Potential gear config- opinions?

I know there are many posts of those with "what do you think of this setup?" but here's one more. Each diver has their own needs/requests, so I hope you'll forgive the repeat post of a common topic.

Having said that, I'm about to purchase gear for myself & my wife. Each of us have only about 60 dives under our belts, so in my eyes we're still in the novice category. Here's a bit about our interests:

Me: Enjoy quarry diving as well as tropical reef. Recently enjoyed my first cavern diving experience & will be pursuing formal training in that. Possible interest in wreck (penetration) years down the road, but only after several hundred more dives & appropriate training. I haven't yet dove dry suit, but will be interested within the next couple years when $$$ allows. I plan to take a DIR-F class, and find many of the principles in JJ's book very logical & enticing.

Wife: Tropical "look at the fish" diving, but also highly enjoyed cavern diving & wants to take a cavern class as well. She is NOT interested in cold water, cave, wreck, deep diving. Shallow "pretty" dives is where it's at.

What I'm thinking:

For Me:
- Apeks ATX-50/ATX-40, 7' hose on primary; DS4 first stage, DIN
- SS BP/W - undecided on plate & wing brands (FredT or S&W plate & Oxycheq 30# wing?)
- Suunto D3 bottom timer. (The UWATEC & OMS bottom timers look so darn large...I haven't seen them in local shops, however.)
- I use a 3mm full body neoprene suit right now

For Her: (heck, we can't match...)
- Scubapro Mk25/S600 (she prefers light, smaller regs) or maybe Atomic Z1 or M1 (though concerned about servicing Atomic when we're out of the country or out of our local area) - also with 7' hose on primary
- Scubapro Ladyhawk (which she loved the feel of in the LDS, but hasn't tried w/ a tank & open water) vs. SS BP/W (she has yet to try one)
- Suunto Vyper
- She also uses 3mm neoprene

Comments?

Thanks,
Jim

Generally good equipment, but I don't understand the Suunto bottom timer. I would go for a dive computer instead.
ScubaRon

It may take years to finally settle on a gear config. that you are completely comfortable with. You'll never know, until you get in the water, and see how everything works for you. Whoknows. You might change your mind several times..several years from now.

Strap all the gear on.. and go for it.

I would seriously reconsider buying two different brands of regulator - Apeks and Scubapro may not be brands both available in the same shop, so you'll need to go to different dive shops to get them serviced - might as well get either both Apeks or Scubapro, and have the same technician work on your regs. Plus if you buy locally, you might be able to negotiate a better price for a larger purchase.

Ditto on the bottom timer - might as well both get the same computer, eg Vyper - for warm tropical diving, you can utilise the computer to its best advantage, and for local diving, you can reset your own to gauge mode for diving tables. Your wife will be diving using the computer's algorithm, so you might as well.

On your wife's BCD ... the LadyHawk is a really nice rig. But I'd recommend she try it on with a tank attached before you purchase. Also, if possible, with the exposure suit she'll generally be wearing. Things tend to fit differently under load, and in exposure gear.

She'll probably still love it, but it's best to find out if you're going to have any issues with proper fit or comfort before you buy.

Likewise the BP/harness if she's considering one.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Gear tends to be a personal choice after a few years, you will find that your choice changes as your experience grows. However, the list you have is a good one and will serve you well. My only suggestion I have has already been made by a few others and involves the bottom timer versus dive computer. I would opt for the dive computer, same as you are looking at for your wife. You can always run it in bottom timer mode when you need to, and in computer mode when diving with your wife and more scenic conditions.

Thanks for all the responses so far. A few things:

1) I agree w/ the dive computer for both issue. More I think about it, a Vyper for each of us would be a better option.

2) Wife's BC....will definitely have her try on whatever setup "fully loaded."

3) Regs: one LDS carries both Scubapro & Apeks, so that's what I was thinking of going with.. Atomic would make me use two different LDS's, and not sure I want to do that for several reasons.

Thanks, all!

Jim

GoBlue! once bubbled...
I know there are many posts of those with "what do you think of this setup?" but here's one more. Each diver has their own needs/requests, so I hope you'll forgive the repeat post of a common topic.

Having said that, I'm about to purchase gear for myself & my wife. Each of us have only about 60 dives under our belts, so in my eyes we're still in the novice category. Here's a bit about our interests:

Me: Enjoy quarry diving as well as tropical reef. Recently enjoyed my first cavern diving experience & will be pursuing formal training in that. Possible interest in wreck (penetration) years down the road, but only after several hundred more dives & appropriate training. I haven't yet dove dry suit, but will be interested within the next couple years when $$$ allows. I plan to take a DIR-F class, and find many of the principles in JJ's book very logical & enticing.

Wife: Tropical "look at the fish" diving, but also highly enjoyed cavern diving & wants to take a cavern class as well. She is NOT interested in cold water, cave, wreck, deep diving. Shallow "pretty" dives is where it's at.

What I'm thinking:

For Me:
- Apeks ATX-50/ATX-40, 7' hose on primary; DS4 first stage, DIN
- SS BP/W - undecided on plate & wing brands (FredT or S&W plate & Oxycheq 30# wing?)
- Suunto D3 bottom timer. (The UWATEC & OMS bottom timers look so darn large...I haven't seen them in local shops, however.)
- I use a 3mm full body neoprene suit right now

For Her: (heck, we can't match...)
- Scubapro Mk25/S600 (she prefers light, smaller regs) or maybe Atomic Z1 or M1 (though concerned about servicing Atomic when we're out of the country or out of our local area) - also with 7' hose on primary
- Scubapro Ladyhawk (which she loved the feel of in the LDS, but hasn't tried w/ a tank & open water) vs. SS BP/W (she has yet to try one)
- Suunto Vyper
- She also uses 3mm neoprene

Comments?

Thanks,
Jim

Click to expand...

Just a thought. If you buy two the same of something then you can mix and match as necessary. For example on vacation, parts from one can sometimes double as spare parts for the other and/or you can have one set of spare parts and/or any specialised tools for both of you. Just a practicality mostly but one that I would consider.

Think about all the spare parts you might need BCD (spare inflator hose/mechanism, orings etc), flippers (spare fin straps), computers (spare batteries, lens protectors/covers) Regs (orings, mouthpieces, diaphragms plus a few special tools) etc. etc.

Of course comfort and functionality take priority but since you're buying two I thought I'd mention it.

And a final thought: Try everything in a pool before making any investments. Most dive shops will let you do this.

R..

GoBlue! once bubbled...
For Her: (heck, we can't match...)
- Scubapro Mk25/S600 (she prefers light, smaller regs) or maybe Atomic Z1 or M1 (though concerned about servicing Atomic when we're out of the country or out of our local area) - also with 7' hose on primary
- Scubapro Ladyhawk (which she loved the feel of in the LDS, but hasn't tried w/ a tank & open water) vs. SS BP/W (she has yet to try one)
- Suunto Vyper
- She also uses 3mm neoprene

Comments?

Thanks,
Jim

Click to expand...

Good choices, but I would have her to try it in the water first, and as others posted, I would get two identical setups....

p.s. As far as I remember, Mk25/S600 is not any smaller or lighter than ATX50/DS4

Right, the ATX-50 & S600 are about the same size. The reason I mentioned her favoring a smaller size is that among the Scubapro regulators, I would otherwise consider the G250, since it seems that the G250 & S600 are essentially the same 2nd stage except for size, weight, etc. The "important parts" seem to be identical.

Jim