Zeagle Ranger / Tech with doubles

Can anyone give me any info on rigging a Zeagle with doubles? Most dive shops seem to want to push backplates on me and I just don't have that kind of cash. Thanks

You have two choices:

1) Invest more money by buying the stabilizing plates for the Zeagle, find out that they don’t work well, eBay everything and get a backplate, or

2) Cut your losses, eBay the Zeagle and get a backplate now.

Almost all of us backplate divers started out with recreational or fashion-tech gear. The only variable is when you realize that if you start with a poor platform, nothing’s going to make it better. That turning point determines how much you waste on the wrong equipment.

Roak

Look on Ebay or there are few people on this board that make BPs. Pick up about 15- 20 feet of webbing, 5 D-rings, weight keepers, shock cord, and inner tube from your LDS, home depot. etc. and you can have a BP. Should not cost you a ton of $$.

Eric

jbrewer once bubbled...
I just don't have that kind of cash.

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A few folks hate it when I ask that question... but it is pertinent.

I will tell you right now that if you don't have enough cash to afford a bp/wings then you don't have enough cash for the other stuff necessary to do the dives that require doubles.... unless you have some other use for doubles that I am unaware of... hence my question:

Why do you need doubles?

...how we saw a guy on a boat in VA beach do it. He had a Ranger, though...had his tanks manifolded and just slapped the cam bands around one of the tanks. The other tank just sat next to it like a giant pony bottle.

Not recommending...just stating that you _could_ do it that way..

I am committed to going to doubles, but undecided between a Halcyon BP/Wings vs. Zeagle Tech. or Ranger. If I go Zeagle, it will be with the optional plate for added stability.

Does anyone use a Zeagle Product for doubles, and how is it? Halycon people feel free to jump in and tell me how you like doubles with it. I assume it would be the explorers wing, since that is halcyon's wing for doubles??

And people that have dived doubles with both a Zeagle AND Halcyon, I would be especially interested in hearing from you.

C'mon Uncle Pug, I've been waiting three days for your advise. (Geez, you make one smart azz comment about the guy's boat, and you make the black list).

Halycon people feel free to jump in and tell me how you like doubles with it.

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Ok!

I've only got 8 dives with doubles under my belt, but the transition from using a Pioneer 36lb wing to the Explorer 55lb wing was fairly easy for me - I don't have any particular issue with using the doubles (other than diving with them in a wetsuit, which is not going to be happening for much longer). I haven't used any other setup with doubles apart from the bp/wings, and I have no complaints. I like that I can easily switch wings weekend to weekend for different configurations, and keep my harness and the rest of the rig the same. I'm still a relatively inexperienced diver (~50 dives), but I'm happy I went with Halcyon, and I have no urge to use anything else for either my single or double tank diving.

I started my doubles diving with my ranger. I switched to a Tech when my wife took the ranger. Later I switched to a tech pack because there isn't anywhere on the ranger or the tech to put a canister light on the hip. I did hundreds of dives in these setups. I now use a bp/wing only wether diving singles or doubles.

The problems we had with the bc's are as follows:
When inflated the wing pushes the tanks away fron the diver especially with the tech pack. this is because part of the wing is between you and the tanks and the tanks are not held rigidly to you like they are with a plate. That brings us to the next problem and that is the whole rig is not as rigid (stable) as the plate. The addition of a crotch strap helps but doesn't get you all the way there. The next problem is the shoulder D-rings and the quick releases. I carry my backup lights hogarthian style which means the release is covered by the light and the lower end of the light is bungied to the lower side of the shoulder strap which is that soft webing. Also, I was not happy with the location of the shoulder d-rings and there isn't much adjustment. All the other rings are useless. They are in the wrong places and of course they put extra ones on the tech that nobody could ever use. I think they are for looks or for the guys who want to dress like Christmas trees. Balance and trim is the other area where a plate comes out ahead. The fact that the plate holds the tanks closer to the back and the weight of the plate (which is right up against the back) makes for much better balance wether at the surface or at depth.

I went through an awful lot of work trying to make the bc's work with double only to end up going to a plate anyway. I have never used a plate with a Zeagle but you still have all the other problems.

I am a Zeagle dealer and for a long time tried to get them to make the bc's more tech freindly. their response was to add more rings and pockets. they are clearly designing them to apeal to the tech wannabees not tech divers. Given that they are located right near cave country and some of their employees must be cave divers I can't understand them not undersanding what cave and tech divers need.

I have converted my tech pack to a sidemount rig it looks good. I hope it works.

But, I took a picture of some the last time I was in VA Beach...this is on the Flying Fish...

Note: Picture was not taken because I was impressed...

I am also looking at the Zeagle.