Any special skills needed for bp/wings?

[fishb0y]

Could somebody go into more detail on how exactly the whole weight setup is on a BPW? You guys have me intrigued and when I finally get rid of my OP5K I might get myself a BPW. Do you have to wear a weight belt with one? How does the whole ditching weight thing work with it? I like the idea of being able to make myself less bulky and more streamlined.

It all depends on how much weight you wear...

There are only a few reasons why you would need to ditch weight. With that being said, I wear no other weight besides the 6# from my BP & HP80. If you need more weight you could either wear a weight belt or get some tank weights.

 

[SangP]

Unlike what others have said, a bp/w will never be more complicated than a standard jacket bc. There are no integrated weight pouches, no cummerbunds, no pockets to even begin with. Even if you went crazy and tried to put every thing on a bp you'll be limited by your waist size.

The only real concern with most instructors with a bp/w is the emergency bc removal but it's just a matter of slipping off the crouch strap after you've unbuckled it.

As for weight placement, I would second NWGratefulDiver bout weight placement as a bp/w allows a lot more flexibility in where and how you add weights.

You could wear a regular weight belt, get a couple of weight pouches to place on the waist straps or even place them on the cam bands like my setup. You could even have bolt on v and p weights.

First, find your center of gravity, then place the weights accordingly.

SangP

 

[djanni]

Unlike what others have said, a bp/w will never be more complicated than a standard jacket bc. There are no integrated weight pouches, no cummerbunds, no pockets to even begin with. SangP

What are you thinking??? Of course bp/w's can have integrated weight pouches, backplate pads/covers, pockets and when added as accessories the bp/w can start to get MORE complicated, bulkier and less streamlined.

 

[SangP]

Perhaps in your world,

These are integrated weights pouches are optional and usually not included whereas a regular bc has weight pockets built in and they are usually not removable.

Tell me how would you make a bp/w more complicated than a regular bc?

SangP

 

[djanni]

Perhaps in your world,

These are integrated weights pouches are optional and usually not included whereas a regular bc has weight pockets built in and they are usually not removable.

Tell me how would you make a bp/w more complicated than a regular bc?

SangP

What world were you speaking of? :shakehead

Gosh man, if I need to tell you how a bp/w becomes more complicated after someone adds all the accessaries to it then you don't know much about BC's.

 

[SangP]

That's your claim that once you add on the other stuff to a bp it'll be more complicated than a regular bcd.

I'll just like to see you back up your words for once.

SangP

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

That's one of the inherent drawbacks to a jacket-style BCD ... and the more weight you need to carry the bigger a problem it can be. That's one reason why you see fewer jacket BCDs in cold water climes than you do in warm-water ones ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

I don't know. Up here north (at N64*) water isn't as salt as in warmer waters. My little experience with diving further south in warmer areas (The Acores) is salter waters and more lead. Now of course this wasn't in the tropics, and we used 7 mm wet suits. But I actually had to use more weights than I do with my regular neoprene dry suit back home. So positioning of weights is still an issue in warm waters, especially since alus seems to be the word down there.

In my opinion you'll find more "holiday divers" in warm waters, and more of us crazed must-dive-all-the-time around home, if you live in cold water areas.
Agree? And we are perhaps more into this "new tech stuff" than the average Mexico summer vacation "diver"...

(For the record my lead weights with dry suit are 2+2 kilos in a waist belt + 2,5 kilos fixed p-weight, plus BP and my light cannister.)

 

[MikeFerrara]

Could somebody go into more detail on how exactly the whole weight setup is on a BPW? You guys have me intrigued and when I finally get rid of my OP5K I might get myself a BPW. Do you have to wear a weight belt with one? How does the whole ditching weight thing work with it? I like the idea of being able to make myself less bulky and more streamlined.

First of all is the plate itself. They come in plastic, aluminum, stailess steel. There are heavier models and lighter models and I've even heard of divers soubling them up.

My stainless steel plate is about 6 pounds negative wo that's six pounds that I don't need on my belt and it's right next to the bladdder where it needs to be.

With a backplate you also have the option of V-weights (those that bolt inbetween a set of doubles and a backplate or P-weights (a polish v-weight which bolts in the chanel of the plate between the plate and the diver).

You can of course still use weight belts or tank weights as needed and there are all kinds of weight pouches you can buy.

 

[LOG-SPLITTER]

have 4 logged dives and decided to purchase my own as I didn’t want to rent my gear.
I read many many posts and pmed allot of experienced divers here and made my decision to get a bp/w.

It does feel a little different when you put it on out of the water but not in a bad way.
After adjusting it to my size and going in the water with it WOW what a feeling all of the weight is gone.
I found I was much more able to move more freely.

Just my $0.2 good luck on what ever you buy

http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m108/gobby_01/Picture033.jpg

 

[rongoodman]

Could somebody go into more detail on how exactly the whole weight setup is on a BPW? You guys have me intrigued and when I finally get rid of my OP5K I might get myself a BPW. Do you have to wear a weight belt with one? How does the whole ditching weight thing work with it? I like the idea of being able to make myself less bulky and more streamlined.

In my drysuit and fleece underwear, I'm good with the 6 lb plate and 6 lb tank adapter using an LP-85 tank. This weekend I removed the weighted STA and wore a belt with six pounds, just to have some ditchable weight. I can't tell much difference between the two as far as trim goes.