One of the best things about diving with a BP/W is the fact that it does not have the padding, excess straps, buckles, etc of a jacket BC. So, adding a BP to a jacket BC doesn't really make much sense IMO.
Totally agree! +1!
The STA argument has been going on for as long as I've been on this board.
Agreed.
I don't think there's any inherent advantage to using one anymore...
I can think of several...
They:
1. Provide a more solid mount for the single tank. If you are using the STA with a set of cam bands that completely come apart (like Highland, DSS, or Scubapro), then you'll want to put the tank on your rig with the rig face-down on the deck; in other words, laying the tank down on top of the rig. With a STA, the tank doesn't roll off of the rig like it does with a STAless design during assembly. This is surprisingly a big deal on a rocking boat.
2. Keep the rig together when the tank is not on the rig. Without a STA bolted through the wing, the wing and rest of the rig are not bolted solidly together.
3. Provide a variety of additional weighting options, ranging from a few ounces to as much as 6 pounds, depending on which STA you use.
4. Provide another 1/2" to 3/4" clearance for the diver's head to prevent head/first stage interference. This allows the diver to achieve clearance without having to push the tank another two inches down his/her back, which can screw up trim and make the tank hit the buttocks and thighs of shorter-torsoed people.
5. Make it easier to reach the tank valve because the tank is not adjusted too low (see #4).
6. Provide a "mark" from which to properly adjust the height on the tank on the rig. With a STA, the top of the top cam band should always be at the base of the shoulder of the tank... In other words, the cam band should be as high as it can possibly be on the tank. This provides a reference point for the diver that's assembling, and therefore consistent results in assembly. A diver therefore always has the tank valve in the same place for reaching, and always gets the same trim characteristics and "feel" of the rig... Which helps the diver to develop consistent skills. If this method of placement is used with a STAless wing, then the tank is too low. When I dive without a STA, I mount the tank with the cam bands slightly below this mark (by about an inch) and the results are inconsistent. The tank valve - which is now harder to reach - requires a little guesswork and is not always in the same spot.
7. The use of a STA means quicker changes from singles to doubles. In a STAless design, I have to unthread the cam bands to disassemble the wing and switch to doubles. With a STA design, it's two thumb bolts and the switch is easy. Switching back to singles is also easier if the diver is using a STA, and the cam bands don't need to be readjusted (which is always a matter of trial and error) because they were disassembled.
8. If a diver uses a STA, then he or she is not limited in what wing he or she can use - all wings can be used with a STA. Not all wings can be used STAless, and therefore a diver is limited on which wings he or she can purchase if they decide to dive STAless.
STAless wings were pioneered by Halcyon about 12 or 15 years ago... At least, in terms of purchasable, purpose-built STAless wings. Since then, Halcyon has given up on the idea of the STAless wing, and all of their singles wings are now sold as a STA-required design. That says a lot.
If you ask Jarrod Jablonski - the owner of Halcyon - which I did several years ago when he and his team developed the Eclipse - he will tell you that most divers were choosing to dive with a STA even though his previous singles wings (called the Pioneer, which was replaced by the Eclipse) were equipped to dive STAless. This observation prompted him to forgo the STAless slots and delrin rods in his latest wing designs.
To me, diving STAless is an outdated idea from over a decade ago, before we all tried it and decided to keep the solidity and better geometry and weighting options of a STA.
Your opinion may vary, of course.