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For anyone who has been waiting for a silver frame, it will be available late December/early January.

A game?! Buddy, I’ve been using them for the past 16 days straight, with a Plate game every day of my 2 daily games. 🫩 … annnnnd, every day has been over 80°, tipping more towards 90°. 🥵 5 more days to go! The weight, especially when equipped to the Mirage or the Trace (Davis’s rendition of the ZRO-G), makes it feel on-par with an aluminum (Wilson DynAlum, Diamond iX3) equipped with TWs or Doeskin pads. We have to remember, the Mirage frame is the lightest of the 3 cast-magnesium frames on the market. The Rampage’s standard stock pads are laughable, while the FM4K-Mag’s are substantially oversized in volume. The Davis cores are denser, and because of their laminate construction (instead of homogenous), they perform more dynamically, without “crowding your face” like the All-Stars tend to. Prior to getting the Davis cores & socks, I had equipped my Mirage and my Rampages (2 of them) with WindPacts, thereby achieving the lightest mask(s) in the business – you can’t beat air!! I also had my CanaryCage equipped with TWs, and a FM4K Mag equipped with LUC-Mags. And, by feel and feel only, I actually regarded the Canary w/ TWs as my “heaviest” mask. I wouldn’t avoid using any of the 5, but I began using the FM4K-Mag less and less, particularly because of the freer and less restricted sightlines with the Mirage (and the safety of the lengthened XCG!), and the experience of breaking out in zits and rashes due to irritation from the LUC-Mag pads. By mentioning the break-outs with the LUC-Mag pads, this is where I’ve become especially fond of the lattice-mesh padsocks. At least thru the 16 games so far, I’ve shaved twice, and haven’t had any irritation, break-outs, or stubble snags. I also have the micro-suede padsocks, and I wasn’t as much of a fan. That could be because I was never a big fan of leather, either, and I was already projecting my routine use of the padcores in warm-hot temperatures. I dare say, the Davis padsock lattice-mesh is a better feel than the Team Wendy’s technical fabric, and that’s saying a lot. Thanks for doing this. I, too, feel underwhelmed. The TW Zorbium pads are just minimally-shaped lumps. Certainly, they are much better and have more shape than the formless sausages of Wilson, but they’ve got nothing on the All-Stars and Honig’s pads… which @DerekGDS really pursued with gusto when guiding the design process on the pads we now have. That’s outstanding to hear… I really needed this to happen. This sets up three paths to progress into: Reconditioning and rejuvenating “dead” TW pads; harvesting the cores, cleansing them (properly), and encasing them in padsocks. Pushing Derek to make (more! more! more!!) padsocks in sand/tan, sky blue, navy (for you poor bastages)… digital camo(?)… carbon-fiber print(?)… Formulating a concept brief for WindPact.

The Douglas is a great CP, but I would not wear it without gap protection as Dawg states above. Otherwise, it's a much better CP, fit-wise, than the Cobalt. Protection is great, CP is slimming and it stands up to anything. It is nice to have the options of pad colors, trim colors, buckles or T-hooks, etc. also from such a great company in the USA. I will say without hesitation the new DX models are excellent choices and I would take them over anything else out there. I never wore the Enduro, but I helped to field test the first model and was very happy with it. I am 5-11 218 lbs for reference and wear XL shirts (46 chest), but the CP could have been a bit wider for my chest personally, so if my recommendation to widen it impacted you, then my apologies.

Hopefully, no one takes them to the pool.

As a former catcher, I would disagree. My insight into pitchers' brains is that at least some, if not many, of them are indeed made of spaghetti.

I feel like I’ve seen the inside of Stretch Armstrong

As a "Dual Knee Replacement" recipient, I can HIGHLY suggest something that had worked for me. Walk on a treadmill .....BACKWARDS. Someone had mentioned this to me years ago, and it worked. Something all medically scientific and stuff about how it helps to strengthen the jigaments and tendonloins around the knee.

