OMS IQ Backpack & OMS Bladder (60 or 100)

[trevinkorea]

I currently own a 94# OMS single bladder and have it mounted on a Sherwood outback harness (I think). I used this combo for single tank diving until about six months ago when thanks to this board "I saw the error of my ways" I went the BP/W route with an Oxycheq plate and harness.

I almost went with the OMS IQ with a double bladder wing but after the terrible service I received from the local dealer and doing a real needs assessment I decided that it wasn't really what I wanted. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the setup though. If it does what you want, it's good. If not, you'll need to go another route.

If you are going to do single tank dives the large wing will do the job. It did for me but a wing designed specifically for single tank diving will do the job much better.

Regarding the bands, I didn't find them to be much of a problem, once again (untill I was enlightened by the kind members of this board). If the bungees do irritate you later just remove them and your set to go. I really don't buy that the little bungee retainers are going to snag you up in most situations. to get snagged you would have to be in a seriously confined and dangerous space that most of us divers should never attempt to go anyway.

As for size I do recommend getting the correct size for your diving needs. 94#'s of lift for a single tank was taking overkill to a whole new level but I was not yet enlightened and it did do the job.

The one-peice harnesses are a pain. Perhaps when I get used to it I will say differently but for now, I find it really difficult to get in and out of. Especially with the cuffrings for drygloves.

If you do want to use double tanks, a backplate is the only way to go. If not a soft pack is fine.

 

[tjsmith1979]

I currently own a 94# OMS single bladder and have it mounted on a Sherwood outback harness (I think). I used this combo for single tank diving until about six months ago when thanks to this board "I saw the error of my ways" I went the BP/W route with an Oxycheq plate and harness.

I almost went with the OMS IQ with a double bladder wing but after the terrible service I received from the local dealer and doing a real needs assessment I decided that it wasn't really what I wanted. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with the setup though. If it does what you want, it's good. If not, you'll need to go another route.

If you are going to do single tank dives the large wing will do the job. It did for me but a wing designed specifically for single tank diving will do the job much better.

Regarding the bands, I didn't find them to be much of a problem, once again (untill I was enlightened by the kind members of this board). If the bungees do irritate you later just remove them and your set to go. I really don't buy that the little bungee retainers are going to snag you up in most situations. to get snagged you would have to be in a seriously confined and dangerous space that most of us divers should never attempt to go anyway.

As for size I do recommend getting the correct size for your diving needs. 94#'s of lift for a single tank was taking overkill to a whole new level but I was not yet enlightened and it did do the job.

The one-peice harnesses are a pain. Perhaps when I get used to it I will say differently but for now, I find it really difficult to get in and out of. Especially with the cuffrings for drygloves.

If you do want to use double tanks, a backplate is the only way to go. If not a soft pack is fine.

FANASTIC... Thank you for all the information about the OMS, I cannot believe it has been that hard to simply find one diver that has used the OMS equipment and can speak about it first hand... Espically since when I go diving in Toronto, most of the instructors use OMS and absolutely love it for all types of diving. Thanks for your feedback, I will keep it all under consideration and let you know when I have tried this out for myself.

 

[trevinkorea]

Glad to hear it helps.

Just please remember to get a course on using the bungees properly. I've heard that should they come loose, they can kill you. A course in the proper safety protocols for using bungee wings is essential. (O.K. I should post after a couple double martini's)

Seriousely, other than being overly large (94#'s) I have never had mine blow up, snag me, cause bodily harm when a bungee comes loose, or even been ridiculed for using one. I did have to cut off a few bungees when they got really old and notice I said cut off. The wing worked fine and as a cold water diver. I am originally from Vancouver, and have crawled down hills through the snow to go diving, I know that a small wing will not always be enough when using cold water gear. I still think 94#'s is too much for most but go with what the people in your area recommend.

Personally, I'll stick with the 45# wing for singles and will probably go with a 70# for doubles when I get back to Vancouver. The 94# wing will make a good back up if I ever need one in a pinch.

I'm also thinking about rigging the 94 up as a lift bag for light recovery projects. With a small plate some rope, a first stage with whip and a tank, it might make a very good self contained lifting system. (I'm actually serious here. Perhaps someone would like to comment on this. I've been kicking this idea around for a while and think it might be safer and easier to control than a lift bag.)

I am only suggesting the lift bag idea because the wing is a spare now as I'm not diving doubles. I am not in any way saying that this peice of equipment is not good. It served me well for a number of years and will serve me well again should I dive doubles in the future.

Ps. sorry for rambling on.

 

[Mandy3206]

The IQ Pack will accept the SSBP or ALBP inserted in the back pocket if you need more stability in your setup or want to shave some weight from your belt.

I got the SSBP with OMS Deluxe Harness and a 45# bungied bladder and use it with a single AL80 most of the time. I decided on the 45# bladder since I may take up on doubles any time soon and this wing would be OK for warm water, don't know if for cold water will be enough with doubles, but for cold water single cylinder would be OK.

I also got the OMS Back Pad for my SSBP, but rarely use it since it's not necesary at all, I only use it to store my Halcyon Life raft only when diving in offshore rough water or with ripping currents, otherwise I leave the pad and raft at home.
The SSBP and harness is equiped with the OMS shoulder pads and is very confortable and stable and I barely notice it in or out of the water with a single cylinder, don't know about doubles since I haven't tried them yet.

