Another new guy... Another gear recommendation thread

Hey all,

I have been lurking here for last couple of weeks trying to soak up some of the great information and knowledge available here, glad to officially be on board.

A little background on me. I'm 24 and work as a firefighter/paramedic in Wilmington, NC. I got NAUI OW certified back in 2009 through my fire dept when we were trying to form an interagency dive team, I did my 1 OW dive in a lake in an old rock quarry to get certified. The dive team didn't pan out and I haven't dove since. Taking my OW cert was a blast and I really loved doing the dive I just had other obligations at the time and didn't have time or money to devote to a new hobby. Fast forward to today... I've recently got the itch and want to get back into diving and take advantage of some of the 100s of wrecks off the southeastern NC coast. I have signed up for a OW refresher course in April through a LDS. After that I am considering doing PADI AOW and getting my own gear. With my work schedule I am hoping to be able to get 4-8 dives a month with a few more in the summer months. Most of my dives will probably be chartered through the LDS I'm taking the refresher course with unless I find someone else to hook up with.

On to my main question, purchasing my own gear. If my refresher course goes as planned and I enjoy it as much as I did the first time around I really hope I can turn this into a hobby I will enjoy for many years to come and living on the coast I will be able to do enough dives to make purchasing my own equipment worth while.

I have a budget of ~$1500, I can go higher if I will really be gaining a lot but would like to keep it much lower if possible so I can afford more classes/charters/accessories in the short term. I would like to buy gear that I'm not going to grow out of in a year or two. I imagine I will mainly be doing single tank warm(?) water dives. I may get into tec diving down the road, unsure at this point but want to keep my options open. Basically something versatile and durable is what I'm looking towards, I'm a huge proponent of the KISS principle.

My LDS offers a deal if you buy BCD, reg setup, and computer together you get 20% off everything. Seems like a good deal and if at all possible I would like to give them my business to start forming a relationship plus the benefits of having them help with setup and servicing. However, some of their prices seem a little high so I'm not opposed to ordering online through a trusted dealer if I can get a lot of bang for my buck. Seems a lot of people use Scubatoys here.

After spending close to 2 hours talking to the guys in my LDS about gear here is what they are recommending. They are pushing a lot of higher end stuff I don't think I really need but I listened because they were very receptive and helpful in talking to me and answering all my noob questions.

Dive Rite Transpac
DR Travel exp wing
Apeks xtx50 regulator 1st and 2nd stage
Apeks xtx40 octo
Suunto Vyper Air w/ transmitter
Grand total quote with 20% off is still >$2300 (way too high)

After doing some research I've pretty much decided against the transpac. I'm leaning more towards a true BP/W setup for simplicity, versatility, durability, and the ability to progress into tec diving if I decide to go that route. I'm pretty sure LDS carries DR transplate but not much else it didn't seem. I'm looking for the best bang for my buck. I really don't know what is best for me. (I'm 6'2" and ~185# if that helps)

I don't know much about wings so I'm open to suggestions. I can't imagine I would require more than the 27lbs of lift the travel exp has for the diving I'm planning on doing in the short term but again not positive. I've read great things about oxycheq though, LDS doesn't carry them.

Don't know much about regs either so again open for suggestions.

Suunto Vyper Air w/ transmitter seems way overkill and expensive for me at this time. I want something simpler, Suunto Zoop maybe?

Basically I'm open to any and all suggestions, you guys seem very knowledgeable and willing to help new guys which is why I'm here. I'm going to shut up now and leave it to the experts to weigh in with some recommendations. Thanks in advance for any help you guys and gals may be able to give. Also if there is anybody in the Wilmington, NC area I may be in search of a dive buddy in the near future so hit me up. Once again thanks and glad to be here.

Will

I can put you in a plate and wing, complete cold water reg set, and all you'd need to do is get a simple wrist mount computer from another source since I don't sell computers yet. I'll PM you a quote. Way less than 2300.

For the most part a wing is a wing. Brand is all about personal preference so paying $400 instead of $200 (for example) isn't really gaining you anything except a lighter wallet. Same thing with plates. That said, the transpack is a comfortable system, if a bit pricey.