1. I would not wear one without the shoulder gap protection. With one caveat, dependent upon the level of ball you call then you may choose to forego the added cost and protection... but if you are doing hardball with teens on up, then I would strongly suggest getting the mod added. All it takes is one well-placed shot to the top of the shoulder in that gap to make you a believer and advocate of the gap protection. 2. I'll agree with the buckles versus t-hooks - or even better, using @MadMax's newest recommendation for connecting straps to CPs. The new way is ultimately the best in my opinion, but definitely a buckles over T-hooks guy myself. T-hooks can damage shirts and leave visible bumps seen through your shirt whereas a buckle under your armpit (on your side) cannot be seen and should be relatively safe from impacts there. I've found my CP gets tight enough with buckles over T-hooks, so there is no greater reason to do them anymore. The old adage was T-hooks allowed a tighter fit therefore possibly keeping you safer since your CP didn't move down on you during the game. With the new modern CP harnesses and straps, buckles are just as good, if not better, than T-hooks now.

This is why I run the 2 minute off the belt timer and the 2:30 off of a stopwatch. I can pop the belt timer after the 3rd out, and pause the stopwatch when making my substance checks on the incoming pitcher.

If there is no visible clock, the umpire keeping the timer should be informing the plate umpire when there is 30 seconds remaining (40 is better), and then 15 seconds remaining. When the 30 second signal is given, and then again at 15 seconds, the plate umpire should inform the pitcher, catcher and batter with a clear verbal announcement. This puts everyone on notice equally. I've yet to see a disparity in bullpen locations that creates much of an advantage for one team over the other. A few seconds shouldn't matter. Start the 2:00 clock at at the end of the half inning, but stay alert to see if a new pitcher is entering. If there is, then restart the clock at 2:30 when they cross the warning track.

Me likey.

One thing to keep in mind: these are modifiable, if you're so inclined. I have the Schutt XV (Douglas cousin as I understand it) and I've taken out the shoulder padding, repositioned the shoulders, and removed the pauldrons. There are mod threads that discuss it. The shoulders are pretty curved to begin with but you can reshape them. Here, we'll make @MadMax's day...

There was a "sudden death" type of extra inning in the Frontier League. The 10th inning was regular international tie breaker, the 11th, they would have a plate meeting, home team would get to pick either offense or defense. They would then start with a runner at 1st, and it was either get 3 outs or score the run, who ever did what first wins.

It was fine. I'd say comfort was somewhere between Team Wendy (harder) and AS Mag (softer). Haven't noticed any difference in hits one way or the other. I've used them in ~60F+.

Even A YelloW Slug Can Be A Classic So I took on rebuilding an old Wilson WV Gold for a colleague who was introduced and has been smitten by the new Davis DX -family of CPs. We had him using and trialing one all summer. While he was using the DX, we arrived at the conclusion that I'd update / renovate his current Gold, and this is what I took it to... Since he's a Dodgers fan (ouch), I recommended something evocative of the Dodgers. I would not be able to replace the pad vest; I don't have an industrial sewing machine. His biggest appreciation of the Davis DX (theta unit he was trialing) was how low profile it was, especially at the shoulders T-hooks are evil and vile; G-hooks are the best solution. Took the entire carapace apart by removing all rivets, splines, and metal hardware. I went further, and rendered the seams connecting the main torso vest to the shoulder pauldron pads, since you'll see that I actually reconstruct each and every CP that cheats like this with an actual connecting spline. I also rendered the seams connecting the (far too plump) pec wings. Repainted it a dark grey (road greys!), and then rebuilt it, using nylon and polypropylene webbing, with royal blue rivets. Where I used aluminum Chicago screws, these are in spots where there's a lot of stress and/or the CP may need to be (further) modified, or that part repaired/replaced. From the backside, you'll see that I completely removed and deleted the terrible shoulder pauldron pads which, because they're way too thick and oversized, make the Gold look so bulky and hulking. Instead, I made my own shoulder pauldron pads from the unused (and superfluous) pauldron flaps from Schutt-Adams XV's. Half the thickness, half the weight, and because that's actual D3O you see (the orange color), much better performing. Also, because they're articulated, they conform to the shoulder perfectly instead of just sitting atop the shoulder like the Gold's sofa-cushion foam pads did. Detail on the reconstruction of the shoulder assembly. I run a 2" wide (at least) connecting spline between the shoulder arch plate and the pauldron plate. Then, the ailette (gap protector) is secured atop that. Rivets fasten the individual plates to the connecting splines, but the splines are always connected to the shoulder arch plate with Chicago screws, both to survive any stresses, and also for potential repositioning or repair ease. Almost done. I completely removed all the hardware associated with the T-hooks, and constructed two 1-1/2" webbing loops so as to utilize G-hooks You might also notice that there are now 3 rivets at the trailing section of the shoulder arch plate, so as to secure the D-ring thru which the harness is attached. Golds and Platinums typically use only 1 rivet (each side), and these D-rings have a very bad habit of turning within their webbing. By using more than 1 rivet, this keeps the webbing flat, and the D-ring cannot turn. Improves the fit. Completed unit, with the G-hooks placed on the harness, and secured into the anchor loops.

