help with recommendations

[j.doe]

Hey Everyone

I am looking at buying a bc and have a few questions that hopefully the more experianced out there can help me out with.

FYI - I am looking to use this rig for everything from ice diving with dry suit to tropical to spear fishing.

Anyways I am kind of leaning towards the the zeagle express tech delux (due to price, weight and features)

But that being said I have also scoped out the Halcyon and Oxycheq rigs. The Halcyon has price against it, and the oxycheq bladder someone told me they have seen crack in the cold.

Weight, and comfort are key concerns for me.

So can someone help a newer diver out and let me know what they think the way to go is?

 

[aquaticaggie]

since I have just recently drank the koolaide I will wait for someone else to state what we all know will be said.

 

[Superlyte27]

Halcyon stuff is very good, but also very expensive. Dive-Rite Transpac will do the job and is a bit cheaper. It's been around for more than 15 years and is tried and true. I consider DR to be heads above Zeagle. I consider Halcyon to be very very good, but also very very expensive. What size are you?

 

[Crush]

j.doe,

Your range of diving environments is similar to mine. I ended up buying this:
BackPlate and Wing Package reviews and discounts, Dive Rite, which for $US 375 is hard to beat. If you note in your order that you are a ScubaBoard member, ScubaToys.com will give you a 10% discount. Unfortunately shipping into Canada is a bear, unless you want to use Attheborderstorage.com and drive down (not likely for an Edmontonian).

My old 24# bladder is a bit whimpy for my 7mm wetsuit/hood for deep dives. I reckon the standard 30# OxyCheq bladder in the above kit will do nicely (have yet to try it out), plus be manageable in warm water. I opted for the AL backplate as much of my diving is done while traveling by plane, so I wanted to save a few pounds. Also, in warmer water the SS backplate might be a bit too much.

 

[Mattleycrue76]

I would definitely go for a BP/W setup. Remember, if you want to Ice Dive you'll likely at some point be diving doubles). Get a one piece harness, a steel plate for cold water or maybe an AL plate for warmer water and any wing that's got the right amount of lift (for a single tank in cold water around 30-35 lbs - less for warmer water). Personally I have been dissapointed by every Diverite Product I've puchased but Oxycheq, Golem Gear, HOG and of course Halcyon all make good stuff. If it were my money I'd rather buy an AL+one steel BP plus two different size HOG wings than one (admittedly great quality) Halcyon rig but I tend to be hard on my gear and chang it frequently. YMMV

 

[Brian Sharpe]

+1 for BP/W, in many cases less $$ than a "regular" bc . I got the same package as mpetryk, scubatoys shipping with UPS includes brokerage but your friendly driver will be standing there with his hand out for the taxes. (FYI - the last 2 orders I placed with scubatoys were delivered to Ottawa the following business day)

As was pointed out - if you're going to be doing ice diving you'll probably want doubles (which requires a BP/W (a doubles wing - get separate wings for single tank/doubles) or the ability to sling a stage bottle (redundant air supply is not optional for ice diving).

An added bonus is you'll probably find your trim improves drastically and you can drop lead off your belt if you get a SS plate. Interestingly my 6lb plate & wing weigh about the same as my so-called travel bc did.

 

[TSandM]

I would also second the recommendation for a backplate system, but my advice is to figure out what the majority of your diving will be spent doing, and then optimize your system for that. If you mostly do tropical diving or warm water spearfishing, a light plate and a small wing will suit. If you mostly dive cold water, a steel plate and larger wing are best.

Most of us who dive in really disparate environments end up owning at least a couple of different wings, if not more than one plate.

 

[Crush]

...my advice is to figure out what the majority of your diving will be spent doing, and then optimize your system for that.

+1.

You will need a smaller wing for diving a single tank and a larger one for doubles - a lift bladder which purports to do both actually does neither very well.

As I noted earlier, a 7mm two-piece neoprene suits requires a fair bit of lift to offset compression. I believe that a 30# wing will suffice for me, but I can't say about you. However, in my drysuit I need far less lift than in the neoprene suit, so 30# is plenty when diving a single tank.

Since a BP is (give or take) $100, you can buy two: one AL and one SS. Since webbing is cheap, you may as well get two harnesses (about $50 each, incl crotch strap). Voila! You are spending way more money than you wanted to, but it IS fun.

On the other hand, I see no problem with mounting extra weight on an AL BP, thereby requiring only one BP.

 

[on_two_wheels]

Take it from the hundreds here that will tell ya....get the bp/w set up. Most of us started with a jacket, only to end up selling it at a loss, sometimes in near new condition. If comfort is HIGH on the list, add a transpac or OMS IQ pack. Then you can have easy in/out rig that is comfortable and still minimal. Just remember, an IQ pack (for example) is a couple pounds positive buoyancy which means a little more weight.

 

[Superlyte27]

I have a transpac in XL i'll sell cheap. I'm going to buy a Transplate