Newbie questions about BP/W and how to set it up?

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Lot’s of great comments on the setup.

For the octopus, I would recommend to make a breakaway hose connector. Simply put, you attached a boltsnap to your octopus using a o-ring. The o-ring will break when needed, and will keep the octo in place under normal conditions.
 
I'm a newbie (12 dives) trying to get kitted up for Monterey Bay so that I can dive regularly here (1-2x/month?). I really like the idea of BP+W but I'm not sure how things work. I have a slew of questions and I would appreciate input.

I'm planning to dive with 7mm wetsuit or semi-dry (I tried it once and I wasn't cold). I got the Hollis ST Elite (35lb lift) set because it was open box sale and plan to get the Scubapro MK11/C370 (with free Octo) with yoke connector.

My goals are: reasonably priced mid-range products that will last me a long while; things I can take traveling with me; if I do get more advanced, maybe these can be my travel set and I'll get fancier stuff that the stores want to sell me (e.g. Halcyon BC, a 1st stage with a DIN connector, fancy dive computer with AI, etc). But I've been skiing for 25 years and I still only have one pair of all-terrain gear so that's sort of what I'm trying for with my scuba gear.

Sorry for the long intro, here are my questions:

1. Weights. I think I still want ditchable weights, since I'm new.

- Are there differences in how much weight for wetsuit vs semi-dry? For BP/W vs vest? The SS BP is 6lbs negative, and I used 14lbs when I was using rental wetsuit + vest + SS 80 tank. Does that mean I should plan for about 8 lbs of additional weight?

Every exposure suit has different weighting requirements you just need to test it in water.

- How are weights typically attached to the diver? I see that there are ditchable pockets, but then some people say that that's bulky? If you use a weight belt, do you wear it over or under the harness/crotch strap?

Depends on how much I need, either on trim pockets, v-weight (doubles), halcyon ACB pockets, or a weight belt. When using a weight belt I put it on under the harness.

- Soft vs hard weights? What considerations?

Being able to have pickets for soft weights is nice when you're on a dive boat as many of the will be using soft weights.

2. Bits and Bobs. I feel like I'm missing things that I need. For example, something to attach my octo to? Does the BC hose just hang over my shoulder? How do people generally attach things to their D-rings? What are the little things that I need to actually use my gear?

The bc hose gets routed through a o-ring or bungee loop that the harness is laced through on your left shoulder d-ring.
bolt snaps and double enders.

3. Gauge / Compass. I don't need a depth meter since I have a dive computer. But I do want to have a compass.

Yes, you want a wrist-mounted compass.

- Do people prefer a pressure gauge separate from a compass? Or an all-in-one gauge?

Seperate

- Any brand/make recommendations or are they mostly the same?
Suunto or DGX.

- It seems like the pressure gauges are usually PSI or metric, but not both? How does that work if traveling? Are there ones that have both (like car speedometers)? Or do people just do the conversion in their heads if they need to?

Generally speaking, it doesn't really matter as long as you understand how much gas you have. I convert in my head or switch SPGs if diving with a group of people who use the other units.

4. Testing Gear. Specifically, how do people go around getting properly weighted and trimmed and all that? It takes me 1.5 hours to drive to Monterey. Can I just take it to my local pool to try? (I don't have tanks so I can just very awkwardly float around in my stuff, I guess.) Or should I pay extra for a private tour where they can help me with this?
Dive a little heavier than you think you'll need on dive 1, and then at the end of dive 1 just do a quick weight check.

5. How badly should I feel for not buying things from the LDS? I tried calling the LDSes, but they just don't offer the same promos as online. And none of them offered to sell me open box / used things. They just told me they don't do that. And I priced it out, the difference is at least $400 after taxes and everything. (I haven't yet bought anything non-returnable. So if there's a good, practical reason to buy from LDS, I would love to support them.)
I wouldn't feel bad about buying stuff online. Your local dive store needs to earn your business. There are some really good ones out there that you'll be happy to spend money at, and a whole bunch of them that suck.
 
A semi-dry is a wetsuit. The weight will be roughly the same for equal thicknesses of neoprene. For BP/W versus vest, it depends on how much floaty stuff like cushioning is built into each. But vests are usually neutral to a couple of pounds positive. Your 8lbs is a reasonable starting point if you are using the same tank.

With only 8 pounds, you can either attach a couple of small (5lb max) trim pockets to your waist belt or use a weight belt. I'd probably start with the weight belt because it makes things easier to handle on a shore entry and if you ever need to take your gear off underwater, it will be a lot simpler since you won't be floating away from your rig. Finally, if you've greatly underestimated your weight, you won't need to buy bigger pockets. Put the weight belt on first (under the crotch strap).

Hard weights. Soft weights are relatively bulky and fragile, can't be threaded onto a weight belt, and shed lead oxide.