Having had knee pain most of my adult life (even predating an MCL strain, unrepaired ACL, and recent meniscus and cartilage removal surgery) I love you are thinking this way. Getting stronger is the long term answer (arthritis aside - I somehow have escaped that one). A good PT is a great place to start. A good one, in my non credentialed opinion, is one that will focus on progressive strength training (vs primarily focused on constant and endless stretching). I have seen a few different PTs and gotten materials from across the interwebs to formulate what I think is right for me. It's worked well enough that my post surgery PT and Dr appointments were 5 minutes - I was beyond the (low) bar of measurement they use to "return to normal activities". My daily routine to build my strength back up is lunges, RDLs (not a fan of straight deadlifts at 40+), box touchdowns, and calf raises. I'm slowly ramping up from body weight to added weight before resuming gym weightlifting (leg extensions, ham curls, squats, leg press, bulgarian squats, etc.) Again, that's what's worked for me but my universal advice is to find what works for you, go slow, and drop all ego to focus on good form. Good luck.

Oh come on... you teed it up so nicely.... ok.... I don't know.

Jack, The rule is pretty specific: "Balk...failing to step with the non-pivot directly toward a base.. So, yes he has to step again

I have never heard this idea . . . and I LOVE it. It makes much more sense than adding runners on bases and taking away outs. My personal belief on "offense based" tie-breaker schemes is that we waste more time trying to get them set up and trying to put runners in scoring position (when both teams keep scoring from it) than we save. Each progressive inning, the defense gets one less fielder. Coach can pick whichever one he wants, doesn't matter who, as long as the number is reduced each inning. The player stays in on offense and the batting lineup doesn't change. This seems far more effective in reaching the goal (ending the game) quicker. It also puts more pressure on the coach to make good coaching decisions.

@orangebird First, it is awesome that you have fallen in love with the avocation! More important is that you want to learn and train to get better, and that you have goals! Some random thoughts: 33 games is pretty good for an inaugural season. Working 21 of them solo is UNACCEPTABLE. That means that you really only had 12 opportunities to learn and get good feedback. Some people will say solo games are OK because you get repetitions, but those repetitions are no good if you are ingraining bad habits. At first glance, I was going to say your base % is also unacceptable, but then the reality is that is 7 out of 12 ... which is on par. You should be 50/50, and you pretty well were. Early in my career I grabbed plates constantly, because that is where I thought I needed work (and "those" guys are always happy to give that to you). After awhile, I realized by bases were sloppy as a result. The wide variety of games that you worked is a blessing, as it allowed you to see so many more things than if you had only worked 10u baseball all summer. Yes, the constantly shifting rulesets is a challenge, but it seems as if you met that head on and used that to help you learn. Move up as fast as you are comfortable with. It's sometimes hard to leave things behind, but when you outgrow something like a local rec program, leave it behind. Do not continue to work something that is going to develop bad habits and hinder your game. If you want to give back to the program, offer to come train and work with new umpires. Good observations on the trainings that were available to you. Keep in mind, that is more than many new umpires get! HS ball may seem like it is only weekdays, but in my neck of the woods there are always double-headers and triangulars going on on Saturdays. They are a little harder to find, but once you get in, you're in. I love working triangulars (3 teams, AvB, BvC, CvA) because they are usually the rare opportunity to work 3-man mechanics. Younger levels still play travel ball during the HS season. This often puts a strain on the umpire pool (around here).

