What do you think of my gear??

[PeterNBiddle]

No, I didn't! But Had I known how much better it would fit me, I would have rather bought what I dive now. Unfortunately no-one told me that BPW was an option, and when I asked instructor and shopowner about fins, they outright lied... So... maybe we can save her a few bucks by pointing her in the right direction, depending on what she wants to do. And if you read my first post, before she mentioned cave, I hade nothing bad to say about her choices with the exception of the fins.

Yeah but part of what we all go through, on any new activity, is learning what works for us now and adapting it as we learn what we want to do. That's okay. My first rifle remains a good shooter but it's not what I grab from the safe very often. Same with cameras, computers, climbing, everything...

And our sport is still in a huge state of transition today. There's a non-zero chance you'll be switching to side mount in the next 5 years. BP/W maybe something you look back at, not dive with. That's okay too.

 

[Imla]

That is true Peter, but the likelyhood of her diving caves (sensibly) in a jacketvest is nil! So.. I felt it was nessesary just to point out that she should at least entertain the option of trying gear that would be conducive to that activity.

Personally I see no point in buying a set of equipment beacuse she should "learn to adapt", when her stated goal already has excluded said equipment.
If on the other hand cave is not that important, then it doesn't really matter...

 

[The Chairman]

If she has a great desire of going Cave, then the gear choices she has made here will not get her there!

That's true no matter what she buys. If she buys a BP&Wing as you suggest, then she'll have to at least buy a new wing to accomodate doubles. If she bought a steel BP for the weight, then she'll need an aluminum or Kydex BP to shed that weight. When I first went into doubles, I would spend time to reconfigure my gear one way or the other. I remember one day teaching a class in a single, changing my setup over to doubles for a cave dive and then having to change back once more. It was a pain in the arse! About the only thing I share between my side mount and back mount gear are my lights, my mask, my boots and my fins. Everything else is dedicated one way or the other.

 

[ermaclob]

That's true no matter what she buys. If she buys a BP&Wing as you suggest, then she'll have to at least buy a new wing to accomodate doubles. If she bought a steel BP for the weight, then she'll need an aluminum or Kydex BP to shed that weight. When I first went into doubles, I would spend time to reconfigure my gear one way or the other. I remember one day teaching a class in a single, changing my setup over to doubles for a cave dive and then having to change back once more. It was a pain in the arse! About the only thing I share between my side mount and back mount gear are my lights, my mask, my boots and my fins. Everything else is dedicated one way or the other.

i see you point, but why dive single anyway. Doubles work great for almost everything ......

 

[The Chairman]

i see you point, but why dive single anyway. Doubles work great for almost everything ......

O rly? These 56 year old legs certainly don't think so. I can usually do two 60 minute dives on a single 120. Why double the weight? Now, I did have a pair of 72s that I dove double for a long time but I like 'em better for sidemount.

 

[divad]

So do you like my choices? Will these last me a while? I didnt want to go cheap and I want things that I wont "outgrow" as I get more into diving.

The consensus appears to be, in every response, that you'll eventually want to replace most of your choices, but that, "that is part of the fun." If you have a substantial trust fund, then what's the question?

 

[Nemrod]

Becca's choices are fine for the occasional just for fun diver. What she failed to take into account was that this forum is largely populated by serious or for better term, enthusiast divers who choose equally serious dive gear.

Her regulator, Titan XL, is a top performer on ANSTI testing, the bag of air (BC) can be replaced when it is worn out and her fins might be just right for her for many years.

N

 

[Peter_C]

I will probably dive locally every now and then but most of my dives will be tropical.

So are you in SoCal or NorCal? California waters tend to be cold enough that a drysuit is where it is at. Few people I know dive wet and don't get cold. Most everyone I dive with, dives in a drysuit. My gal started diving NorCal in a drysuit or she would have never gone for dive #2. She also started in a BP/W that works great for both cold and warm water diving using the same wing. Although she has a Uwatec Smart Z with a transmitter to use, she prefers my simple Uwatec Aladin 2G computer and uses her hip mounted mechanical pressure gauge all the time. The Hogarthian system works in all kinds of diving and although Hogarthian type gear comes in many colors, brands, and different configurations, the system is safe and functional.

 

[PeterNBiddle]

I see no point in buying a set of equipment beacuse she should "learn to adapt", when her stated goal already has excluded said equipment. If on the other hand cave is not that important, then it doesn't really matter...

I'm with you. I just don't think its worth tossing a bunch of perfectly serviceable gear she already owns when she ought to put a few hundred dives in before her gears lack of cavity (ha ha ha!) starts to matter.

 

[divad]

I'm with you. I just don't think its worth tossing a bunch of perfectly serviceable gear she already owns when she ought to put a few hundred dives in before her gears lack of cavity (ha ha ha!) starts to matter.

From the original post:
"I have a wetsuit mask and boots already but everything else I need."


At least read the original post before you comment on it.