BP/W for me and my son?

[cool_hardware52]

Tobin will verbally slay you.

If you want confirmation of your choices I'm probably not your guy. If you want information and my opinion I'm happy to help. You are of course free to ignore it, but it's unlikely to change.

I don't spend much time arguing with people looking to buy their first back plate and wing…….

Tobin

 

[Herb-alaska]

If you want confirmation of your choices I'm probably not your guy. If you want information and my opinion I'm happy to help. You are of course free to ignore it, but it's unlikely to change.

I don't spend much time arguing with people looking to buy their first back plate and wing…….

Tobin

I Never meant to infer that Tobin was wrong in his advice and if I did I correct myself and apologize What I meant to say is that he can be painfully blunt and knows what he is talking about and will not discuss options that he feels are painfully wrong. Which can tend to rub some folks wrong when they are first exploring the topic
Herb

 

[Mike126]

One more in support of DSS. Tobin can easily explain what to look for regarding wing size etc. A BPW makes great sense for your son. My son is tall and lanky as well. I have a spare alum BP that will soon be his. Personally I think DSS wings are some of the best designed. No need for an STA and mounting to the BP is super easy.




Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[fjpatrum]

You already have the experts giving you options. I just have one piece of advice. Unless you have shoulder mobility issues you'll be fine with a standard single piece harness.

The plates are the best option for growth in either direction (bigger or smaller) so you're on the right track.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I just have one piece of advice. Unless you have shoulder mobility issues you'll be fine with a standard single piece harness.

Very true. The vast majority of 100's of thousands of BP&W in use today have no provisions for quick adjustment, quick release, "adjust on the fly" etc.

I have come to learn that much of the demand for buckles / QD's / slide 'O' matic harnesses stems from the way *jacket* BC function (or fail to function).

The typical jacket / vest BC attempts to control tank position with nothing but fabric. That leads to divers cinching their harnesses a snug as possible in a futile effort to keep their tank from flopping around.

These "jacket only" divers assume they will have to wear a "Hog" harness just as tight, and quite correctly anticipate difficulties getting into and out of a tight, eye popping hog harness.

What they don't realize is with a rigid plate there is no need for a "Marty Feldman" tight harness. The tank is secured to the plate, and the plate takes the roll out of the assembly. The harness, with shoulder straps, waist strap and crotch strap simply act to position the plate on the diver, *not* rigidly attach the tank to the diver.

This means a hog harness can and should be worn more loosely than the typical jacket BC. Not sloppy, but with enough give to allow donning and doffing.

For those with special requirements DSS offers the Glide Harness Adapter, but with a correctly adjusted harness most don't need one.

Tobin

 

[beaverdivers]

Any recommendations for the two of us? We are hooked and at this point want to progress in the sport

Why would you want to attach a metal plate to your son? Isn't he already negatively buoyant? Do you really want to travel with a piece of metal to Belize?

 

[cool_hardware52]

Why would you want to attach a metal plate to your son? Isn't he already negatively buoyant? Do you really want to travel with a piece of metal to Belize?

Most humans are pretty close to neutral, they make us out of salt water after all.

However if you wrap a neutral human in buoyant neoprene they will need some ballast to go diving. Add to that a buoyant cylinder, the typical al 80 is ~+4 empty, and your "neutral" diver needs more ballast.

How much ballast? Depends on the specific application.

BP&W's with lightweight plates may offer as little as ~2 lbs of ballast, and stainless steel plates with bolt on weights can offer 14-15+ lbs.

Very few applications can't be well served with a BP&W as long as the right components are selected.

Tobin

 

[dmaziuk]

Do you really want to travel with a piece of metal to Belize?

Do you want to travel with a jacket BCD? Granted a steel plate and STA together may be heavier, but the jacket's still bulkier.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Do you want to travel with a jacket BCD? Granted a steel plate and STA together may be heavier, but the jacket's still bulkier.

Or not. It's pretty common for a BP&W, even with a Stainless Steel Plate, to be lighter than a "full featured" jacket BC.

With a lightweight plate (which may or may not be the best in water choice) a BP&W can have a lighter "dry travel" weight than many jacket BCs.

Tobin

 

[dmaziuk]

OTOH scrap iron is apparently Belize's top 5th import so maybe "bringing metal to Belize" doesn't mean what I think it means...