OMS SS or alum backplate?

[slackercruster]

I'm not exactly bone but if laying on a hard surface feel the pressure on my bones. Even in warm water I wear at least a shorty for padding from the plate and harness straps. I like the shoulder pads on my deluxe harness but haven't found a need for the backpad. The other reason I use a deluxe harness is the shoulder release. In rough water making your way back onto a boat can be difficult I find having at least 1 shoulder release makes it easier to remove your BCD without needing to slip under it and get hit it the head with it. You can slip out to the side while maintaining one hand on the boat and the other grasping the BCD. This helps control the situation while you hand up the BCD. Then you are free to control yourself with 2 hands on the boat. Of course if you don't boat dive or only boat dive on days without any chop you won't need the release. Also in warm choppy water having the shorty on gives some extra buoyancy once you remove the BCD.

I've never used a Hogarthian setup. Always used a BC jacket. What about getting dressed without a partner? Does the shoulder release help you as opposed to a web strap system? Shoulder release helps with my jacket BC anyway.

I always use a wetsuit. Are plain web straps (no padding) comfortable for hikes with a wetsuit and single tank?

It is my understanding that a continuos web strap is the hard core Hogarthian way of things. So maybe the other padded / release varieties we are discussing are 'of the flavor of Hogarth' and in the right direction but not for the hard core devotee?

 

[slackercruster]

As others have said, it possibly depends on the tank you use. It may also depend on the exposure suit you use in the springs, and on your individual natural bouyancy. I dive a SS OMS, single tank or double tank, AL or steel tank, fresh or salt water, wetsuit or drysuit, with the one exception of double steel tanks (120s) in a 3 mm wetsuit. Then I use an OMS AL BP, with its own webbing. So, my bias is toward a SS, if you have only one plate. I don't find the extra weight to make a difference in travel, and I do find the added weight to allow me to keep weight off my waist. If budget is an issue, I would stay away from a Comfort Harness, and set up my own rig with webbing, some D-rings and a buckle. If desired, spend the money saved, on the harness purchase, on a second plate. If padding for a hike in is needed, rig a pad for the hike, not for the dive, because you probably won't need it. I do have a OMS Deluxe harness (not padded) on the SS BP, but only because it came with the BP used. I would not buy one (Deluxe harness) new. When I bought the AL BP, I had a quick release sewn into the left side of the harness at a shoe repair shop, for ease of getting out of the rig.

Is it hard to thread your own and set it up?

I guess it is the best way to learn the ropes. But am worried about dealing with all that webbing and getting it fitting right?

 

[TSandM]

In a thin wetsuit, it is not at all difficult to don or doff a harness. (In a dry suit with very thick undergarments and dry gloves with big rings, it's a little more difficult.) I have hiked my harness and an Al80, with a 3 mil wetsuit, down a quarter mile trail on Maui, and the straps did not bother me, although I have a big metal plate in my right collarbone. In a t-shirt, yes; the straps don't feel good on land, but I never dive in a t-shirt, and the times I've had to haul gear while wearing one, I don't haul it far.

The advantage of not having the releases is that it gives you more flexibility in adjusting the harness and the position of the d-rings, so that everything works the best for YOU.

As far as SS versus Al, I'd look for a used SS plate if you need the weight and you aren't flying anywhere on a regular basis. It's not difficult to add weight to an Al plate with weight pockets on the cambands, but I'm finding over time that anything I CAN forget or lose, I eventually will, and showing up at a dive site without the weights you need can be a deal-breaker for diving. If the weight is built into the plate, that's just one less thing to remember.

In terms of wings, nobody cares what color or brand you use. Use the right amount of lift, and shop wisely -- prices can vary almost 50% between manufacturers, and it is not always clear what (if anything) justifies the higher prices.

 

[RAWalker]

I've never used a Hogarthian setup. Always used a BC jacket. What about getting dressed without a partner? Does the shoulder release help you as opposed to a web strap system? Shoulder release helps with my jacket BC anyway.

I always use a wetsuit. Are plain web straps (no padding) comfortable for hikes with a wetsuit and single tank?

It is my understanding that a continuos web strap is the hard core Hogarthian way of things. So maybe the other padded / release varieties we are discussing are 'of the flavor of Hogarth' and in the right direction but not for the hard core devotee?

