Gear advice please.

[Scubabill]

Im going to be talking a 4 month trip to thailand for some diving and training. I need sugestions how to best outfit my gear.
I have the following
Scuba Pro S-Tex BC w/air2
Dui Wings BC (from friend new never dived)
SP mk-25 600 reg Buying this week from lesuire pro
( i have dived the SP 20/550 and it is like love )
I have a SP alladin pro nitrox wrist mount.

In the past i have dived the S-tex with 2 zeagle pockets on the lower tank band for weight. And used Lp steel tanks.
I prefer to drop off the weight pockets (they are velcro) for a better method. Help please?
I also plan to drop off the air2 for a 250Hp octo.
i would like to know if cliping the hp250 on a d ring is ok
instead of using the Dir long hose method?
I plan on using steel tanks
prob. the pst e's when they come out.
Could i use the Halcyon weight pockets on my stex waist strap?
Any suggestions how to make this set better conf'ged?
BTW i love the BP wings i have seen but dont think i would like to do 2-4 dives a day in 60ft - 100ft with a single tank for 4 months with it. And i love the Sp stex bc! im surprised more people dont look into it when buying the nighthawk, dive rite ect.
And the dui is also sooo nice hard pick there. I just think the stex is a less drag bc. The dui is wings not the jacket
Any suggestions would be great! thanks Bill

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Bill,

You did not mention whether you had contacted whichever operator you would be using at your destination. Your options with respect to tanks and valves, and to a lesser extent with respect to weights, may be dictated by what is on hand on the boat in Thailand.

Also, you mentioned training. What type of diving or training do you envision doing there?

It is also difficult to know what type of diving you are doing now, and how different it may be at your destination. Are you diving cold water in a drysuit currently? If so, the environmental differences will be more significant. Will the diving you intend to do in Thailand primarily be recreational, no-decompression limit diving?

In terms of the BCs you mentioned, performance should not differ greatly - its primarily a matter of which one you feel most comfortable with. They are both quality products.

"Dropping weight pockets...better method?"; use a weightbelt, with weights available in Thailand. (You were not planning to transport your own weights, were you?) It is unlikely that you'll need more than 12-16 lbs under most conditions there.

"Halcyon pockets on SP S-Tek waist-strap..."; see above. The Scubapro BC will work fine with a weightbelt. Why would you add Halcyon pockets to it's waist-strap?

Its not clear from your post whether you are transporting steel tanks to Thailand, or know in fact that they are available there,...but if you aren't and they aren't you may want to plan on diving with aluminum 80s and contact the ops mgr at your destination to determine whats on hand.

Clarification would be good on your question re: exchanging your Air II for an 'octopus' 2nd stage. You wish to clip this 2nd stage off to a D-ring instead of wearing it beneath your chin? I'm not clear on either your question or reference to the 'DIR long hose', but either you are DIR - in which case it is no longer a dilemma, or you are not DIR, in which case use whatever you have trained with. Pros and cons for placement of 2nd stages may be found in many places on Scuba Board. Searching will turn up many different threads addressing this topic.

If you can be more precise in describing your intentions and the circumstances you'll be diving under in Thailand, perhaps scuba board input may be more directly applicable.

A four month trip to Thailand is quite an opportunity. Hope you have wonderful diving.

Dive safe,

Doc

 

[leadweight]

I dive a Transpac II which is similar to the S-Tec and it is set up somewhat like what you describe.

It is possible to take a pair of the Halcyon weight pockets and mount them on the 2' webbing belt of the S-tec. I just don't know if you can get them back as far as you may want to as the design of the S-tec is slightly different in this regard from the Transpac II. I use one Halcyon trim pocket on the buckle side of the waistbelt to have an easily dropable weight. On the other side, I just thread a weight directly onto the waist band. It can be removed, but not as quickly. The Halcyon trim pockets have become somewhat pricey at $46 per pair un-fair trade price. They only hold 5 lb each. Think twice before ditching the Zeagle pockets, especially if the velcro is not worn. How about trying the Zeagle pockets on the belt of the S-tec first?

The other of the two trim pockets is mounted on the upper cam band as a tank weight. I have found that using a single weight on the tank does not make things tippy, provided no more than 3 lbs/1.5 kg goes into that pouch. It may be possible to thread a weight directly onto the cam band on one side and use a trim pocket on the other side to get a pair of weights closer to your back. I am going to experiment with this next time I get wet or a possible reduction in the trim pocket weight to 2 lb/1 kg. You probably would not need any tank weight with a steel tank.

I would use a R190 as an octopus before investing in a G250HP. The adjustment screw on the 250 must be cranked down all the way if you are going to carry it as an octo. The 190 cost a bunch less and works just fine. I hav mine mounted on a scubapro octopus holder hanging from my right chest strap d-ring. The holder comes with the R190 octopus, along with an appropriate legnth 1 meter hose.

 

[Scubabill]

Thanks for your suggestions.
I just got done putting the 2 zeagle pockets on the front
buckle straps. They were on the back lower tank strap.
My only thought was to go smaller then the zeagle pockets
but after thinking about it and looking at the Halcy. site,
They prob. are close in size anyway.
They fit back nice under the wing but one prob.
The dam lower dump is on this tiny string and the ball is close to where the weights sit which i dont like. Im thinking of going to the smallest wing anyway, i dont need the lift of this SP rec unless i go twins. When i go twins its going to be with a ss/bp kit. I will be selling now a dui wings bc w/air2 and Scubapro tank buckles (never dived) and a new Alladin ultra pro wrist mount (new no dives)
Yes this is a PLUG! anyone need this PM me
I can send pics.
Ill use this$ for my BP set up.
Thanks again for the help Bill

 

[ElectricZombie]

Scubabill once bubbled...
BTW i love the BP wings i have seen but dont think i would like to do 2-4 dives a day in 60ft - 100ft with a single tank for 4 months with it.

Actually, it's quite the opposite...you would probably sell the S-Tec and just use the BP/Wings from now on. (I have an S/X-Tec that I used for a while, and my BP blows it away. The S/X-Tec sits in a box unused now.)


ut:

 

[Scubabill]

Thanks Zom,

You could be right But no matter how much you love dir
(I plan on gettting a BP soon) You can not say its as plush as diving a Scuba pro s-tex. The comfort levil of that bc is just awsome! Now im not saying the other factors as in safety,
less drag, ect ect that the BP is better or worse.
But for pure rec diving in warm water i still think the SP s-tex bc is the most comfortable. I wont even mention the DUI wings BC!
PLUSHHHHHHHH!

Tak'er easy
Bill
=-)

 

[ElectricZombie]

Beleive it or not, the BP is the more comfortable of the two. It may not look like it would be but, it is. Looks can be deceiving.

Dive Safe