Exovest Fitting

[Aaron King 3]

I have had my Exovest for about three weeks and just started week two on my first show with it. For the most part I like it, but I am having an issue with the spars and shoulders leaning to my left when under load. This is causing a level of discomfort as one side is digging into my shoulder, the other my neck and also the mis-alignment with my spine.

 

I have been talking with Chris Fawcett and he has been corresponding with me on the fit. My question is for all other Exovest users and if you had issues with this at first and also any other helpful fitting techniques to try as you find the perfect fit.

 

Thanks.

[James Davis 47]

Don't think i've had the exact same issue, but I think I was wearing mine a little too loose on the shoulders when I first started using it so it would shift around a tiny bit when doing more aggressive moves and when running.

I found sitting the rear pad exactly between my rear deltoid shoulder muscles and creating a bit of downward pressure on the shoulders with the shoulder pads seemed to work well in keeping it snug and it hasn't been an issue since I did this, also I turned the angle of the shoulder straps outwards a little bit so it sat more comfortably on my trapezius muscles, as mine slope down quite aggressively, this seemed to make everything sit much more snugly, as the straps now followed the contours of my shoulders better, maybe that's worth playing with?

[Sanjay Sami 68]

Aaron, I also had issues fitting it. I think everyone does because its so different from any other vest in the way it works.

What worked for me (and I think Alex Brambilla as well) was to take the second shoulder pad and add it to the first. I also adjusted the shoulder strap angle and I have it shortened to the max.

Try different settings. Because this vest doesn't hold your upper body as tightly, it feels strange at first. It took me about a month of trial and error to dial it in.

[Sanjay Sami 68]

Also - if you were front mounted vests before, your in / out thread settings are likely to be very different. Pay great attention to where the rig floats in your neutral position. In my case I had to readjust in out as well as left right settings on the arm.

[Aaron King 3]

Thanks for the input. Sanjay, I noticed very quickly that the thread settings needed to change at the socket block, but after reading your suggestion I decided to do it a bit more and it made a nice difference.

 

As for the shoulders, I've had my straps all the way it, but I worked with spreading them out over my shoulders and that has proven more comfortable than where they had been previously.

 

Mix that and talking with Chris Fawcett and discussing body posture I am starting to find a much better feel and fit. Thanks for the advice. If anyone else has good advice from using the vest, please feel free to share more.

[gregor yalmanian 1]

having the same issue here with my shoulder. when i wear my rig and under load , the vest is pushing my shoulder on one side and feeling uncomfortable.. i will try as sanjay said ..

[Aaron King 3]

Gregor, reworking the shoulder placement and body posture really makes a difference. Since creating this post with the feedback, and getting personal advice from Chris Fawcett and Jerry Hollaway, the Exovest has been fitting me much better. It really is a learning curve that takes time to fine tune for yourself. I still find myself doing simple adjustments from time to time just to try things out, but it is far more comfortable now than before. If you are still having issues, contact Chris. He was very helpful over the phone and with email.

[gregor yalmanian 1]

Gregor, reworking the shoulder placement and body posture really makes a difference. Since creating this post with the feedback, and getting personal advice from Chris Fawcett and Jerry Hollaway, the Exovest has been fitting me much better. It really is a learning curve that takes time to fine tune for yourself. I still find myself doing simple adjustments from time to time just to try things out, but it is far more comfortable now than before. If you are still having issues, contact Chris. He was very helpful over the phone and with email.

Thank you Aaron, i re-configured my vest the upper part , shoulder area , now it feels better then before. and as you said im sure by making some trials and errors in the end i will find the best configuration for my body, but overall the vest is incredible , what we are talking about now is some detailed configurations. im sure Chris will help me.. i contacted him on skype and he was very helpful for fitting the vest when i first got it..

[chris fawcett 124]

Gregor,

 

Let's try to arrange a Skype fitting for next week. This week, I'm at the NAB show full time.

 

What you describe is most likely caused by working with the rig off to your side. The closer you are to a good missionary, or Don Juan, position the better the Exovest works for you.

 

Check out this preview of Jerry's book for details: http://books.google.com/books?id=tfaBAAAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[Cedric Autier 1]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm a new and happy owner of an exovest, that I used on two shooting days recently.

I had no problem on the first one even carrying the rig for extended period of time, as the setup was quite light.

 

This weekend with a heavier setup, as the day went I had the feeling that I was carrying to much weight on my shoulders and upper back, and that the rear waist pads barely put any pressure on my waist (I actually had the patern of the shoulder pad imprinted on my back for an hour and a half after the last shot).

Is that something usual or should the rear pad feel snug even when the vest is under weight?

The waist velcro straps are at the tightest (I have a 83cm waist), so I'm thinking about shortening them, but would appreciate some advice before doing it.

 

I feel like I should have more weight on my waist.

 

Thanks to everyone able to help.

[chris fawcett 124]

Hi Cedric,

 

Have you looked at the manual section on customising the waistband?

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[Cedric Autier 1]

Hi Chris,

 

Thank you for answering so quickly.

I checked and the retaining screws are on the shorter slide on both side.

I just tried tightening it more, and giving the torso more lenght and it seems better.

But the waist straps are pretty long (see pictures).

Is there an easy way to shorten the velcro?

 

Thank you.

 

Cedric

 

 

 

[chris fawcett 124]

Yes! Peel off and retag the Velcro to size. You can just fold up any excess at the beginning of the tag, or cut it off if you prefer. Do one side at a time, so you remember how it goes. I’ve seen one vest with the Velcro running backwards!

 

All the best,

 

Chris

[chris fawcett 124]

You can also take a look at this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PNBEV2cU7rA

[Cedric Autier 1]

Thank you Chris,

 

I will try with the velcro folded before cutting it.

I also moved the rear pads more to the center and it seems way better now.

I will now wait to give it a full day of work and see how better it is.

 

Again thank you Chris for your help.

 

Cédric