Cheap jetpack harness rigging?

[Evan1701]

So I've been digging on the forums the past couple months here and there trying to figure out how to rig up my jetpack when I get to that stage. I've seen a lot of folks buying replica US Divers buckles and Full Metal Fett's accurate hooks and clips. These items are great, but for me, if you can't see them and they aren't required for basic 501st approval, I could honestly care less and would rather get something cheap that still serves the same purpose.

So I have the HHProps screen accurate jetpack harness. For you folks in my same predicament, what kind of hooks and clips have you used? I figure walking up and down the aisles at local hardware stores would yield some results, but I want to see what y'all have used.

As for the belt portion, what have you guys been doing here? Ideally the buckle shouldn't be seen at all which is why I'm not planning on wasting my money on one at all (although I definitely see some folks letting it sag beneath the flak vest). I'm thinking just overlapping the two halves and connecting them with velcro, or potentially an old belt with holes so I can cinch it tight.

Let's see what my fellow Cheap Skate Fett's have done.

 

[Fett 4 Real]

OK, so you have a 15lb pack that runs about $400 and say $600-800 worth of paintwork on it....if it falls off and breaks or what have you, youll wish you had invested a little more into securing it. With that said. I went cheap once on a JP harness and had my JP fall off the hooks at C5. Get the FMF hooks... theyre well worth the money man. For sure you can get away with a cheaper buckle option if you have a cheap metal buckle that works with nylon webbing....or get a riggers belt and use that... Ive used my work belt for my TK leg strapping same idea though you can get one for like $8 on amazon.... but really don't skimp on the hooks

 

[Evan1701]

OK, so you have a 15lb pack that runs about $400 and say $600-800 worth of paintwork on it....if it falls off and breaks or what have you, youll wish you had invested a little more into securing it. With that said. I went cheap once on a JP harness and had my JP fall off the hooks at C5. Get the FMF hooks... theyre well worth the money man. For sure you can get away with a cheaper buckle option if you have a cheap metal buckle that works with nylon webbing....or get a riggers belt and use that... Ive used my work belt for my TK leg strapping same idea though you can get one for like $8 on amazon.... but really don't skimp on the hooks

I planned to walk through the cabinet section at Lowe's to see if I could find some heavy duty hooks or clips. I would certainly trust hardware designed to hold up 50 pounds of ceramic and glass ware for decades. Just not sure if I want to spend $50 on something that works just as well for half the price, just at the expense of screen accuracy.

Good thought on the belt, I may piddle around on Amazon to see if I can find what you're talking about!

 

[Fett 4 Real]

I planned to walk through the cabinet section at Lowe's to see if I could find some heavy duty hooks or clips. I would certainly trust hardware designed to hold up 50 pounds of ceramic and glass ware for decades. Just not sure if I want to spend $50 on something that works just as well for half the price, just at the expense of screen accuracy.

Good thought on the belt, I may piddle around on Amazon to see if I can find what you're talking about!

Just look up rothco riggers belt. As far as heavy duty clips you might can find clips but you want something that's going to not tear through the fiberglass, so make sure it spreads the weight out a bit like the ones FMF makes. But if theres a chance youll upgrade later, I would say just wait to finish and buy the $50 clips and not spend $20 and $50 later. That's just a waste.

 

[ShortFuse]

For what it’s worth, I made my own out of 1/8” x 1 1/2” aluminum stock from Home Depot. I have them reinforced with flat pieces of aluminum on the inside. For the buckle, I used one off of a belt I found at Walmart for $10.

 

[Evan1701]

View attachment 158940 View attachment 158941 View attachment 158942
For what it’s worth, I made my own out of 1/8” x 1 1/2” aluminum stock from Home Depot. I have them reinforced with flat pieces of aluminum on the inside. For the buckle, I used one off of a belt I found at Walmart for $10.

I see you used rivets on your harness straps, did you have to do any sewing or did you use rivets everywhere? I've tried to find threads for connecting all the straps and buckles and whatnot together, but have yet to find any good step-by-step process in any thread. I've seen lots of pictures of the screen used harnesses, but I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it.

 

[Froflo]

Thats looking pretty on point nice work man! My only concern would be the hooks may end up slowly bending up over time definetly keep an eye out for that but i think youve got it looking pretty spot on

 

[Froflo]

Whoops forgot to put the quote in that reply ....

View attachment 158940 View attachment 158941 View attachment 158942
For what it’s worth, I made my own out of 1/8” x 1 1/2” aluminum stock from Home Depot. I have them reinforced with flat pieces of aluminum on the inside. For the buckle, I used one off of a belt I found at Walmart for $10.

 

[ShortFuse]

I see you used rivets on your harness straps, did you have to do any sewing or did you use rivets everywhere? I've tried to find threads for connecting all the straps and buckles and whatnot together, but have yet to find any good step-by-step process in any thread. I've seen lots of pictures of the screen used harnesses, but I still have a hard time wrapping my head around it.

I cheated. I used rivets instead of sewing. If you would like I can take a better picture of my harness. If you still have questions you can hit me up.

 

[ShortFuse]

Thats looking pretty on point nice work man! My only concern would be the hooks may end up slowly bending up over time definetly keep an eye out for that but i think youve got it looking pretty spot on

Thanks. So far so good. Originally, I was using 1/16” flat to make it easier to work with, but that proved to be too thin and would have eventually failed.

 

[Drax]

Hard Harness Strapping - Boba Fett ESB .

The5thHorseman did a great job showing the strapping system and how everything goes together in this thread.

 

[ShortFuse]

Very good tutorial. Used ideas from it when putting mine together. Here is how mine turned out.

 

[Evan1701]

View attachment 158946

Very good tutorial. Used ideas from it when putting mine together. Here is how mine turned out.

Awesome! I would much rather do this than try and hand sew through such a thick material, since I don't have a sewing machine.

Did you use the same "length adjusters" (not sure what they are called) for the "backpack" straps along with the waist straps? Where do you find these?

 

[Fett 4 Real]

Awesome! I would much rather do this than try and hand sew through such a thick material, since I don't have a sewing machine.

Did you use the same "length adjusters" (not sure what they are called) for the "backpack" straps along with the waist straps? Where do you find these?

You can find "triglides" on etsy or ebay pretty easy. Couple bucks hard to find big enough locally in most places.

 

[Drax]

Sewing it isn't as hard as it seems. It's just tedious. I don't know where ShortFuse got his sliders but I got mine here:

Strapworks - Straps, Webbing, Tie-Downs, Buckles & More

They also have extra 4 bar strapping in case you need more.

 

[ShortFuse]

Yes. I used them for the pack straps as well. I doubled back on those in particular for good measure so they wouldn’t slip. Got mine at Hobby Lobby.