Novice diver plunge for Backplate and Wing?

[eelnoraa]

And how many of them really offer their services up for free? If those couple in FL do, that's great but something tells me if I walk into my local GUE shop (which is only a handful of miles away, bu ti've never actually entered) with my gear I didn't buy there and asked them to fit it properly for me, I'd probably get some strange looks.

Actually, I think most GUE?UTD/DIR divers are more than willing to help you on fitting backplate. Of course they won't fly cross the country to meet you, but if you look up a local GUE diver, make arranagement with them, I am sure they wont mind. I have had quite a bit of help from a local DIR divers and that was all before I ventured into DIR training.

Going into a shop with gears that you didn't buy from them and asking for advices is a different case. It will be weird for all shops. It has nothing ot do with GUE.

 

[CT Sean]

Tell them there is a big discussion on the internet about this...tell them you ask that they look at how you are presently configured, and for them to at minimum, offer the changes to you that you could make yourself.....The GUE people I know would do this, no problem, for a person they did not know, off the street, so to speak...At least they would if this is Halcyon gear....the willingness is part related to the gear being good enough....Halcyon is NOT the only gear they would help with, but there is plenty of gear that is just not going to be worth messing with.

Just for the record, I don't have any need to have my BC "professionally fitted". It works very well as-is, with the STA modification. To be honest, my curiosity is piqued, but I don't have any plans to call Ed Hayes (maybe you've heard of him) to say "hey, Dan Volker said you'd help me fit my plate". He may be a great guy, but i've seen him conducting training classes on a couple occasions - he's a little too intense for me.

I'm not sure about that, not all GUE guys are that mercenary. They might offer a lot more help then you think.

Sure they might want to sell you a course or 2 but I doubt any professional operation would just say get lost.

There are also tons of online help if needed,:
DIR-diver.com - Adjust the backplate
Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers

Just to name a few.

These are actually the references I used to fit my plate, along with this one. BAUE How To Size a Backplate