mth71
Registered
Hi to all of you divers out there! After much research and talking with a number of individuals on this site, to whom I owe a great debt of gratitude, I have decided upon a BP/wing setup as my first gear purchase. I will probably be buying in just a few weeks, unfortunately probably not before I go away for the July 4th weekend, but that's okay, I don't want to rush anything. When I actually go to buy the gear, I'd like to get everything I need all at once, so I have am looking for a little more advice before I go for it.
I've been looking at the Extreme Exposure site, as that's probably where I'll buy the wing, but I'll be getting a FredT backplate (but I have no idea if I should get a heavy SS plate or the aluminum). Anyway, what I really want to find out about is the different weighting systems. Extreme Exposure offers two types of Halcyon Active Control Ballast systems and the trim weights for the tank. Does anyone have any input on those weight systems? They seem to be very expensive, not to mention bulky. While I hope I can get away from an annoying weight belt (even though I don't need that much weight - just around 15 lbs), I'd probably prefer that over the huge ACB canister system.
That's about the only question I have. I don't think I'm missing anything. I've got the BP and wing chosen (FredT and Pioneer 27 lb). Do I need to buy the webbing separately? How about D-rings - any recommendations on number and size? Most of my diving in the next year at least will be purely recreational, though I would love to get into technical as my experience grows, so I may not need the rings right now, but I don't mind buying them and setting the gear up once from the outset. How about pockets or padding? Any advice would be appreciated. I am grateful for *all* replies as each one is based on someone's personal experience, and is not based on some sales pitch (hopefully).
Mark
I've been looking at the Extreme Exposure site, as that's probably where I'll buy the wing, but I'll be getting a FredT backplate (but I have no idea if I should get a heavy SS plate or the aluminum). Anyway, what I really want to find out about is the different weighting systems. Extreme Exposure offers two types of Halcyon Active Control Ballast systems and the trim weights for the tank. Does anyone have any input on those weight systems? They seem to be very expensive, not to mention bulky. While I hope I can get away from an annoying weight belt (even though I don't need that much weight - just around 15 lbs), I'd probably prefer that over the huge ACB canister system.
That's about the only question I have. I don't think I'm missing anything. I've got the BP and wing chosen (FredT and Pioneer 27 lb). Do I need to buy the webbing separately? How about D-rings - any recommendations on number and size? Most of my diving in the next year at least will be purely recreational, though I would love to get into technical as my experience grows, so I may not need the rings right now, but I don't mind buying them and setting the gear up once from the outset. How about pockets or padding? Any advice would be appreciated. I am grateful for *all* replies as each one is based on someone's personal experience, and is not based on some sales pitch (hopefully).
Mark