Oh man

I have both and wear them in a rotation. I have 100% confidence in both of them. 1. Much lower than than the Cobolt. I will wear a smaller sized shirt with the Douglas than Cobolt. 2. They are no more bulky than they need to be IMO and have a lower profile than the Cobolt I think the t hooks are a must as it pulls the lower plate tighten than the side buckles can if you really want it to form to you As for gap protection, I never saw the need. I have worn a Douglas on and off for 15 years without it. This year I got the “lottery shot”. If I was to order a new one I would definitely add it. I’m on the fence about sending mine back. As so other things with a Douglas: I like a better harness, F3 or All Star. The pad is an insulation blanket of cheap foam and does not breathe at all. In the summer the Cobolt or Adams is better at heat management. I I would love a pad of 3DO foam like the Adams XV. The Douglas has to be formed to you to be really a low profile as you might want. Out of the box it’s a little flat and with out the hinge plates it won’t curve on its own the way a Cobolt does. The shoulder and the main plate need some work with a heat gun. Jeff Cook and Douglas are great to deal with from a customer support standpoint. Umpire CPs is a very small portion of their business. Every Saturday and Sunday you can see their main focus. I’m glad they support us and I will always have one in my bag.

Okay, I've had a few days, time for my big picture thoughts on everything Training So as I mentioned back at the start, rec ball in my county is covered by two umpiring orgs and I signed up for both. Org 1 was more 50/50 mechanics and rules while org 2 was purely focused on rules and then taught us the mechanics once we passed the test. I definitely think org 1's approach was better, knowing the rules obviously matter but a bunch of 14-year-olds who haven't done this definitely need to know the slot, position A/B/C more than they need to know what happens if a lineup bats out of order. No one is swapping lineup cards for u10 rec ball! This meant org 2's test was way more difficult for quite frankly no good reason, lineup infractions are worth knowing for higher levels of play but I'm still kind of annoyed I was sweating over stuff like that while working a level where it simply wasn't ever going to come into play Org 2 seemingly had some sort of scrimmage on-field training, but it got rained out/pushed back/etc where I never actually attended it. Regardless, org 1 had no such thing and I think it definitely would've been nice to see 10-15 pitches from a u10 pitcher to a u10 catcher. Would've made my first plate game much easier if I already knew what the pitches would look like and also knowing that any sort of low strike was probably not going to be caught by your average u10 catcher. Mechanics Okay let me begin this with a confession: I kept my indicator in my right hand the whole time. I know you want it in your left hand because you make the signals with your right, but I hold a fork, pencil, etc with my right hand so I just put it in my right hand too. Pelt me with tomatoes if you must. For one-man mechanics I read enough stuff that said basically "do not cross the pitcher's mound" and I largely followed that, if there was a play at second with no one else on-base I got closer to second but otherwise that seemed to work. I have no idea how good my mechanics were for being a base umpire. I followed A/B/C and tried to use the working area but I'm sure if someone with a higher level of training watched how I handled something like making the call on a possible triple from position A would have several pretty valid nitpicks. I also don't know where precisely you're meant to stand for A/B/C, I get the gist of it but for all I know I was standing 5 feet too close to the mound and 5 feet too close to 3B in C the whole time. I did have one particularly dumb-looking mistake early in the season that I didn't mention at the time that I can now admit to: runner on third, don't remember how many outs, ball hit back to the pitcher. I pop out from behind the plate and get in position for what I'm thinking will be a force at first...only to see the pitcher throw home. I duck, don't really have a good view of the play due to suddenly needing to duck while not facing home. Apologized to the fielding team's HC and he thankfully took it in stride lol. Level of play/local rules/etc So I definitely got used to what a u10 zone should be, but man, some of the pitch trajectories really are tricky even with plenty of reps. The amount of pitches that were clearly over the plate but with a big looping arc where it's hard to tell if it caught the top of the zone was definitely annoying. I leaned towards calling them a strike because you want to keep the kids swinging, but I'd love to see ABS or some other fancy pitch tracking for that kind of pitch. The people who suggested an octagon/rhombus/etc for the zone definitely helped me get comfortable expanding it while still feeling like I wasn't demanding kids to swing literally everything Like I said