Switching from Jacket bcd to Backplate/Wing??

[ermaclob]

So ever since i started diving about ~ a year and 1/2 ago. ive been using a somewhat old jacket bcd. Its a Oceanic Bioflex bcd, its pretty much your run of the mill jacket.
View attachment 116804

Its been serving me pretty well over all, however, i think im starting to out grow it (not physically :cool2.

one of the big issues iv been having is that there's a lack of D rings and mounting points, + everything is plastic. lately i find my self taking a lot of stuff down, lights, lobster gear, camera, smb, reel, dive flag rope when beach diving. 4 out of the 6 D rings on the vest i dont uses because there ether to small and weak or there on the adjustment strap. i have added 2 carabiners to make mounting stuff more easy. its also limiting in space do to the bladder being on my sides.

another thing that worry me a bit is when i sling my steel 40.
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this is most likely not the best way to do this, im pretty sure its doesn't hang in the most hydrodynamic way, but i work with what it have. in the water the only problem i encounter is the side of the bcd makes it somewhat difficult to unclip the back of the tank. But it isn't that big of a deal. i use this as a emergency air source on the few dives i do by myself at the beach. My real concern is when ever i need to walk to get to where i want to dive that the Bcd does not feel like its ok with that tank there (its obviously not made for this). its also the same when mounted on the main cylinder only worse.

So for those reasons and the fact that the bc is a medium and im a large. i was thinking of getting a new Bcd.

i thought about getting a back inflate, but then considered that it would probably be the same, minus some of the clutter up front.

i like the idea of the back-plate/wing bcds, almost every aspect about them seems like you can make them how you personally want the set up to be. im also i like the simplicity of the harness, on weight pockets or normal pockets (unless you want there to be), as many d rings as you want, plenty of space up front for you to move and put stuff. very customizable. also i hear bouancye is better with these.

they also look very durable, the straps on my bc are about 1 inch wide and don't feel like if there for carrying heavy stuff. im hoping these type of bcd are.

im very certain that this summer im going do my advance course as well as a possible rescue course. and was thinking of getting a better bcd before hand. im considering these bcds because the more classes i take the more i see my self moving towards taking a tech class or a cave class later on down the road.

what do you guys think about my situation and whether a wing setup is right for me? i dont know much about them and when ever i really think of them i think there mostly for tech divers or something of the sort.

im considering getting this , which i came across in another thread.

thanks

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I think the BC you have now is excellent. Those are very versatile and well designed BC's.

However, if you are going to be slinging a 40 and taking tech diving courses, then you might as well get a BP/W. I warn you, I tend to be skeptical, however I succumbed to all the ranting and raving on SB about how great the BP/W is and bought one. If i am not slinging a bottle, i prefer the BC for single tank diving (in S. Florida).. hell sometimes I even sling a bottle on my jacket BC,,

 

[ferris213]

I started out with a jacket bc, but it never really fit me very well. I also succumbed to all the hype here and am really happy with the result.

I would try and test dive a few before I laid down my cash if I were you though. Make sure you allow for all the extra gear your clipping to yourself when you calculate how much lift you'll need.

You might want to speak to a tech instructor before you buy anything to make sure what you buy now is compatible for the diving you hope to do in the future?

 

[ermaclob]

I started out with a jacket bc, but it never really fit me very well. I also succumbed to all the hype here and am really happy with the result.


I would try and test dive a few before I laid down my cash if I were you though. Make sure you allow for all the extra gear your clipping to yourself when you calculate how much lift you'll need.

where do you go to test that out??

You might want to speak to a tech instructor before you buy anything to make sure what you buy now is compatible for the diving you hope to do in the future?

that y im asking here

 

[lsorenson]

If you can not find a place to rent one closer, Gennie Springs has transpac's for rent... at least they did a few years ago. We stayed an extra day following our OW a few years ago and rented them. I was already leaning towards the bp/w but after trying the transpac for a day, I knew that was the way I was going to go. My wife still dives a transpac and I have been diving a bp/w ever since!

lee

 

[ferris213]

where do you go to test that out??

My local shop will rent out BP/W set ups fairly cheap, and if you buy from them the cost of rental comes off the price. Maybe speak to some of the more tech orientated stores near you? They might be able to rent them, or let you try out their stock in the pool? Maybe look to join a local club and ask fellow members to try their set ups?

 

[DevonDiver]

$300 for that BP&W package - can't go wrong.

1) You need to check that it has sufficient buoyancy for your desired diving: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...ems/158370-ultimate-wing-lift-calculator.html

2) You need to do some research on how to web, configure and size the Hog harness. Ideally, find a local mentor or instructor who can help you fit and adjust it..and sort out your trim in the water. Some older articles (there's LOADS here on Scubaboard):

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ad...weight-lift-capacity-gear-buoyancy-tobin.html

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...systems/391575-backplate-harness-fitting.html

3) When the time comes for tech/cave diving, you will use the same backplate and harness (which you will then be very familiar with) and just swap over for a dedicated doubles wing. It takes 2 minutes to swaps wings on a backplate.

