Backplate pad

This project began after Mrs Panda found she couldn't stand wearing a weight belt with her chronic back pain, so we set about looking for a solution.

I already had this aluminuim backplate and travel wing setup for tropical diving, should I ever have the opportunity. After trying this setup with integrated weight pockets we found it was a great improvement but the bottom edge of the backplate was digging right into the sensitive area of her lower back. Not so much a problem underwater but agonizing on the walk to the water.



The pad consists of a sheet of PVC down pipe flattened out with a heat gun, a sheet of neoprene cut from an ex wetsuit glued together with kwik grip.
The pad is just tied to the backplate so that it can pivot to the shape of the lower back. Another layer of neoprene was added wrapping around the edges and a cordura cover finished it all off.



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