problem with Transpac xt, tank hits my head !!

[Corleone]

I was following this thread for a while and it seems like there is no update.

I have Transpac xt & Travel xt. before i bought them, i went to a local dealer to make sure i get a perfect size, bought them and went back to him after 2 weeks and explained to him the issues i had, he made some adjustments and its been more than a year and a half now. since then, i have traveled once or twice, did the usual weekends dive trips with different local dive centers using a rental BCD!!

1- no matter what i do, the tank keep hitting the back of my head, its painful and embarrassing.
2-after strapping a tank and come to install my regulator, i have to fight the wing to make a space for my first stage.

in a year and half now, i have only used it in less than 20 dives at max, its a torture tool as of now.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba 2]

Can you get someone to post pics of you wearing the unit(with tank and regs attached...ready to dive)? There are a number of possible adjustments that can be made.

 

[tbone1004]

crotch straps.... very important. I'll have to go check my transpac to check where the cam straps weave in, but as long as you are using both cam straps and a crotch strap it should be pretty stable

 

[divesergeant]

I had the same problem with my BP/W from another manufacturer.

Turns out I had the shoulder straps too tight, thus holding the tank too high and whacking my head when I looked up. I let the shoulder straps out a bit (lowering everything on my back), tightened the crotch strap to take up the slack and voila! No more head knocking.

It'll feel a bit low on land, but will be right where it needs to be when diving.

 

[xrcjdx]

i've been waiting for this thread to resurface and it didn't take very long. there are a lot of similar older threads on here!

i have 100 plus/minus a couple dives on my transpac and xt travel wing. it took dozens and dozens of dives to tweak straps and wing position, all of it a time consuming pain in the butt, so that the banging my head into the regulator problem was bearable. agreed the crotch strap needs to be snug(ish). agreed the pac has to be slung low, and wing placed on the pac to bring it down. in spite of all this, i still have some issue some of the time, but with very careful tank placement (as in the top tank strap is being used the bare minimum amount necessary to stabilize the tank) it is mostly a thing of the past. now that i have some time between dives i will patiently try to drop shoulder straps even more. for what it is worth, i am on the cusp of the m and l on the dr sizing chart and opted for a l. i think if the tank straps are redesigned to be positioned just a wee bit lower on a future transpac all these problems would be solved. but a bcd designer i'm not, so can't figure out why this thing is designed as it is, and no one else has offered up a reason. (it should be said i am donning it as instructed in the d.r. "how to" video, so not an issue with putting it on, though that gets a little tricky on a small moving boat.)

as for the regulator/hose issue, i have it partially solved by inverting the first stage (scubapro mk25). it raises the hoses an inch or so, but it still ain't perfect. i use a transmitter on the stage and there is just no possible way to get that out from behind the wing. luckily i don't have a problem with reception.

i love diving this wing, and it is ok to travel with. it does all i want it to do, and keeps me in the position i want to be in effortlessly. except for these issues, which are a bit of a bugger, i'm happy to own it.

 

[WhiteSands]

I lolled when I saw this thread. So many threads of Transpac users with the same problem. I too had the same problem when I owned it.

The only solution that I have found to work (other than selling the transpac and buying a backplate - which I did), is to lengthen the shoulder straps so the BC sits lower on your back, and then tightening the crotch strap.

 

[kebosatu]

I'm using DR Transplate XT + MK25 (which create additional issue on top of reg/tank banging my head) I've been shouting for help on this issue since 2 years ago...

Two issues I'm having here:
1. Raise up tank position (tank strap lower on the tank), and the reg bangs my head.
2. Lower down tank position (upper tank strap as high as possible on the tank), and the wing stresses my reg when it's inflated, now my reg mk25 swivel turret wobbly, not sure if it caused by the stresses.

Anyway, with these duo combination, the swivel turret just completely a waste, it can't move at all as the space really tight.

But after talking to many folks on this, turns out... I'm not the only one who has this issue, most are the same!... even those who's not using mk25. It just that most of them just don't care.

Well. after hearing inputs here and there, here are things that solve or remedy my issues.

1. Change my reg port arrangement.
Making sure the flat section face my head. (this will reduce the impact from wing). Trying to solve issue number 2.
2. Loosen up the shoulder strap.
Yes the plate sits lower... it doesn't bang my head! hooray... but once I jumped in the water... geez the plate moving up and down and when on the surface it banged my head again.
3. So I tighten the crotch strap until it's really snug.
The plate (and tank) now sits lower, but ouch, it's not comfortable at all at the surface. BUT once we go down, it feels much better.. i think divesergeant has highlighted this too.
4. Put HOLLIS STA.
Yes it gave an additional 2cm space between tank and plate (don't put Diverite STA, it won't give you any space). Thus your reg sits a bit further from your head.

Btw I'm using yoke, not din. If I'm not wrong Din is a bit bulkier thus it will sit even closer to your head once installed, not sure though I've never compare them side by side.


Probably the wing design doesn't really meant for those recreational first stages(?). Not sure if you change to diverite regulator will solve the issue, I do remember they have tight space too when trying to setup this harness with their regs (in one of their youtube)

---------- Post added July 5th, 2015 at 09:39 PM ----------

I lolled when I saw this thread. So many threads of Transpac users with the same problem. I too had the same problem when I owned it.

The only solution that I have found to work (other than selling the transpac and buying a backplate - which I did), is to lengthen the shoulder straps so the BC sits lower on your back, and then tightening the crotch strap.

Hi WhiteSands,

Wondering how did you solve this issue with backplate... I mean, with backplate we still need to adjust the shoulder and crotch strap too, don't we? or it solved effortlessly?

Cheers,
Kebo

 

[jrankney1]

Two words: side mount.

 

[Corleone]

I'm a ware that this post is more than a year old but unfortunately, I still haven't found a solution, as a matter of fact, one or two months after that post, I stoped scuba diving in general, I still watch dvd materials, read forums and try to keep up with latest update.

recently, I watched a youtube by " Alec Peirce " in " Scuba 2000 " channel, cant remember which one to be specific but, he talked about how a diver tall play a role with " head banging "!!

I'm 165cm = 5.4f if that helps in anyway? any hope here ?