4) The assumption that 'BP&W is for tech' is a myth. As a popular concept, it has devolved from the tech community into recreational diving. In the same way that anti-lock brakes devolved from motor-racing into family cars.. It has many obvious benefits for a recreational diver - namely the modular configuration, the ability to individually tailor it, a streamlined profile and improved trim/buoyancy characteristics.

5) Several tech diving agencies put an emphasis on maintaining the same basic configuration, regardless of whether diving tec, rec or cave etc. They do this to encourage equipment familiarity and comfort, among other things. The same logic would apply to a potential tec/cave diver - transition early into BP&W, so that you maximize comfort and familiarity before adding multiple tanks and attempting tec training.

6) Did I say that the notion of BP&W is only good for tech is a myth? It's a myth.

 

[TSandM]

I'll second what Devon Diver has said. Backplate systems are ideal for slinging bottles, too. But do be aware, with that list of things you're taking underwater with you, that you will not have pockets, unless you specifically buy and install them. Most of us who use backplates have pockets on our exposure protection for storing the miscellaneous items.

 

[Bob DBF]

4) The assumption that 'BP&W is for tech' is a myth. As a popular concept, it has devolved from the tech community into recreational diving. In the same way that anti-lock brakes devolved from motor-racing into family cars.. It has many obvious benefits for a recreational diver - namely the modular configuration, the ability to individually tailor it, a streamlined profile and improved trim/buoyancy characteristics.

It's a myth alright, I was diving with a backpack when I first learned SCUBA in 1963. I guess we were all tech divers back then.

BP's were used alone, with Mae West horse collars (for surface use only), later with Horse Collar style BC's. The first guy that tied his Horse Collar to the tank to get it out of his way was probably the first BP/W. Jackets started as a web harness (similar to the BP/W) with the jacket attached. I believe the atpac, a wing, came out and may be another a bit later and both more expensive, the jacket took over the recreational arena.

Several years ago I was checking out gear in the pool so I just used an old plastic backpack I had laying around and thought "I always liked diving this way" so I started looking around and picked up a BP/W. The ironic part is that the BP/W is now less expensive than the new jackets, and I still like it better.

Back to the future.



Bob
-----------------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[Deep South Divers]

Ermaclob, your profile says you are in South Florida. Check out Brownie's Southport in Ft. Lauderdale. They'll point you in the right direction and probably have BP/wing systems that you can try, since they retail Halcyon.

Yes, you are right... You are advancing past your current BC needs, but that is not to imply that BP/wings = "tech.". As other posters here have mentioned, backplates and wings can cover all kinds of diving with equal aplomb. Their benefits over the type of BCs that you are accustomed to include ruggedness and durability, a reduction in weighting requirements in a variety of ways, better trim characteristics, and complete modularity. This last advantage means that you can not only easily switch from doubles to singles to wings of different sizes to sling bottles, etc., but also that anything that wears out or breaks - which is rare - can easily be replaced for a fraction of the cost of a new BC. For example, I reweb my BP/wing with fresh, pretty webbing every 500 dives or so... If I was using a common BC, I'd have to purchase a new one to get the same benefit. Cost of rewebbing = about $15.

Plastic D-rings have several issues... One is that they are typically very small, and each holds only one or two items. With 2" metal D-rings, one D-ring can hold many items, so you are not forced to use a different D-ring just because one is already occupied. Another issue is that plastic of any kind becomes brittle with age in the sun and sea air. Not only do metal D-rings present a stronger connection from the outset, but they do not weaken with age. They also can not be broken by accidentally setting a tank on them or catching them in the slamming tailgate or trunk lid of your car or truck. Lastly, metal D-rings, as with all metal hardware, reduces the need for weight... That is, unlike plastic components, the more you have, the less weight you will need. In general, plastic floats whereas metal does not. The difference can mean another 1 or 2 pounds off of your weight belt or rig... And less lead weight to have to carry on your rig to compensate.

My reccomendation is to talk to Brownie's Southport and see for yourself. Likely, they will recommend a system that has five D-rings on it, placed in very specific strategic places which will enable you to carry more "stuff" than you'd ever want to logically carry while diving.

FWIW, carbiners are a horrible solution for diving. They are large and open easily with a simple push on the gate, which makes them great for their intended purpose... Rock climbing. Underwater, they very easily catch on monofilament, anchor lines, cave line, search lines, etc. All that needs to happen for this to occur is to get a carbiner anywhere near said entanglement point and *presto* you're snagged. If you read the book Deep Descent, you'll see that in more than one instance, a carbiner was blamed for the entanglement which caused a drowning fatality. Comparably speaking, 3/8" bolt snaps are streamlined and do not open accidentally or entangle spontaneously.

I once talked a buddy out of using one, and clipped it off to the handle of my dive gear bag. When we left the hotel to go dive, I slung my dive gear bag over my shoulder and walked out. The carbiner had entangled the lamp's electrical cord while sitting in the corner, and I almost walked out with the lamp. . I unclipped it, of course, entertained, but the damned thing caught the door frame, too, on my way out. The best place for that carbiner is exactly where it ended up... In the garbage can.