 to 5 show strapping realigning to ANH external using velcro.

Happy now the realignment works is correct.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 3, 2022 by RageQuit

[gmrhodes13[Staff]]

I find using double snaps helps to prevent any sideways movement.  Normally strapping is a little wider between the chest and backplate than what you have, and some times it's doubled over to give extra strength, again reducing the sideways movement. 

 

At the end of the day what ever works for you, there are so many ways to do strapping.

 

FYI elastic strapping between the chest and backplate should be white, so bare that in mind if going for higher level approval  

Chest and back shall be connected with a white fabric or preferably elastic strap at the shoulders.  As seen in the images from screen used armor below, this ideally must be approximately 2 inches (48 mm) wide.

 

   

 

One other tip is to offset the attachment from the shoulder bells to the shoulder straps and not have them centered, this helps pull the shoulder bells inwards at the front when moving your arms .

 

 

 

[RageQuit[501st]]

Thanks everyone for your input, will be trooping the weekend for a number of hours so will see how my rest rapping works out.

Not aiming for a higher clearance level for my kit, am happy being a bog basic trooper having fun with the crowds