Dive rite BP/W set up question

[lukemillar]

Do you really need a STA if you are only diving with a single tank and the dive rite SS BP already has two slots for the tank straps? Seems like it would be fairly secure once the tank straps tighten the tank to the BP.
I'm not quite sure why a 2" crotch strap would be more comfortable than a 1".

As has been said, you can thread the cam straps directly through the BP. However, I'd give another vote to the STA! I find it much easier to assemble/disassemble my gear for cleaning as the bolts are held in place by the cam straps and you get butterfly/wing nuts to secure the wing in place.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

As has been said, you can thread the cam straps directly through the BP. However, I'd give another vote to the STA! I find it much easier to assemble/disassemble my gear for cleaning as the bolts are held in place by the cam straps and you get butterfly/wing nuts to secure the wing in place.

What a lot of people don't take into consideration is that STA's move the tank further away from your body when added on to a plate that already sets the tank away a good distance just because of the V shape plus the hight of the channel. This combination will place the tank so far away from your back that it can affect your profile and adversly affect your center of gravity and make you top heavy.

Standard doubles plates were never originally intended or designed to be single tank plates. A STA was a band-aid for something that should have been redesigned from scratch in the first place for single tank use.

 

[Tanked]

What a lot of people don't take into consideration is that STA's move the tank further away from your body when added on to a plate that already sets the tank away a good distance just because of the V shape plus the hight of the channel. This combination will place the tank so far away from your back that it can affect your profile and adversly affect your center of gravity and make you top heavy.

Standard doubles plates were never originally intended or designed to be single tank plates. A STA was a band-aid for something that should have been redesigned from scratch in the first place for single tank use.

Huh?
The STA doesn't affect your center of gravity at all. How can it make you top heavy?

 

[fnfalman]

My DR plate is used in conjunction with the STA (or in Dive Rite's parlance, SMP).

The center of gravity would change if the person were to tread water vertically and may have more of a tilt backward. "May" is the word. But when you swim horizontally, the space that the SMP introduces has zero to do with center gravity.

 

[Montana Diver]

+3 for the 2" crotch strap, support a wedgie free world. It took a few dives to get use to my hog harness, however, I don't need to adjust it when going from dry suit and 400g undies to a 3 mm wet suit. Getting in and out is never any fun in dry suit with steel tank, however once I have it on I like the Hog. You might consider trying out some in your area.

Sharing is a part of my diving world. I have tried various steel tanks until I came up with the one that works best for me. I am taking a buddies dive computer with me on vacation to see if I can make it work better for my diving. Currently I have an older oceanic in a console, trying a wrist mount with AI. So sweet to be able to try things rather than adapting to an expensive purchase.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Huh?
The STA doesn't affect your center of gravity at all. How can it make you top heavy?

I should have added that with the larger steel tanks moving the tank further away from your back will affect your center of gravity. Maybe with the inherent buoyuancy of aluminum tanks this problem is minimized. I forget some people still use aluminum, I haven't used them in years.
It's the same physics as standing up in a kayak, the higher you place weight the more unstable they become. By staying low in a kayak or canoe the more stable they remain. Same with placement of a tank on your back, the closer it is to your body, the less it will tend to roll you.

 

[Tanked]

What a lot of people don't take into consideration is that STA's move the tank further away from your body when added on to a plate that already sets the tank away a good distance just because of the V shape plus the hight of the channel. This combination will place the tank so far away from your back that it can affect your profile and adversly affect your center of gravity and make you top heavy.

Standard doubles plates were never originally intended or designed to be single tank plates. A STA was a band-aid for something that should have been redesigned from scratch in the first place for single tank use.

Huh?
The STA doesn't affect your center of gravity at all. How can it make you top heavy?

I should have added that with the larger steel tanks moving the tank further away from your back will affect your center of gravity. Maybe with the inherent buoyuancy of aluminum tanks this problem is minimized. I forget some people still use aluminum, I haven't used them in years.
It's the same physics as standing up in a kayak, the higher you place weight the more unstable they become. By staying low in a kayak or canoe the more stable they remain. Same with placement of a tank on your back, the closer it is to your body, the less it will tend to roll you.

I dive with a steel 120, and an alum 30 pony strapped to it. With an STA I don't feel that my center of gravity is being affected at all, and I don't feel the tank rolling on my back.
I'm not saying this is the case for everyone, and I'm Not trying to start an argument. This is just the first time i"ve ever heard it

 

[fnfalman]

I should have added that with the larger steel tanks moving the tank further away from your back will affect your center of gravity. Maybe with the inherent buoyuancy of aluminum tanks this problem is minimized. I forget some people still use aluminum, I haven't used them in years.
It's the same physics as standing up in a kayak, the higher you place weight the more unstable they become. By staying low in a kayak or canoe the more stable they remain. Same with placement of a tank on your back, the closer it is to your body, the less it will tend to roll you.

If you calc it out, then I'm sure it will show a difference but I doubt that the difference can be felt in real life.

You're talking about a 5ft + person standing up on a kayak versus a 1.5-2" rise of the STA.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

There are also varying degrees of this phenomenon according to how much air one has in the wing. The more air in the wing the more it will float the rig and the diver is essentially just in the harness guiding the rig around under water. Many divers that choose to dive overweighted will require more air to be used in the wing which will in turn hold the tank upright and mask the feeling of being rolled over. When a STA weight and/or plate weights are used this can add more weight to the back and also increase the problem of roll. Simply put, a diver should have as much weight placed on their front as their back, and the weight mass on their backs should be as low as possible for minimal profile (better slipstream means less drag = better efficiency).

The way I dive I have minimized this and as such I do not rely on a lot of air in the wing to suspend me. As a result I am much more sensitive to weight distribution because I am counting on my suit and lungs to do the work many have delegated the wing to do.
Many times I use no wing at all and in that case I am 100% reliant on exact placement and positioning of the tank. With absolute minimalism I find it most beneficial to have the tank absolutely as close as possible to my body and I place most of the weights on my belt forward of the lateral line to balance out my weighting and eliminate roll.

 

[blue steal]

I am looking at the Dive Rite set up and have come up with this configuration:
Here is the set up I am considering:
1.Harness, Deluxe BC1080
2.DR Backplate, SS BC2116
3.Travel EXP Wing BC4100
4.Tank Straps 36" BC2034-36
5.Assembley screws RP9502PAIR
6. Crotch strap and loop, 2" BC1056D

I have decided to go with the 2" crotch strap.
One item I not sure about yet is the STA. I think I may try without one and see how secure/stable the tank is.


Thanks for all who have given me advice.......................

I am hoping it will not be difficult to set up and get used to after wearing a BC the last 50+ dives.