Really tall - can I make a BP fit?

[King Kong Matt]

leadweight once bubbled...
What is wrong with a Transpac ll, other than it won't get you into the DIR club?

Did I mention DIR anywhere in my question?
Did I say that the Transpac II was bad anywhere in my question?

I am not looking to get in anyone's club. You don't know anything about me and as such, I would hope that common courtesy would lead you to refrain from making unsupported assumptions about my motivations.

I buy the gear that is the best and most comfortable for the kind of diving I do and intend to do in the future.

Are we clear?

 

[Spectre]

Can't the man get himself a straight answer so he can make an informed decision? He already stated that a transpac is being weighed in his decision.

I talked to Matt a bit about this, and let me see if I can rephrase/focus the question:

In order for a BP to fit around his waist, it's going to have to sit lower on his back. What are the cons of having longer shoulder straps and having the BP sit lower?

Now the only connection this question has to DIR is that DIR recommendations state the top of the BP should be at the second vertebra. DIR is a collection of concepts that were adopted for specific reasons. So to make an informed decision, Matt needs to know what those specific reasons are, so he can weigh those reasons along with everything else as he collects information to decide between his current BC, a transpac, a BP, or a custom built BP.

 

[King Kong Matt]

Spectre once bubbled...
Can't the man get himself a straight answer so he can make an informed decision? He already stated that a transpac is being weighed in his decision.

I talked to Matt a bit about this, and let me see if I can rephrase/focus the question:

In order for a BP to fit around his waist, it's going to have to sit lower on his back. What are the cons of having longer shoulder straps and having the BP sit lower?

Now the only connection this question has to DIR is that DIR recommendations state the top of the BP should be at the second vertebra. DIR is a collection of concepts that were adopted for specific reasons. So to make an informed decision, Matt needs to know what those specific reasons are, so he can weigh those reasons along with everything else as he collects information to decide between his current BC, a transpac, a BP, or a custom built BP.

Thanks Jeff...this is right on.

Let me take one more hack at my ? and between this and Jeff's response, I think everything should be clear...

The waist strap goes around the waist...hence the term waist strap. Given the universal and irrefutable truth of the statement...is it a definite and assured conclusion that by moving the BP down to accomodate this need that the BP won't fit correctly?

I know that getting a custom FredT is an option and it very well might turn out to be the *best* option out there...is it my only option is my real question. Is there a reason to believe, given my requirements, that a standard Halcyon BP won't AND CAN'T fit correctly?

Hope this helps...if it confuses you, ignore me and go with Jeff's version. I talked to hom on the phone at length about this. He knows exactly what I want.

 

[raxafarian]

I was told by the bp guru at the shop that the top of the bp should be in the same position and not lowered... should be able to reach the top of the bp. He said the 'fit' wouldn't be an issue.

Matt and I are planning on going diving on the 6th and I'm gonna let him try my bp... that way we can adjust it as needed and see if the length of the bp (or lack of) is an issue...


Now I have to get Lisa to go along to be his buddy, or else I'll be back to my POS jacket bc and looking for all that extra lead I'll need.

 

[large_diver]

One of the main reasons you want to keep the plate higher is to make sure you can reach the valve on your tank in an emergency. With 2 tank straps on a wing, it is difficult to try to raise the tank position in the straps to try and offset the lower BP position, especially if you have a boot on the tank.

Having the BP too low can also affect trim, since both your tank and BP-related weight are now lower on your body.

 

[leadweight]

Well King Kong,

If you don't want to get into any club, and did not say anything bad about the TP2, then my bit of sarcasm should not be worth replying to. But it was for you and several others. Relax and take a happy pill.

I think that the best thing to do is hop on down to a dive shop with some backplates of any kind and see what happens when you adjust the harness. It is kind of impossible to see if anything fits over the web, no matter how well meaning forum participants are.

Also, Scott Koplin makes a long backplate "for divers over 190 cm tall" try:

http://www.selchie.com

The back of the harness on the Transpac 2 only comes in 2 sizes. The remainder of the adjustments are via different legnth shoulder straps. This may be a limiting factor. Try Northeast Scuba in the Boston area, they are a large Diverite Dealer & may have a xxl in stock and some backplates as well.