There is a great lift calculator here:http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...ems/158370-ultimate-wing-lift-calculator.html

You're probably right about the 27 pound lift being more than enough. Using a 6 pound SS plate and STA I use an 18 pound wing with an AL80. I have to add up to 16 pounds in cold water and split that between pockets on my harness (recently) and a weight belt.

I don't know anything about apex regs but I'd dare say if you dump the transmitter and just put an SPG on a hose you'll save yourself probably $300-$400 dollars right off the bat. That might get you closer to your budget and still allow you a good relationship with your LDS.

I bought all used gear and generally recommend that as a really good option if you're on a budget. I got a good set of gear, including 3 tanks 4 sets of regs, something like 6 BCs and 2 computers for about $1400 after servicing and hydro/viz on the tanks. It just takes a little shopping but this is a great place for gear research, if used is something you'd consider. I suspect, if used is an option, you'll find lots of gear in your local area for reasonable prices.

Oxycheq 30lbs wing, HOG regs and a bottom timer.

I dive Apeks regulators and love them.
Try them first, if you are comfortable with them, you will have reg's that will accompany you all your diving life.

If you want to save money buying a cheaper computer is a good idea, if you want to do night dives you might want to consider one with backlight, though. I have heard the luminiscent display of the zoop did not satisfy all divers.

You can be under your budget by quite a bit if you didn't get the wireless, air-integrated computer.
I'm not going to talk you into or out of it. My wife dives with one, with a Uwatec bottom timer as a backup, she loves having wireless air integration.

I don't use one, just bottom timers. Anyway, that will take up a big portion of your budget.

Regs: Dive Rite or HOG regs are good, and will preserve much of your bubget.

BP/W: There are some good choices out there, just search around. I'm a fan of Deep Sea Supply, between my wife and I, we have 4 different DSS rigs, I also have one Oxycheq wing. I used to own a Dive Rite wing.

Anyway, search the forum and you'll find plenty of info.

Your stated budget can cover everything you need, the computer might put you over the top.

A Deep Sea Supply complete single tank rig is $465.
As "Teller" mentioned above...30 lbs. of lift is a good amount of lift.

A HOG singles reg package w/SPG will cost you $499. (price from Dive right in scuba)

That leaves $536 remaining from your budget for a computer. The two options above will give you a reference point for budgeting.

You can get a computer for around $150, Dive right in scuba just had one listed for around that. You'd still have money left over for a dive light and other things.

You've got a lot of options, just keep reading and searching.

-Mitch

I know Apeks in the US is rather spendy as it is n NZ also, but if you know someone anywhere in the EU you can pick up Apeks from scubatsore.com for almost the same as DR or HOG. I use Apeks, scubastore send to Japan, they are simple, reliable, I can get service kits for them and service myself, also there is only 1 1st and 2nd stage kit for all models. If not, HOG would seem like a good option, very good reports and great service from the owner, can also buy service kits should you decide to go down that road. I own Oxycheq wings and use either Hollis or AGIR plates, the AGIR is expensive, the Hollis is cheapish and is a nice plate. DR plates are cheaper I have used theirs before and they work as designed just the finish is not a nice, having said that they all begin to look like crap under heavy use. If I didn't already own Oxycheq wings and there was a dealer in my country I would have probably gone with a DSS rig, still probably will some day. Unless you have money to burn Id go with a simple B&G SPG and a non air computer my reasoning is simply that a SPG works fine, is cheap, the money I saved by not buying AI I can use on actually diving and lastly computer technology and prices change fairly quickly so in a year or two its likely a newer/flashier i.e. OLED and cheaper model will be available and its possible that the direction diving has taken you has changed also. FWIW I dive a Suunto Vyper non AI in a DSS bungee mount, highly recommend the mount, if it was OLED I would say its perfect for my type of diving but it isn't so Ill just say its pretty good for 80% of my diving. I also dive a UWATEC bottom timer as back up (not really necessary for OW rec diving) a lot of my diving is travel diving abroad and live-a-boards and having the bottom timer means that if my comp dies I can still dive without too much hassle. I would expect you to be able to get a "set" for less than $2300, that seems a little on the high side. Good luck.