Air2 or Octo... or Both??

[BKP]

My feeling exactly, Mike... if it works for you, it's all good...

(And absolutely... I'm hopeless when it comes to new mouse traps...!).

 

[HowieDean]

I am not prone to bragging - but I have excellent bouncey control - I use my inflator 4 to 6 times on most dives - Allot of folks never touch their OCTO - they learned about it in class - umpteen years ago - I wash everybody's gear at the end of the day - don't know how many SAND filled OCTOS I've cleaned..

That's what I mean about they handle it every dive............

 

[nerobanchee]

As for the Air2, I was just voicing my opinion. If it works for you and serves you well, all the power to ya! I just don't like it. Ford, Chevy, Honda, Nissan...it still all gets you there (usually).

Ha! So true (about the cars), hehe...

 

[jeckyll]

I remember following an "insta-buddy" and watching his backup drag through the sand and thinking "Man I sure hope I won't ever have to put that thing in my mouth".

Oddly I've never seen that with my regular diving buddies, especially the ones with the bugined backup under their chin and long hoses....

To the OP: You need to dive whatever will make you comfortable, but from what I hear on Scubaboard, we must have more Backplate& Wing and long hose divers up here in the PNW than just about anywhere else.

If you'd like feel free to PM me and I'll be more than happy to discuss my gear choices and how I made them. YMMV.

Bjorn

 

[nerobanchee]

There are some nice equipment configuration pictures on the BAUE site.

Thanks for the link, I understand now
Is the clip on the reg's hose to clip it on when you are not diving? Would that be safe underwater clipping it to your bc? Can the necklace come off easily in an emercency situation? It looks like string in the pic, but is it elastic?
Thanks!

 

[nerobanchee]

Ok, so...
I see the pros and cons for each. I think I will go with the octo + reg though, it just seems more reliable and if I ever want a different bc, I can easily change with that reg set up. I am trying to have the most easily accessible set up to myself and my buddy for any emergency situation. I think the Air2 (or similar inflator set ups) would be good if they were better designed, but since they are still relatively new, I think the parts need some working on.

Thanks everyone for your opinions on this. I wasnt sitting well with the one biased opinion the guy from the sporting goods/LDS place gave me.

 

[CBulla]

2. primary and long hose octo (no Air2)

Bingo!

 

[jeckyll]

nero: The octo is typically on a bungie cord. It stretches, but only so much, however, your reg mouthpiece will pull out of the bungie if you tug on it hard.

You wouldn't typically clip off the reg on the long hose in the water. But when your gear is sitting around (on a boat or in the sand etc) it's nice to clip that expensive regulator off so that it's not getting dirt in it / bashed around.

I did both my AOW and Rescue with the BP&W and Long hose setup, though I can tell you that I think Rescue would have been simpler in a standard BCD.

You'll find many _many_ posts regarding the benefits of a BP&W setup on the board.

 

[loosebits]

Thanks for the link, I understand now
Is the clip on the reg's hose to clip it on when you are not diving? Would that be safe underwater clipping it to your bc? Can the necklace come off easily in an emercency situation? It looks like string in the pic, but is it elastic?
Thanks!

The clip is for stowing your reg when breathing another reg (such as when doing deco or OOA). Its also useful for at the surface but this is a secondary concern. The clip is on there using a break-away connection (or at least it is on my reg) so a good yank will free the reg.

The secondary can usually be yanked free of the necklace depending on how you've got it set up and obviously you can take the necklace off but I can't imagine wanting (or needing) to do either.

The necklace is usually made from a rubber tube or bungee. I prefer bungee. You can buy them but they are very simple to make yourself.

 

[nerobanchee]

The clip is for stowing your reg when breathing another reg (such as when doing deco or OOA). Its also useful for at the surface but this is a secondary concern. The clip is on there using a break-away connection (or at least it is on my reg) so a good yank will free the reg.

The secondary can usually be yanked free of the necklace depending on how you've got it set up and obviously you can take the necklace off but I can't imagine wanting (or needing) to do either.

The necklace is usually made from a rubber tube or bungee. I prefer bungee. You can buy them but they are very simple to make yourself.

Thanks for all the descriptions...
This makes a lot of sense to me, and maybe after all of my classes (the instructor wants us to have all the same set up) I will try this method. My school is very picky about what we can or cannot have because of their strict saftey conserns. Everything has to be approved. But I guess it works, because there have only been a few "close calls" no deaths yet...