above, I quickly realized your average low strike was not going to be consistently caught by the normal u10 catcher, so that was another fun wrinkle to get used to! If we count softball, I worked six different types of rules for a u10 rec ball game! There were some consistent rules across all of them (no balk, no dropped third, no infield fly) but some had coach pitch after (X) amount of walks, some had no stealing while others allowed stealing home, one had every at-bat start at 1-1, etc. I had index cards and everything but still, 6 different local rules for one age group in one year of umpiring feels like a lot lol. Really don't love stealing home for u10 just from a batter interference perspective. Puts kids who don't have great baseball IQ in danger of getting run into and it feels harsh to call the runner out because his teammate couldn't get out of the way. I did assume obstruction/interference would happen constantly for u10 and it really didn't, will tip my cap to the kids and coaches for that I will say that u12 becomes remarkably cleaner for just being 2 years older. I'm curious how much of it is the kids getting bigger/stronger vs some kids just quitting and the talent pool just getting better, but the couple times I worked u12 it felt so much more like a normal baseball game. Way more grounders turned into outs, the pitches felt much faster and straighter. Dropped third, stealing home, etc were all also allowed by then. Across u10/u12/u15 rec, all of them seem like they struggle with catching the ball more than throwing it once it gets put in play. Even the u15 kids had some plays at 1B that seemed routine but weren't handled cleanly. Rec ball definitely helps hammer home the idea of don't anticipate the call. Regardless of the assorted quirks, I found the assorted local rules at least doable to work with...besides the Memorial Day weekend u8 machine pitch tournament, which had a needlessly elaborate rule about calling time once a fielder had the ball inside the basepath and if the runner went halfway or not I talked about this when it happened but it's been a few months and I still think it was trying way too hard too solve a problem for an age level where I think it's wild to already be playing travel anyways Parent/coach behavior Basically nothing negative to report from rec ball One coach who complained about my zone a bunch for my second plate game that I shrugged off as probably being a valid complaint due to my inexperience but I had him again much later in the year and he was still pretty vocal about the zone and I warned him early and he was fine after that Only parent comment I can remember is when my base umpire no-showed a u12 game and there was something that could've been obstruction or interference, but it wasn't really in my line of sight so I just called nothing and the fielding team definitely thought it was interference and I definitely clearly caught a parent saying "he knows he missed it" or something like that, which feels reasonably tame for a call I did indeed not really have a good look at...but it should've been something the base umpire who was supposed to be there could help with lol Travel wasn't as bad as I've heard...but also notably worse than rec Worked a softball doubleheader that had one coach constantly talking about my zone...and the other team's coach popped out of the dugout to argue a call on a weird bobble/possible force at second at one point No one cursed and no one called me an idiot or used a 10-letter word that starts with c that Terry Collins used in the Tom Hallion video at least! For next year #1 priority is going through the training process to work HS and has been for quite a bit. I'm glad I started with rec to get my feet wet but I'm ready for a higher level of training meant for adult professionals and not 14-year-olds However, HS baseball is only spring weekdays to the best of my knowledge. So that means how I want to spend spring weekends, the whole summer and the whole fall is still a bit more of a grab bag. I do know that I want to spend this summer watching the World Cup which starts on June 11 so we're definitely looking at another pretty small slate of summer jobs, which I'm fine with. The logical thought process would be to spend spring weekends/summer/fall working travel over rec since that'll be a higher level of play...but I'm honestly fine with continuing to work rec as long as it's not u10. I'd obviously prefer to work u15 stuff to stay on 90-foot diamonds but u12 games would still be fine to me. I really only have two things I care about for non-HS games: I really don't want to work u10 rec and really don't want to work any game solo. Those largely overlap but it does seem like travel also uses one ump for 60-foot diamonds and I'm not a huge fan of that based on my experiences this year I'm sure I'll realize I forgot five things I wanted to add as soon as I hit send, but this feels like a good overview for now. I appreciate anyone who read and commented on this thread at any point, it was cool to share this with people much more experienced than me!

