Bp/w vs jacket

[h2odragon1]

Has anyone noticed how some of the BP 'systems' being put out by the BP makers are starting to look like back-inflate jackets?
The OMS IQ pack and its brothers the Comfort Harness system I & II?
The Dive-Rite Transpac?

Weren't BP/W setups supposed to limit failure points in a harness?
Single piece webbing instead of chest and/or shoulder releases?

The only thing being retained is the ability to swap out the wings.

 

[IceBergSlim]

Not sure about "starting" as those items have been around for a long time.

I admit I don't know why anyone would use an IQ Pack or Transpack over a single piece of webbing (yet I have indeed owned both briefly in the past)

IQ is an absurd collection of padding and hardware and the Transpack has about a million "failure points". (which I really don't care about but it used to be very fashionable around here to use that term)

 

[rstofer]

Perhaps some folks don't hold the one piece harness in such high esteem.

That's the nice thing about 'markets'. What sells is what people want to buy. Make enough variations available and the winners will float to the top. Now you can argue all day about the stupidity of consumers but, at the end of that day, money talks and everything else walks.

Richard

 

[RAWalker]

There are a few conditions that make the one piece harness less desireable for some divers.
Beyond those conditions some people just prefer to have a shoulder release or 2 while other people like to have padding on the shoulders or for their back.
Regardless of the arguement of failure points these rigs will remain simply because they make the diver more comfortable. When I say comfortable I don't just mean physically but also that it gives them mental comfort and allows them to better enjoy their diving experiences.

 

[fire_diver]

It's because almost everyone starts out in a poodle jacket, and they typically want something like what they already know, even when branching out into something new. So the result is a bastardization of true concept.

 

[Walter]

Vests were originally an excellent piece of equipment. Some still are. To boost sales, some folks started adding "features." Things like padding, cummerbunds until eventually some divers were looking like the Michelin man. All these "features" actually make diving harder, but uninformed folks think they are nice to have, so they continue to sell. It got to the point where many people think all vests have these "features" and many of those who think about their diving, started using a BP/wing instead. Others simply stayed with vests that dopn't have those "features." Well, a BP/wing is used by many "tec" divers, so it's gotta be cool. If Susy Creamcheese uses a BP/wing, she'll be cool too. Only trouble is, Susy loves her "features." Several years ago, folks started putting those "features" on BP/wings. Anyone want to guess how long it will be before the majority of BP/wings have those cute little "features" that make diving harder?

 

[halocline]

It's like whole wheat donuts and chocolate bagels...convergence to the center in order to try to sell something to everybody.

 

[The Kraken]

Dragon Man,

I think that's because of so many ill perceived notions that the rig will be too "uncomfortable".

What so many people seem to forget is that one feels the weight of the rig for such a very short time before the dive.

I certainly don't understand the need for back padding. The wing, by the pure laws of physics, is lifting the backplate away from the diver's back during the dive.

And before the dive, the only pressure, to amount to anything, is on the shoulders.

Too many people equate a BP/W rig to a hiking backpack. The forces and applications aren't the same and they are making a serious error in the assessment of the rig.

The gravitational forces exerted upon the body of the diver are so very different from those of a backpacker.
It's not as if one is making a 20 mile forced march with the rig on.

Much ado about nothing.

the K

 

[IceBergSlim]

Why were the IQ PAck posts deleted?

 

[The Kraken]

They weren't.

Are you sure you're in the right thread???

the K