OMS IQ Harness

[JamesK]

Originally posted by Jarhead
NetDoc: Sea-Snips should work pretty good for getting someone out of a harness.

If I have to rescue someone and then they complain that I cut their harness, I'll buy them another piece of harness. But I may think twice before I dive with them again.

Jarhead

Exactly! Cut my harness in a hearbeat. It is only $8 for another piece.

 

[TwoBitTxn]

The buckle on the IQ pack is plastic. The arguement posed there is if you drop a tank on a metal buckle it will bend and may not look broke. It may or may not work you don't know until you check it out. If you drop a tank on a plastic buckle and it breaks it is obviously broken and must be replaced. It hold just as well as a metal buckle.

TwoBit

 

[Iguana Don]

No, this is not a DIR/Non-Dir issue. Let's look at reality.

OD or not to QD, that is the question......

Think about a situation where you will have to take somebody out of their rig.

More than likely they are gonna be unconcious. So the issue of QDs is moot, just cut them out if you can't slip them out of the harness. If they are concious and they need to come out of their rig, more than likely they are a diver of some considerable experience. (think about it) You will probably be in a wreck or cave or some other enclosed environment. So the diver will be "more" experienced.

So, IMHO (not a DIR opinion) the QDs and chest straps are a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist.

Why would you want to put a STA on a soft pack, IMHO that is gonna be uncomfortable. It is made to adapt a single tank to a BP which is made for doubles.

And, the only time you will need all that padding is when you are out of the water and walking with your rig on. In the water you forget its there, if you have it adjusted correctly.

The only issue your wife might have with the BP is the length of the plate itself. If she is short it will ride on her hips and will be uncomfortable ( out of the water) Abyss Mfg makes or did make plates in 3 different lengths or you might talk to FredT and see if he makes them in different lengths. If not you might try to contact Scott Koplin (maker of Abyss back plates) and talk to him.

ID

 

[Scuba446]

Hi,
Thanks....yes, my BP is made from Koplin and I know he makes 3 differant lentghs....

Hmm, I think that I may just have her try the BP, 1-piece webbing like mine and go from there. I too, in the beginning, thought that a 1-piece webbing harness could NOT be comfortable. I was wrong.

Thanks all.....I lIKE the idea of a BP that can take an STA or not, and be converted for doubles just by taking the STA and wings off and tossing on new wings and twins.

That would have been ncie if I we could get one set of wings for singles and doubles....

Mine are Pioneer's....

 

[TexasMike]

Originally posted by Scuba446
That would have been ncie if I we could get one set of wings for singles and doubles....

I have the OMS 45# wing with my rig. And so far I have been able to dive LP95's with it and have no buoyancy problems at all. And I use this same wing when diving my AL80 single tank.

 

[Iguana Don]

it is much better to go with 2 different wings. Until you can afford 2 wings you "can" use just the one. But later down the road I would get dedicated wings. 1 for singles and 1 for doubles.

Don

 

[The Chairman]

Fred-T's backplate (both short and long) and halcyon's explorer wing both come with four slots to accomodate two tank bands. No STA means a lower COG with the resulting stability.

As far as the QRs, chest straps being " a solution looking for a problem that doesn't exist.", I will respectfully disagree with my esteemed colleague. They work and they work well. They add comfort, fit and flexibility when they are used wisely. As I said, with as many classes that I have DMed for, I have yet to see one fail. Given the option between digging out a set of shears (which I may drop) (or get the tether tangled) and two or three quick pops to get the BCD off of the victim, I prefer the latter.

BUT... when faced with a continuos strap (aka Hogarthian), I will definitely get out the shears and cut away. BTW, has anyone tried to cut this stuff after it has been soaking for a while? Just wondering how easy/difficult the actual cutting process is. I guess it's time to bring some on the next pool session. AND, I will add that task to the rescue diver scenarios.

 

[JamesK]

Originally posted by NetDoc
BTW, has anyone tried to cut this stuff after it has been soaking for a while?

I have. It cuts pretty much the same. A good set of shears, heck even a sharp z-knife will do the trick.

 

[Iguana Don]

Please 'splain..........

"They add comfort, fit and flexibility when they are used wisely."

 

[The Chairman]

I have four personal BCs, two of which employ QRs. The two with the QRs and chest straps are the ones that fit the best. The Sherwood vest type (sans QRs) is my least favorite, and my BP/Wings (also sans QRs) are used ONLY for doubles. At this time, I rarely get to use my doubles, but that will change in the not too distant future.

I do like my Fred-T BP & 45# OMS wings... but they are not near as comfortable as my other BCs. I almost always gear up on the back of my truck in the parking lot, and then walk to the dive site with my tank in place on the BC and wearing the BC. While I love the glove like fit in the water, it just ain't comfortable enough for ME to do that hike in a 3 mil shorty or just trunks.

Most QRs incorporate a quick adjust feature which the continuous webbing does not. I can give/take slack at any point in the dive to provide maximum comfort. This is especially important after that pastrami on rye hits the digestive system and I am dealing with a 100 foot fart at my safety stop. "No, that wasn't a whale burp, Chester..."