After seeing the experimental conversion that I did for Jay Kennedy, Paul Siegel wondered if I would do
                        the same for him. I said I would, thinking this will be an easy add on to the Arbee harness. THEN Paul told me
                        he had a Fritzke Alpine Box. The Alpine Box is different than other chest boxes because it has a single, angled
                        slot for the torso strap and shoulder strap.  Other chest boxes have separate slots.

                            The torso strap was fairly straight foward.  I just had go from the 1 1/2" webbing down to 1" for the box.
                        I doubled the 1" webbing for added stiffness and durability.

                            I thought about just threading the shoulder straps through the slots, but I was worried that the "bunching"
                        would make it difficult to go back to the Cinch-Tite system if Paul decided to go back to a dedicated Frog
                        system. So, I built the add-on loops for attaching the shoulder straps. The loops are threaded "backwards"
                        for more friction and to keep the tails out of the way.

                            I do have one concern.  Because the harness was designed as a one-size-fits-most for Frog system users,
                        the shoulder straps might be too long for use with the Alpine box.  I won't know until Paul has a chance to do
                        some testing with it.

                            Special thanks to Garry Storrick for keeping the Vertical Devices website up and running. Without that site
                        I would not have been able to make the pattern of the Alpine Box.

                             I realized yesterday that the double Compass/Clino case will not work. When the two instruments
                        are put back-to-back, there is too much "stuff" below the compass. It would be almost impossible to
                        get a good compass reading to a downhill station with the double case.

                            I might try a side-by-side case eventually, but for now, I'm going back to the single case.

                            I added two strips of webbing on the eyepiece end. This will hold the instrument in and leave the
                        eyepiece unobstructed. The other end is where the instrument is slipped into the case. Three flaps of
                        Velcro hold everything together(including the Lexan).

                            Overall, this is the first case that I'm satisfied with. I would feel comfortable taking THIS case caving.
                        However, there are still some improvements that I can make.  I think I can reduce the bulk of the
                        Velcro(while keeping it secure) and I can make a change to the overall construction for a better fit. The
                        case also needs a small D ring for a neckstrap.
.

                              I haven't been able to come up with a good closure for the double case. So, I switched to a single
                            case. While I was at it, I tried a different construction technique. I know I didn't get it posted on
                            Friday....but, I completed the case at 11:50pm.

                              As you can see, this project needs a LOT more work. However, I learned what NOT to do, which
                            will help on the next attempt.

                              The idea is to protect the instrument modules, combine the instruments into one unit, and
                            design a case that doesn't have to be removed while in use.

                              It will have the instruments back-to-back. A clear vinyl pocket will hold a sheet of Lexan to protect the module on
                            each side.  I also want each side to be color coded....makes it easy to know which instrument is which.

                              Here is the final version of the gear loop.  It's based on the 2 inch anti-slip webbing system used
                            by the Comfort Strap Kit.  I used 3/4 inch flat webbing for the attachment loops and the gear loop.  
                            Plastic tubing covers the gear loop.

                              If a caver would like to have the gear loop "stick out" a bit more, just install the Slip-On Gear Loop
                            upside down.

                              This is an idea I've had for a while. And it was time to try and build it.

                              Most caving harnesses have lousy gear loops. The loops are ALWAYS too small. Part of the
                            problem(just as with the lack of "butt-straps"), is the one-size-fits-all construction of most caving
                            harnesses. When harness is made this way, permanent features, such as gear loops and
                           butt straps, CAN'T be sewn into one position.

                              However, I've come up with with a "slip-on" system that works on any caving harness made
                            from 2 inch webbing.

                              Here's the Gear Loop that I came up with. Just like the Comfort Strap Kit, it's based on the
                            two inch, anti-slip webbing. The final version will have some changes: the loop will be made
                           from 1/2 inch webbing(instead of 1 inch) and the loop will be covered in plastic tubing.

                              The reason that I didn't build it that way last night.....I didn't have any QUALITY 1/2 inch webbing
                           and the tubing I purchased is too small. I need one size bigger.

                            I'm also showing a couple of my other attempts.

                              Ok...the quality of last week's sheath...bugged me. I knew I could do better. SO, I built two more this week
                           and I'm showing you the last one that I made.

                                1. Much cleaner look. 
                                2. Webbing "wear bar". It will still last a long time and it's WAY EASIER to sew than the clear plastic was.
                                3. I tried to stiffen-up the sheath(as suggested to me on FMDF) by sewing webbing onto the back of the sheath.
                                4. Added the "molle" attachment points. Not very functional, but I think it looks cool.
                                5. Open bottom for dirt to fall out.

                              This is a replacement sheath for my Lesche digger(metal detecting/extreme gardening tool). It's a simple sheath
                            made from 1000d cordura and webbing. The two key features are:
                                1. Plastic "wear bar" on the top of the pocket.
                                2. Open bottom to let dirt/mud fall out.