I bought a ranger for my first year. Its now my lend-out bc. I moved to a bp/wing. Heres why: the ranger rode up on me (you really should get the crotch strap if you do get it), its bulky, the pockets are pretty useless for the diver wearing it if you're wearing any kind of gloves, it doesnt have a hard back which makes it a bit cumbersome to move around with the tank attached.
WIth the combination of the cumberbund and front strap there is just too much out front.
When i first got this rig i was happy with it until i started diving with people who dove with bp/wings. First thing i was jealous of was the fact that their front was so streamlined and simple. Second thing i was jealous of was the fact that it didnt ride move on them. Third thing i was jealous of was the stability of the tank on their back - it just didnt move whereas the ranger let it flop from side to side quite easily and i hated that.
The ranger was also more expensive than the bp/wings.
The only reason i can see to dislike a bp and wings is maybe if you dove in really warm water topless and the straps chafed you. Thats not much of a worry up here, so i'm not too concerned. However, i'm sure you could even get softer webbing if you needed to in that case.
I even have a friend thats been using my ranger and willing to buy it from me - but i keep telling him to save his money and buy a bp/wing setup. I couldn't in good concience sell him something i know is inferior. He's tried the bp and wing and fully agrees now.
steve
