Which BP/W system to buy?

[DennisS]

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Now look at the financials. If diver goes with bare harness and learns it correctly but still wants a comfort harness, he's only spent $20-30 max for the harness. On the flip side, if he buys a comfort harness and decides he wants to go with a basic harness, now he's spent up to a few hundred dollars and will likely lose 50% selling used gear.

The dive-rite deluxe harness is $36 dollars at scubatoys. It makes putting on and taking off the gear easier.

Dive Rite Deluxe Harness reviews and discounts, Dive Rite

 

[fnfalman]

When I've already spent $2000 or more for rec diving equipment, or $4000 or more for tech diving equipment, I doubt that even an extra $150 for the comfort harness would be that big of a deal for saving.

 

[The Kraken]

Bennbuoy,

Buy what you want to buy and be happy with it.
You're headed in the right direction anyway by choosing a BP/W.
Don't sweat the details. You're a new diver. Get a rig that fits and works for you and move on.
There are those who will argue every little detail of a BP/W set up, but at the end of the day for most of us, it doesn't make an ant's butt of difference what we select.

the K

 

[cool_hardware52]

Always a good idea to keep the OP in mind.

Hi all, I am a new diver and am just getting my gear, I have decided that I want to go to a BP/W setup.

The BEST advice I can provide is that complex harnesses are largely unnecessary.

What do I base my harness recommendation on?

Not on some fanciful imagined safety risk associated with gear removal upon surfacing after after a ~90 minute single tank dive to discover Hurricane Igor has fooled the forecasters, changed course and is closing on my previously calm idyllic dive site.

A properly setup hog harness is easy to ditch.

Not on some unmentioned physical limitation of the inquiring diver.

The OP did not declare any physical problems.

Not on what a few "celebrity" divers have been photographed using.

Not one of the referenced celebrity divers have come here and declared an adjustable harness in lieu of a simple hog harness as their recommendation for the OP. Not one.

The simple reason I recommended the one piece harness for the OP is that my actual experience outfitting 1000's of new divers has consistently shown that the vast majority end up with a simple one piece harness. Buying the right gear first is always the least expensive way to go.

To recommend anything else, in the absence of a compelling reason to do, so would be a disservice.

Pretty simple.

Tobin

 

[on_two_wheels]

Okay....everyone with the average skill/experience level like myself take heed: I acknowledge you are all wise and possibly right in the vast internet research you've done. The only thing I'll stick to is my opinion which happens to coincide with that of Tobin. Given his profession, I'll chalk him up as THE authority on this thread about what buyers end up doing most.

This thread is worn out. Just repeating everything. To the OP, I'd pay attention to cool_hardware52.

 

[halocline]

The dive-rite deluxe harness is $36 dollars at scubatoys. It makes putting on and taking off the gear easier.

Not in my experience, in fact for me the hog harness is much easier to put on and slightly easier to take off. That's why after two weeks of use, my dive rite "deluxe" harness, the one with a quick release on the left should strap, was relegated to the closet where it sat collecting dust until I raided it for D rings on a hog harness for my 2nd plate.

 

[on_two_wheels]

Tobin's value in this thread is seeing people return to purchase what they should have in the first place. He has seen the purchases of thousands of divers while a "world class tech diver" or relatively active DM or instructor might have seen hundreds (at most) in the same time frame.

If you are to discount his opinion then just about everyone else's opinion here is of even less value (except a couple). I'm already humble enough to know mine is of less value. Are you?

By the way, the poll in Basic Discussions is supporting his observations...those are from real divers right here on the forums.

 

[Splitlip]

For the OP:

I would suggest going with the simple one piece webbing "Hog" harness. It's cheap. A whole lot less costly than fancier ones.

Get someone to assist you in making sure it is adjusted correctly. Avoid trimming, but dive it. If you really have issues (you should not) after working with somebody, you can cut the harness and add a buckle at one (left) of your shoulders as a quick release. I had that on my first back pack, but seldom used it.

If you still have issues, throw the buckle and webbing in your locker and have at it with another system.

 

[BB1]

So do I. We offer and I have sold many adjustable harnesses. I actually stand to profit more from selling adjustable harnesses. OTOH I have a long term view. I want to have long term satisfied customers and selling them something they don't really need, that they will likely replace is not IMO a wise choice.

My standard advise is to buy a simple harness and learn to use it. The vast majority ultimately find this advise worthwhile. The number of divers first sold a Hog harness that return to purchase an adjustable is vanishingly small.

And that is why I will be going back to DSS when I am ready for my doubles rig.

Never known another shop/business try and talk me out of buying something especially when it means more sales/profit.

DSS = Business integrity IMHO.

Not the cheapest out there but the right choice for me and apparently many others!

 

[RAWalker]

Here's my suggestion....watch the DIR III video ( free download ) and watch the presentation George gives on how to rig a bp/wing , and how and why everything works on it....this is a classic explanation, it provides excellent answers for all the questions in this thread, and it is focused on recreational diver use of a single tank system, but also goes into the tech uses as well. A nice bonus, is the spectacular Wakulla cave footage at the end of the video...I am pretty sure he will debunk the need for a "comfort harness" or emergency release add on.
www.gladiusinv.com/dir3.wmv

**The presentation of the bp/wing set up begins about 10 minutes in to the video ( so you can walk away and come back in ten minutes after starting the video--if you don't want to hear the overview). If you like the video, you can right click and hit SAVE TARGET AS , I think , to save this to your PC ( I don't expect it to stay on this server forever...).
REgards,
DanV

Thanks Dan,
I watched the first 20+ minutes and have already decided DIR is not for me.
I have enought experience to pick and choose the equipment I like.
I don't dive with a team that is configured in the same way. I dive with a varied group of recreational, tech and student divers and as such the DIR system will not be of value to me.
Indeed the problem with DIR is that if you are not with divers that are taught, practiced and configure the same way the concept fails. You can not rely on your buddy in the same way.
DIR is not for everyone and IMHO unless you are buddied with or in a group of DIR divers there are better choices.

Also Dan demonstrated the overhead don and doff of the rig as I have already stated I do not believe that to be the safest method and I have experienced conditions that I would not want to doff my rig at the surface using the overhead manuver.

The shoulder realease has been of great debate but the fact is that the majority of recreational BCD (BP&W and Jacket style) do use releases and they have not become a point of failure that has prompted any action by designers or manufacturers.
Some of us just plain prefer having a release. We have varied reasons. Some of them have already been discuss so there is no reason to go back into that.

So If DIR appeals to you or anyone else enjoy but I'm not one of the new species of underwater sheep.