Good point! I use STAs for my singles, which makes brand mixing a little easier. Wasn't thinking about cam bands, slots, etc.
Newb BP&W & Jacket Questions
- Thread starter jwithee
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I have to say, planning to get into tech diving is something that just about everyone wants to do when they first start diving. But... you haven't even made it through AOW, or Rescue yet, much less actually gotten some real dives under your belt. I always recommend that everyone actually go diving, try new gear, and figure out what works best for them before they go an invest all that money in a full rig.
Spend some time trying out lots of gear, keep an open mind, get some more training and dives under your belt, you'll figure out what works best for you, don't worry about jumping in right off the back. Trust me, it make sound expensive to rent gear for a while, but in the end its A LOT CHEAPER than buying gear that you end up hating and have to buy something new.
Spend some time trying out lots of gear, keep an open mind, get some more training and dives under your belt, you'll figure out what works best for you, don't worry about jumping in right off the back. Trust me, it make sound expensive to rent gear for a while, but in the end its A LOT CHEAPER than buying gear that you end up hating and have to buy something new.
kevindwhite
Contributor
It didn't take many dives for me to realize the only way I am going to get full value for my dive dollar is by having my own BCD rig. I still rent nearly everything else. I'll be damned if I am going to pay another $100+ for a half day at a resort only to spend half the morning adjusting to their crappy BCD. But that's me.
halocline
Contributor
I agree that using a BP/W can make a huge difference in diving experience for new divers; that and a great fitting wetsuit. The only scenario that the jacket night be better for a new diver is flotation on the surface; if you really need a life preserver to feel comfortable diving (many new divers are going to feel this way, whether they admit it or not) then a few dives with a jacket might make sense.
But, there are lots of variable within the choices of BP/W systems, and it does take some experience or at least some good guidance to find the right set up. Most important initially is deciding on a steel or AL (or plastic) plate, depending on weight requirements, and then deciding on a wing for lift requirements. This is one area that Tobin at DSS is very helpful.
danemeyer20
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so you spend $50 every time to rent the rest of the gear you need? I see you have just started but full value would be using all your own gear and just spending on the fills
You don't list your gender on your profile, but if all of the BCs you tried twisted and felt loose, I suspect you're small, like me. The HUGE advantage of a BP/W is the infinite adjustability, but if you are narrow across the shoulders, the webbing will eat into your upper arms. When I started, I had deep purple linear bruises across my arms after each dive. Crossing the shoulder straps fixed that, and moving to a slightly more flexible webbing completed the solution.
The people I have known who have tried Comfort or other more complicated harnesses have all gone to the simple webbing over time. They've had various reasons, but they've all ended up there.
The people I have known who have tried Comfort or other more complicated harnesses have all gone to the simple webbing over time. They've had various reasons, but they've all ended up there.
kevindwhite
Contributor
I don't know where you rent but I certainly don't pay $50 per dive just for tank & regs. Full value for my dollar is based on several factors. But the the two most important are bottom time and risk of a bad purchase. Spending a portion of almost every dive adjusting to a rental BCD is IMHO an obvious waste of bottom time and money. But buying a regulator set before I know what I want carries too high a risk of being saddled with a set of gear that I am not comfortable with or cannot grow with me.
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DIR-Atlanta
Contributor
On the other hand, there is also something to be said for not purchasing gear now that will limit one's options later (TSandM can tell you all about that
). A BP/W will work for almost the entire gamut of diving that a person might want to do, whereas if someone starts with a jacket BC and then later decides to move into more technical pursuits, they will need to buy everything all over again. And then they will have to invest additional time, resources, and money into getting accustomed to that new gear before starting their tech training (I am speaking from experience on this point).Given that the OP has expressed an interest in tech diving (and since a BP/W works perfectly well for rec diving), I see no reason not to zero in on that style of BC to start with. It's true that the OP may never become a technical diver, but at least when they decide to make that jump, they will do so in gear that is appropriate to the task, and with which they are already thoroughly familiar.
kevindwhite
Contributor
Which is bang on why I bought a BP&W and am holding off on regulators for a bit. A BP&W configuration is maximum flexibility for not much money. It's easy to spend a lot of money on a regulator that won't grow with me or is more than I need.
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