For weight integration, I use the Dive Rite 32# weight system and use the remaining space in the pockets to store my sausage, strobe, goodybag, ect.
everything is cliped to the pocket internal dring so if I have to ditch the 3# soft weight in each pocket, the gear remains with me.

As for the bungies issues, to me it's all BS and most of the trash talkers, haven't tried the system, if it bothers the user, the bungies can be removed in a few minutes, I've yet to hear from an accident traced to the bungies.

I you want to save a buck, lurk in ebay, everyday people is selling OMS, Dive Rite, Halcyon and Oxycheq gear, you just need to know the prices of the new gear and bid when the proper rig comes along, don't worry if you get outbid, another similar listing would be up soon, just setup an automatic search and wait for your gear to show up.

 

[tjsmith1979]

I am not sure people know what I am talking about, the OMS IQ Pack is basically exactly the same as a BP/W... see information at http://www.omsdive.com/backplate.html and then see Fig 6.

All the difference is, that this is a complete harness jacket. It still has all the same options as the OMS SS BP/W however it alot more comfortable and easier to get in and out of, you can still change all your wings and everything and is close to the Dive Rite Transpac II System. So I guess my question is... so what is the problems with these ? Everyone is saying buy a BP/W, when I can change the backplates and wings as you normally could with a cheaper system.

I cant see any and I have dived with this and it feels like a better BC than the Zeagle and everything else I have tried and it totally customizable for any diving you do... whether it be rec or tec !!

 

[tjsmith1979]

Also the retraction bands are fanastic, I have tried it without the bands and it feels like you are getting more drag and air can escapes to different parts of the unit without the retraction bands making it more unstable

Have tried them with it and absolutely love it, there is no more drag as much, it wraps around the tank alot more and air doesnt escape or cause unstability when diving. Oral inflation is perfect and I had no issues at all.

Now, comes the time... where I ask everyone that made so much bad comments about them whether they have even tried this or whether they have just been ripping off everyone else's comments to make it look like they know something...

 

[Mandy3206]

I am not sure people know what I am talking about, the OMS IQ Pack is basically exactly the same as a BP/W... see information at http://www.omsdive.com/backplate.html and then see Fig 6.

All the difference is, that this is a complete harness jacket. It still has all the same options as the OMS SS BP/W however it alot more comfortable and easier to get in and out of, you can still change all your wings and everything and is close to the Dive Rite Transpac II System. So I guess my question is... so what is the problems with these ? Everyone is saying buy a BP/W, when I can change the backplates and wings as you normally could with a cheaper system.

I cant see any and I have dived with this and it feels like a better BC than the Zeagle and everything else I have tried and it totally customizable for any diving you do... whether it be rec or tec !!

The main diference, is that with the IQ pack (soft pack) the tank will be a bit less stable than with the BP. It can be solved by adding the BP inside the IQ Pack solving the stability problem.

The IQ pack is similar to the DR Transpack but the DRTP doesn't accept the BP if you need that extra stability in your setup.

For singles, you probably won't need the rock solid setup of the BP, but I can tell you it's nice to have it. For doubles, you can use the soft packs with the adapters but the diference would be great, so if thinking on doubles in the future, consider the BP setup or the IQ with a BP added inside for stability.

In comfort, as expresed before, the BP is very confortable and I barely notice it in or out of the water, that's why I don't use the BP Back Pad all the time, I just use it as a pocket for my raft, the need for padding is not relevant to me.
For donning and doffing the gear, it'll be very similar either way unless you choose a single piece harness, the deluxe harness has a QR buckle on the left side making it very easy to don of dof the rig.

 

[aquaoren]

I am not sure people know what I am talking about, the OMS IQ Pack is basically exactly the same as a BP/W... see information at http://www.omsdive.com/backplate.html and then see Fig 6.

All the difference is, that this is a complete harness jacket. It still has all the same options as the OMS SS BP/W however it alot more comfortable and easier to get in and out of, you can still change all your wings and everything and is close to the Dive Rite Transpac II System. So I guess my question is... so what is the problems with these ? Everyone is saying buy a BP/W, when I can change the backplates and wings as you normally could with a cheaper system.

I cant see any and I have dived with this and it feels like a better BC than the Zeagle and everything else I have tried and it totally customizable for any diving you do... whether it be rec or tec !!

Also the retraction bands are fanastic, I have tried it without the bands and it feels like you are getting more drag and air can escapes to different parts of the unit without the retraction bands making it more unstable

Have tried them with it and absolutely love it, there is no more drag as much, it wraps around the tank alot more and air doesnt escape or cause unstability when diving. Oral inflation is perfect and I had no issues at all.

Now, comes the time... where I ask everyone that made so much bad comments about them whether they have even tried this or whether they have just been ripping off everyone else's comments to make it look like they know something...

Well dude, if you've tried it, like it and believe it's better than everything else, than why are you asking? Go out and buy it.
You'll have to dive this gear, so you should be happy with it without regard to what other people say.
I've tried to gently tell you that a 60lbs or even 100lbs bungied wings for single tank diving is a stupid choice, someone else told you that they were using it and it worked for them but they found something better, what more answers do you want?
I've PM'd you, I've offered you to try my system that is one of the better one on the market but you rather ignored my offer and suggestions and continue pounding the same question about the OMS.
Listen to what your LDS is telling you but don't come complaining in a year or two when you'll realize that much of your expensive gear will not cut it for the Tech diving, you intend to do. You've been warned but chose to ignore it.
Damn, I knew that you can lead a horse to the water but can never force him to drink.