I'd have to say that gearing up without a partner is probably the same with or without the release. The reason is because of the extra weight of the plate it is generally better to have the shoulder releases locked and handle gearing up the same as if it were a true Hog harness.
As for the Hog devotees... There are a number of reasons. Price, weighting, simplicity and fewer possible failure points are it's strong points

The stong points for the other harness are comfort, easier doffing and faster adjustments. I also believe the shoulder release is a positive safety issue in the case I stated in my earlier post but others would argue it is a failure point. (althought releases are not actually prone to failure (some users just fail to completely engage them which is user error not failure)) Jacket style BC and hiking gear have used these releases for years with very little problems.
There are a wide variety of harness Hog, Single shoulder release, Deluxe (release on each shoulder), Deluxe Comfort (with shoulder pads) and Intergrated like the IQ pack. Only you can tell what is best suited to your needs. Don't let me or anyone else talk you into a style. This isn't a case of the number of people using a particular style are using the best. There are a number of variables to the decision making process in the BP&W selection. In some cases compromises to get the most versatility from the least initial investment and allowing future needs.

 

[Colliam7]

Is it hard to thread your own and set it up? ... But am worried about dealing with all that webbing and getting it fitting right?

It is not at all hard to rig your own one piece harness for a BP. There are a number of web links, and a number of threads on SB, with step by step instructions. There is even a video instructional clip on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ed6KcAb7B2w). You can buy webbing either online or through a LDS and 10 ft should be more than ample. Dive Rite Express sells it for $1.50/ft, while reef Scuba (www.reefscuba.com/ropewebbing.htm) has it on sale for $0.69/ft, and most other suppliers are somewhere between. Putting on D rings and a buckle is straightforward and inexpensive. As for fitting, it is the same as if you were to buy a ready-made harness - trial and error is required, to get it fit to you the way you prefer. Give it a try.

 

[slackercruster]

In a thin wetsuit, it is not at all difficult to don or doff a harness. (In a dry suit with very thick undergarments and dry gloves with big rings, it's a little more difficult.) I have hiked my harness and an Al80, with a 3 mil wetsuit, down a quarter mile trail on Maui, and the straps did not bother me, although I have a big metal plate in my right collarbone. In a t-shirt, yes; the straps don't feel good on land, but I never dive in a t-shirt, and the times I've had to haul gear while wearing one, I don't haul it far.

The advantage of not having the releases is that it gives you more flexibility in adjusting the harness and the position of the d-rings, so that everything works the best for YOU.

As far as SS versus Al, I'd look for a used SS plate if you need the weight and you aren't flying anywhere on a regular basis. It's not difficult to add weight to an Al plate with weight pockets on the cambands, but I'm finding over time that anything I CAN forget or lose, I eventually will, and showing up at a dive site without the weights you need can be a deal-breaker for diving. If the weight is built into the plate, that's just one less thing to remember.

In terms of wings, nobody cares what color or brand you use. Use the right amount of lift, and shop wisely -- prices can vary almost 50% between manufacturers, and it is not always clear what (if anything) justifies the higher prices.

Thanks for the rundown.

And also thanks for the reminder of simplicity. I've had that problem of losing or forgetting things myself.

 

[Tamas]

I do not expect any customer services issues with a back plate.

Regardless, I encourage people to not patronize a company that is as bad as OMS. Myself, and many others, have purchased OMS gear and have been ignored by OMS when there were serious manufacturing defects with their gear.

OMS is fine until you have a problem with their gear, then OMS gets down right hostile with their customers. Why spend money to support a company like that?

Like David_57, and I am sure many others, I have had no bad dealings with OMS. Maybe you were an exception?

 

[David_57]

Like David_57, and I am sure many others, I have had no bad dealings with OMS. Maybe you were an exception?

Yes that is my thinking

 

[Doc Harry]

Like David_57, and I am sure many others, I have had no bad dealings with OMS. Maybe you were an exception?

My dealings were directly with someone who said he was the manager of OMS regarding a wing that fell apart with less than 100 dives. He was unhelpful, hostile, wouldn't return messages or e-mails, and downright rude.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Call Tobin at DSS if you want good advice, value, and service.