If you are doing a standard octo donate, a silicone snorkle keeper works pretty well. One end through the right chest d-ring and the other around the mouthpiece of the reg. Check that it's still there on or at the end of your initial descent. Practice pulling it out and putting it back in without looking. At some point you may decide to go to primary donate (you take your primary reg out of your mouth to give to the out of air buddy) and then the octo goes on a bungee cord around your neck.

BC hose goes through a velcro loop that's built into the harness you bought. If you ever switch to a pure webbing harness, you can use something similar or just attach a bungee loop to your left chest d-ring.

You attach things like lights and SMBs to d-rings with a tied on bolt snap. You tie it on so if it gets stuck on something, you can cut it free. Here's a search that will give you plenty of examples on the correct knot or you can use the breakaway doohickey linked below:




Compasses are kind of hard to use on a console, so most folks who use them for actual navigation as opposed to the occasional glance for orientation prefer to have them on wrist mounted (or on a nav board, but that's rare in recreational diving). Usually right wrist since the computer is on the left wrist.

Analog SPG works best as a standalone gauge that gets clipped (using a boltsnap tied to the hose close to the gauge) to the left hip d-ring. Some folks prefer the left chest d-ring as they can check it without unclipping.

Brand doesn't matter, almost all of the analog SPGs are made in the same factory in Italy, You can get them with both PSI and BAR markings if you want. If you have to choose one, you'll want PSI if you are mostly diving in the US and Caribbean/Mexico. BAR in the rest of the world.


If you don't have an experienced buddy who is willing to help you out with this, I think it would be worth hiring an instructor for a couple of hours. I don't know the shops there, maybe someone can chime in. Or you can ask in the NorCal forum NorCal


Not bad. IMO, a business needs to earn their customers. If they didn't even try to work with you, then apparently they aren't interested. When you decide to buy tanks, talk to them again and see what kind of fill deals they'll offer if you buy from them.
" Put the weight belt on first (under the crotch strap)."
You never put anything under your weight belt, it needs to drop in case of an emergency.
If you put it under your crotch strap the weight belt will be hanging there at your crotch.
 
Weight belt goes under the crotch strap here.

Pop both buckles, and my weightbelt is gone. 2 seconds tops.

Accidentally pop just the weightbelt buckle, and the crotch strap catches it nicely. Losing my weight belt on the bottom, accidentally, would be a big deal.

But I also need to don and doff my rig, on the surface and at the bottom, without turning into a rocket.

And at quarries, I don the rig in the water. So weight is split between me, and my rig.

My primary concerns are not losing my weight belt, and my rig and I being properly weighted so we both separately float, but not too much. Dropping my weights at the surface.....is a secondary concern, but still easy.

I think my buckle is on backwards. I think the DIR buckle arrangement might catch the weightbelt if both buckles get popped. My setup won't, if the excess belt isn't tucked into a rubber strip of tube, or knife sheath.
 
" Put the weight belt on first (under the crotch strap)."
You never put anything under your weight belt, it needs to drop in case of an emergency.
If you put it under your crotch strap the weight belt will be hanging there at your crotch.
What sort of emergency requires an immediate drop of your weight belt? Normally the only time you'd want to ditch your weight is if something has gone wrong on the surface.

Losing a weight belt inadvertently underwater is a much greater danger than taking a few extra seconds to make sure it drops clear when you release it intentionally.
 
Hi there. I’m a DM in NorCal and dive Monterey as much as possible. I live in San Rafael and happy to show you my BPW setup. DM me if interested.
 
" Put the weight belt on first (under the crotch strap)."
You never put anything under your weight belt, it needs to drop in case of an emergency.
If you put it under your crotch strap the weight belt will be hanging there at your crotch.
I have never worn a belt over the crotch strap. Complete BS to do that. The crotch strap is insurance against dropping the belt accidentally. You will never drop a full belt anywhere other than the surface and it takes a split second to undo the waist strap or click the disconnect on the crotch strap. Either way, the crotch strap falls away, and the belt goes bye-bye.
If you are properly weighted, you should be able to swim the rig up in the event of a wing failure. If you are carrying too much gear to do that, rig the belt with pockets so you can drop 2-3 lbs and are thereby still able to control your ascent. Weight should be distributed anyway over several systems if an appreciable amount is used.
How much is that? Depends on the dive, exposure protection, experience, etc.
For me? Anything over 10lbs is going into two systems. Three if I can.
12 lbs? 4 on the cam bands, 4 in pockets on the belt I can access individually, and 4 on the belt itself, which will only get dropped in extreme emergency.
20 lbs? 4 on the belt, 4 in cam bands, 12 bolted to the plate. On the surface, I can drop the belt. Wing has enough buoyancy to support everything else.
Tech divers would never risk losing the weight belt. Hence putting it under the crotch strap. My OW students who chose BPWs were trained and drilled this way. We practiced undoing the waist belt and the weight belt on the surface, then putting the belt back on, and the crotch strap over that.
Belt over everything is outdated and goes back to when divers were intentionally overweighted by lazy and incompetent instructors.
 
I would say use extra stiff webbing that holds its shape for a lifetime of ease is what I would say
 

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