Only when carrying the orange safety balls.

I like the looks of it and it is on my wish list but I got to wonder.... do I have to have orange ball bags now to compliment the color seen near the shirt's buttons?

Based on my experience in dissection, anything suitable for memory foam cleaning should be suitable for Zorbium, I would think.

Thanks @MadMax !!! I'm assuming you are using the Shear3 more than the Cloud4 (or maybe I'm wrong) but can you comment on the Cloud4 vs. the All-Star Mag pads - any preference with the Mirage12 - I'm just debating with myself whether to add the Cloud4 pads in addition to the Shear3 (I have two Mirage12 masks so I can put one set of pads on each). I'm going to use the Shear for HS games (kids around here are throwing in the high 80s low 90s), but for the 14U and below games I was debating between the Cloud4 and ASMags. Thanks again for your always helpful posts!

Even better, 3-on-3

I've always wanted to see some sort of reduced fielders rule as a silly way to try to increase scoring in extras, the strategy of where to put 8 fielders in the 10th, 7 in the 11th, etc would be fun to observe

Please consider the Davis DX Enduro D30.

As JPEG so they show in line (previous didn't for me)

Last night I sat down with my daughter's seam ripper and dissected my TW pads. I started with the brow pad. It took a bit of effort to get started--the stitching was really tight and well done.IMG_4720.heic Once I got the stitch ripping started, it went pretty quickly--though the stitching where the velcro tabs are located felt more stout. Once the pad was out, it's not really anything remarkable--just black/dark gray, small cell foam. I expected a cover over the foam, but there wasn't any. Note: the areas of creasing are partly from the interior seams from the technical fabric of the TW pad, and some from the GD socks that have been covering the pads for the past few weeks.IMG_4721.heic The foam feels more coarse than memory foam, but has the compression characteristics of memory foam. Enough so that I wonder what the lineage is from memory foam to Zorbium. The cheek pad was definitely more of a challenge to get into--the double stitching was really tight.IMG_4722.heic Perseverance won out over stitching though and I soon had the cheek pad out as well--and again, no interior cover over the foam.IMG_4723.heic I tried to get a photo of just how small the cells are for the foam. First, zoomed in:IMG_4724.heic Then, macro lens, with the seam ripper for size comparison:IMG_4725.heic One final picture showing the brow pad (top) and the cheek pad (bottom): IMG_4726.heic One final note: as @MadMax and @wolfe_man suggest, the TW pads fit much better inside the GD socks without the TW technical fabric covering.

Heaven help them if they had to figure out the seedings with a tie involved. But, I guess, knowing the winner only made the plastic gumball machine ring more special!

Good job on keeping a log book. It's the only way that I can keep track of the games that I have done and make sure that I get paid for them. You might not have evolved yet on what notes you keep, but I keep, in addition to what you mention, my partner names, 2/3/4 man, mileage for tax purposes, and age/division/conference notations. I know one umpire that keeps a diary of interesting plays per game in theirs. What else would be interesting to keep? And don't forget to log purchases (equipment, mileage, food) you made for umpiring.

