Info Beginners Guide To BP/W

[purbeast]

Please create another thread if the topic of conversation does not pertain to the original thread. I attempt to keep this clean so that others do not have to filter through 40 pages of info to find what they are looking for.

Cheers

Sorry. I thought it was relevant because I'm a noob to BP/W so I'm asking a lot of noob questions.

 

[dmaziuk]

Does the hollis 25 stabilizer velcro in? I use a Hollis S38 wing with their velcro in stabilizer and have never had an issue. Just came back from two weeks in the Cayman where they set up my stuff too. Maybe I've been lucky.

It's probably the same: it's couple of inches wide, a few inches long, sides are about a centimeter thick, velcroed in in the middle. It's too small. When you know it's there and you need to align it, it works fine, but you have to a) know and b) pay attention. That doesn't always happen.

 

[MichaelMc]

Sorry. I thought it was relevant because I'm a noob to BP/W so I'm asking a lot of noob questions.

Purbeast, It is relevant. swimlikethefish is trying to collect several common questions into a Beginner document, but FAQ lists are not always complete, particularly new ones. Parts of your question 'tell me more on STA tradeoffs and effectiveness' might become a new post in the FAQ. Other parts of the discussion 'should I buy BP/W X' might go in their own thread.

To me some STA tradeoffs are:
- Aligned tank: metal STA does best with large immunity to variations in boat deck hand assembly efforts. Stabilizer dowels in wing do ok but might be slightly misaligned. Just straps with not stabilizers in wing I have not tried. I like my tank aligned.
- Rigid mount: Tightened down STA is very rigid, as is tank straps on metal plate. I do not like the floppiness if the STA bolts are loose, so I do not think I would like a soft plate.
- Quick change: Ratchet style straps such as Scubapro might be as fast and easier than messing about with 1 STA per tank + unthreading/threading the STA bolts.
- Distance from back: No STA is closer with possibly a tighter feel to your mass, STA pushes tank and reg further from back and from back of head possibly making looking up easier.

On each it depends on where you want the small tradeoffs to fall, or if they even matter enough for you to care. Translation: for a first time user, do not worry too much; if you get to dive a few you may develop preferences.

 

[eelnoraa]

- Distance from back: No STA is closer with possibly a tighter feel to your mass, STA pushes tank and reg further from back and from back of head possibly making looking up easier.

I can say this is part is 100% true. One may not may not notice the difference depends on one physique, but for me, after trying I don't remember how many of different plate models, sizes, STA designs, I ended up with STA for exactly the same reason. Without one, my head hit first stage when looking "up"

In my particular case, now all STA works. This one won't because it make tank sits higher
Highland by XS Scuba Single Tank Adapter

I need something like this, where the top tank band is below the top bolt, so I can move tank a bit lower than the STA above.
Dive Rite Single Tank Adapter

 

[purbeast]

Yes that is very interesting that you mention head hitting the tank.

When I tried out the Hydros Pro BCD I noticed that my head hit the first stage when I looked up. I also noticed this happening somewhat frequently when I was diving in my OW/AOW dives. Of course you can move the tank down a little bit to compensate, but then the reg has to travel further to get to your mouth, and I do recall some dives I felt like if I turned left I felt a tug back on the reg cause the hose was too tight.

But when I tried out the BP/W right after the Hydros Pro, I noticed that I never hit my head on the tank when looking up. And I didn't know that it included an STA until after the fact.

Perhaps for my build and body size an STA is just a better fit.

EDIT:

And I don't know if this is the place for this question, but are there instructions anywhere that show how to make or sew the scooter ring for the crotch strap for a BP/W? I'm contemplating getting 2 different colored nylon pieces and making 2 of them to see which I like better with my setup, and I think my mom has the tools to sew it properly, but if not, then I might just rig it up with a slider/dring.

Is there any downside to not having the scooter ring sewn and just creating one by double backing a slider instead?

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

I am going to be just a vacation diver for the most part, but I plan on getting everything but my fins into a carry on so the actual weight won't matter. Bulkiness would though. From the looks of them they don't seem very bulky.

I have a backpack i use as a carryon, on divedays i put my 2/3mm wetsuite, my bp/w my booties and my fins (Poseidon trident xxl) in it, mask in one foot pocket and smb in the other, i carry my regs in a reg-bag together with torch, camera and hose mounted DC. In that way i can some days leave the backpack on the boat and just take the reg-bag back to the hotel. when pack for a flight i take the STA (and wing) of the plate to get it less bulky.

For tropical diving with AL80 and 2/3 mm wetsuite i prefere a small wing, i just changed my Agir 36# for an VDH 18# and I love it. for diving steel tank back home I still use the Agir 36#.

If you will only do vaccation diving in warm water with AL tanks, go for a small wing, around 20#, not 30. the smaller wing is also less bulky when packing.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

One could possibly make the argument that some of the non-STA options do a poor job of aligning the bp/w to the tank and that swapping a tank takes longer as you futz with getting alignment right. I haven't personally found this to be the case, however.

You could still put some bolts to fix the wing to the plate. if you find some with very flat heads.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

I can say this is part is 100% true. One may not may not notice the difference depends on one physique, but for me, after trying I don't remember how many of different plate models, sizes, STA designs, I ended up with STA for exactly the same reason. Without one, my head hit first stage when looking "up"

For me it is the other way around, i feel he tank come to faar from my back with my combination of BP/STA (Agir) different plates have different height of the ridge.

 

[happy-diver]

MMO STA

Perfect!

closest to back and with 2 diameters flush with tank and rock solid, like Rock used to be until we found out

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

With that package you are showing up above, that is the same package I am looking at and tested without the back pad thing though. But that is replaced with the STA. The price is exactly what you calculated - $727.

for that price (i presume singel tank diving), just get a freedom plate (i know, waiting list) for $250 and an VDH #18 $239 combined with a standard harnes pack for ~$50 and 2 cambands ~$50 Less than $600 and you get gear as good as it gets.

The new Freedom Contour - The Rolex of backplates.