Many of you who dive with backplate and wing certainly have this problem from time to time: “what to do with the extra equipment”? One way is to thread up pockets on the harness of the backplate. Although here the advantage of combining wing and backplate gets lost to a certain extent because you have a lot of “extra material” in the abdominal area. Another option is to glue special leg pockets onto the diving suit. These are then mounted securely and the content is easily accessible. Here, I want to introduce a step-by-step guide:

Before you can start to tinker, you should definitely know how many bags you need and exactly where you want to install them!

Preparations

In addition to the purchase of bags and adhesive, you should make a few preparations before tinkering.

Since you will work with glue, the work area should be generously laid out with old newspapers.

The suit should be roughly cleaned at the point where you want to stick the bags.

The suit must be dry!

You need a brush and possibly crayons to mark the position of the bags before gluing them on. Seek out a helper.

Step 1: Mark position of bags

Before you begin applying the adhesive, you should definitely know the correct position of the pocket (s). The optimum position is on the side of the thigh. You should be able to reach the pockets with the outstretched arm. Make sure that you don’t attach the pockets too far up on the suit because it might cause problems with the harness of the backplate.

The adhesive

For gluing, the so-called PU special glue kit has proved to be worthwhile. This set consists of elastosol PU 500 adhesive, a curing agent and a special cleaner. A detailed instruction about mixing ratio and drying times can be found on the adhesive can!

Step 2.1.: Apply adhesive to the suit bags

Now you can begin to apply the first layer of glue to the suit pockets. As you will soon notice, the adhesive moves into the material very quickly. Therefore, additional layers are needed in the further course.

Step 2.2. Apply the adhesive to the suit

At the same time you can apply the first layer to the marked area of the suit. Since the adhesive takes some time for drying, you can alternately apply a layer to the suit pockets and one layer to the suit.

At the end you should have three layers of glue on both, the pockets and on the suit!

Step 3: Glue on suit pocket

After the recommended drying time of the adhesive, put the suit pocket on the appropriate place on the diving suit. It is important that you apply a firm pressure directly on the pocket. This first pressure is important in order to ensure a good connection of the two splices.

Either you lean on the on the pocket and press it firmly with your hands, or you simply stand on it. The important thing is that you exert as great of pressure as possible right at the beginning. Pockets directly on the diving suit are a very convenient way to easily access one’s diving equipment and if not needed to stow away quickly.

What do you store in your pockets? Leave a comment below!