Alright, to the best of my knowledge fall ball has ended for all rec ball in my county and because I kept a pretty detailed spreadsheet, gonna do a little stats breakdown for year one! Total games worked: 33, with 1 show-up fee for a field that got double-booked by travel and 1-show up fee where the game wasn't called for rain but the field was unplayable, but the coaches agreed to claim we got a pitch in lol so 35 "games" I got paid for Games worked solo: 21/33, 63.6% Games as a base umpire: 7/33, 21.2% Travel games worked: 10/33, 30.3% 90-foot diamond games worked: 7/33, 21.2% (this is the same as the base umpire stat but not the same exact 7 games) Softball games worked: 7/33 (a lot of sevens here!) Games worked on a high school field: 4/33 (the private Catholic school with turf was nicer than the public schools, shocker) Spoilers but for next year I'd like to very much increase the 90-foot diamond number and certainly would like the base umpire number to feel closer to 50%

I like a "Safe" and point also, the juggle sign would be good, just make a call at least!! I do a lot of Men's Rec League games, and you are creating an un-needed s&#t storm making an abandonment call . Rec league players want good calls on the important plays that can decide a game. We will turn a blind eye to bad pitching mecanics, rather than hunting for balks. We will use different strike zones from a 4 to 2 nailbiter, versus a 11-1 blowout. I like "outs" as much as everyone else, to move the games along, but don't go looking in unusual places for them. Just umpire. (3 beers and 2 whiskeys in, after Jay's lose heartbreaker, so excuse my post!)

I hear you. That's one of the reasons I just joined the Board. It's a good league currently but needs attention to remain that way.

Even A YelloW Slug Can Be A Classic So I took on rebuilding an old Wilson WV Gold for a colleague who was introduced and has been smitten by the new Davis DX -family of CPs. We had him using and trialing one all summer. While he was using the DX, we arrived at the conclusion that I'd update / renovate his current Gold, and this is what I took it to... Since he's a Dodgers fan (ouch), I recommended something evocative of the Dodgers. I would not be able to replace the pad vest; I don't have an industrial sewing machine. His biggest appreciation of the Davis DX (theta unit he was trialing) was how low profile it was, especially at the shoulders T-hooks are evil and vile; G-hooks are the best solution. Took the entire carapace apart by removing all rivets, splines, and metal hardware. I went further, and rendered the seams connecting the main torso vest to the shoulder pauldron pads, since you'll see that I actually reconstruct each and every CP that cheats like this with an actual connecting spline. I also rendered the seams connecting the (far too plump) pec wings. Repainted it a dark grey (road greys!), and then rebuilt it, using nylon and polypropylene webbing, with royal blue rivets. Where I used aluminum Chicago screws, these are in spots where there's a lot of stress and/or the CP may need to be (further) modified, or that part repaired/replaced. From the backside, you'll see that I completely removed and deleted the terrible shoulder pauldron pads which, because they're way too thick and oversized, make the Gold look so bulky and hulking. Instead, I made my own shoulder pauldron pads from the unused (and superfluous) pauldron flaps from Schutt-Adams XV's. Half the thickness, half the weight, and because that's actual D3O you see (the orange color), much better performing. Also, because they're articulated, they conform to the shoulder perfectly instead of just sitting atop the shoulder like the Gold's sofa-cushion foam pads did. Detail on the reconstruction of the shoulder assembly. I run a 2" wide (at least) connecting spline between the shoulder arch plate and the pauldron plate. Then, the ailette (gap protector) is secured atop that. Rivets fasten the individual plates to the connecting splines, but the splines are always connected to the shoulder arch plate with Chicago screws, both to survive any stresses, and also for potential repositioning or repair ease. Almost done. I completely removed all the hardware associated with the T-hooks, and constructed two 1-1/2" webbing loops so as to utilize G-hooks You might also notice that there are now 3 rivets at the trailing section of the shoulder arch plate, so as to secure the D-ring thru which the harness is attached. Golds and Platinums typically use only 1 rivet (each side), and these D-rings have a very bad habit of turning within their webbing. By using more than 1 rivet, this keeps the webbing flat, and the D-ring cannot turn. Improves the fit. Completed unit, with the G-hooks placed on the harness, and secured into the anchor loops.

The color scheme scratches the right Giants fan itch for me.