Gear Question- Backplate- Pocket(s)

[Rooster59]

Hi,

I would like some kind of pocket(s) on me. I use a BP/W. No cannister light.

Pocket on waist like Diverite here:

SCUBA Diving Equipment for Technical, Sidemount, Rebreather, Wreck and Cave Diving: Dive Rite, Inc - Product Catalog - Bellows Velcro Pocket w/Daisy Chain


Then I saw cargo shorts from scubaPro:

SCUBAPRO - Hybrid Shorts with Pockets


Any hard-earned opinions on either? I'm sure I'll end up buying one, then the other, then throwing both away. Thought I might do this the smart way this time.

Thanks!

 

[cmburch]

May want to think about what you want to store in the pockets before putting the money out. Also that there is no opening between pocket and flap where an item can wiggle out of.

I use OMS pockets from LeisurePro. I also use Oxycheq which are for weights and small items can fall out.

It looks like the cargo shorts are more versatile for other watersports.

 

[fjpatrum]

Personally I'd go with the shorts if I were picking between those two options. I don't like a lot of stuff on my waist. There are also several other brands of similar shorts, which may give you more material and pocket size options...


I recently made a thigh pocket that straps on, which worked well but not quite as well as I'd hoped. It slipped a little and rotated around my leg slightly while diving. There's a couple threads about it. First is a discussion of size and whether folks like them... the second is the build discussion.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/basic-scuba-discussions/414635-thigh-pockets.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/making-your-own-gear/415147-homegrown-thigh-pocket.html

 

[Mr Carcharodon]

I went with the glue on pockets. For my wetsuit I glued them on myself and for my drysuit the manufacturer stitched and glued the pockets. I have friends with x-short which are similar to the second option and they work too. The descriptions are a little too vague but there should be shock cord loops inside the pockets that everything can be clipped off to. My hard earned opinion as a beach diver is that anything that is not clipped of will be lost in the surf.

 

[BluewaterSail]

I like the shorts. I have used both the Highland from XS Scuba, and the Scubapro. The pockets on the Scubapro are smaller, but for what I carry its adequate. The Scubapro packs smaller, because also the fabric is thinner, so thats an advantage. The pockets on the Scubapro are stretchy neoprene, and the pockets on the Highland are some sort of heavy woven material. Either does the job for me.

One advantage of the shorts is that there is 2 pockets. So my wetnotes are always on the right, and my SMB and spool on the left.

 

[g1138]

The Dive Rite pocket is big enough for me to fit a 100ft delrin finger spool, a 6ft/40lb SMB, and a Diverite std Wetnotes. It's stuffed.

I think the velcro closure is way too big, because you always have to muscle it open. As you try to open the pocket, the bottom likes to come up. I have to use two hands to open, one to hold the bottom and the other to open the closure.
The pocket also sits very high because my Bp/W waist strap is above my hips, so it's very hard to access things. The lanyard string also likes to stick to the huge velcro closure a lot, so accessing things becomes a hassle when you have to deal with that as well (I could replace it with some marine rope/bungee and that would fix the problem though).

I may try inverting the pocket and seeing how that works, but for now it's not really ideal.

 

[DevonDiver]

Cluttering a BP&W with add-on pockets is kinda counter-intuitive and defeats many of the system benefits.

I tried using a Halcyon pocket (goes left side on the waistband and bolts to the backplate) when teaching rec courses, but it annoyed me after a while. Like most 'experiments' away from the most minimalist interpretation, it now lives under the sink in a crate of dusty stuff...

I use thigh pockets on wetsuit or x-shorts. Loads of stowage space, maintains streamlining and very easy to access.

Left-side pocket is for emergency/contingency stuff - mostly back-ups, such as spare mask, spare DSMB and spool, reserve back-up (3rd) torch.
Right-side pocket is for stuff I use routinely on dives - wetnotes, back-up torch, slates etc.

Everything is stowed with bolt-snaps and clipped to bungee loops in the pockets.

Thick material is good - I trash exposure protection/pockets etc far too regularly inside the wrecks to favor anything 'lightweight'.

 

[TSandM]

I'd go with the shorts. They're simple, easy to put on, and put the pockets where they have little effect on your streamlining. They're easy to access during a dive. If you don't want to glue pockets onto your exposure protection, the shorts are the way to go. As already mentioned, tie some loops of cord or bungie in them to cliip the pocket contents off to, so nothing is lost if the flap comes unsealed.

 

[fisheater]

Another vote for shorts or for pockets on your exposure protection.

They're very streamlined and, more importantly, MUCH easier to access than pockets around your waist.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[waterpirate]

Velcro pockets are a PITA. A zippered one like the ones from oms with two compartments solved my issue. Back up mask in rear compartment, jon line in front compartment, on right side.
Eric