diveandclimb
Contributor
The Zeagle Tech is a huge non-retracted (I think) wing so if you are going to be diving singles for a long time to come you are going to have waay more air then you need.
Which BC?
- Thread starter Daggnabit
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You will find that a lot of local dive shops (LDS for short) will not sell backplates with wings, or if they do they sell something with a lot of bells and whistles like a DiveRite transpac or OMS rig. This may (or may not) have to do with the fact that you can assemble a great simple BP/W for around 350 bucks if you shop smart. I would shop around, I got my rig for 400 bucks total and it's pretty much bulletproof. the only people I have ever heard try to steer people away from the BP/W have never used one or own a dive shop
ligersandtions
Contributor
Slonda's correct....not many places have bp/w for you to try out. When I went from my back inflate BC to my bp/w set-up, I was a little worried about what would happen if I didn't like it. But after all the reading I did, I only found one person (out of tons!) that bought a bp/w and ended up not liking it after diving with it multiple times, and then opted to go back to a traditional BC.
I, however, am not with that one person....I LOVE my bp/w and would strongly recommend that set-up to anyone, even those diving strictly recreational (like me, for now). For less than $400, you can get a great bp/w (insert DSS plug here), and I would be almost certain that you would love it!
I, however, am not with that one person....I LOVE my bp/w and would strongly recommend that set-up to anyone, even those diving strictly recreational (like me, for now). For less than $400, you can get a great bp/w (insert DSS plug here
), and I would be almost certain that you would love it!I think you guys will find that the simplest BP/W are the most comfortable. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, but a one piece harness, backplate with no padding, and simple wing are really all you need. I bet there are several people on here who will back me up when I say if someone would've told me that from the beginning, I would've saved a lot of money (and time spent selling things on Ebay!)
There are some great manufacturers on here who make some great products for a simple BP/W. I'm just a grad school student, so don't think I'm plugging anyone, I don't make a dime. Oxycheq, Zeagle, Dive Rite, Golem Gear, DSS and many others all make amazing stuff. Some of the like Oxycheq and Zeagle (maybe others) are actually on the US Navy's list of authorized equipment. That says something, because those guys are not easy on their gear.
FWIW and YMMV
S
There are some great manufacturers on here who make some great products for a simple BP/W. I'm just a grad school student, so don't think I'm plugging anyone, I don't make a dime. Oxycheq, Zeagle, Dive Rite, Golem Gear, DSS and many others all make amazing stuff. Some of the like Oxycheq and Zeagle (maybe others) are actually on the US Navy's list of authorized equipment. That says something, because those guys are not easy on their gear.
FWIW and YMMV
S
Things to look at...
Dive Rite Transpac or Transplate with choice of wing
Hollis HTS or Plate with choice of Wing
other brands with similar products
Oxycheq
Deep Sea Supply
OMS
and a handful of others.
Modular systems such as Dive Rites are great because they allow you to change your mind and replace failed parts with parts instead of buying a whole new BCD.
If you want a straight up BCD... check out the Hollis HD100 Back Inflate or for something good for up and down the coast... the Hollis ATS.
You will find that a lot of local dive shops (LDS for short) will not sell backplates with wings, or if they do they sell something with a lot of bells and whistles like a DiveRite transpac or OMS rig. This may (or may not) have to do with the fact that you can assemble a great simple BP/W for around 350 bucks if you shop smart. I would shop around, I got my rig for 400 bucks total and it's pretty much bulletproof. the only people I have ever heard try to steer people away from the BP/W have never used one or own a dive shop
We're an LDS and while we sell the things you mentioned (Transpacs etc...)... we also sell simple plates and harnesses. We'll sell you whatever you want. We even sell the simplist of all rigs... an ABS Plastic plate with harness for about $50.00. It doesn't get any cheaper than that.
I personally am not a bells and whistles fan. I'm a fan of building a set-up that makes sense for the type of diving you'll be doing. Preferably something modular that can be up and downgraded without a lot of headache. Something you dive one day in the North Atlantic with doubles and the next day shore diving in Bonaire with a single 80.
Different strokes for different folks defnately rings true in the world of divegear.
I like your philosophy man. I am going to visit your web-site, and (God forbid) give you some of my money. I am being totally serious.
S
Soakedlontra
Contributor
Slonda's correct....not many places have bp/w for you to try out. When I went from my back inflate BC to my bp/w set-up, I was a little worried about what would happen if I didn't like it. But after all the reading I did, I only found one person (out of tons!) that bought a bp/w and ended up not liking it after diving with it multiple times, and then opted to go back to a traditional BC.
I, however, am not with that one person....I LOVE my bp/w and would strongly recommend that set-up to anyone, even those diving strictly recreational (like me, for now). For less than $400, you can get a great bp/w (insert DSS plug here
+ Slonda's comment (I don't know how to post multiple quotes yet...
)I tried my buddy's BP/W last weekend. During the first dive my trim was a bit of a mess: head down and feet up. Before the second dive I adjusted the height of the tank in relation to the plate and it seemed to me that helped. On my fourth dive I was hovering over a tire reef that had different heights and big holes. A tricky place (well...for a novice...) where if you are not properly buoyant you can kick anemones and sea stars off their supports and toss them all over the place. I felt that the back plate gave me more stability and I was able to control my position in the water column better, including taking pictures of rock fish and striped sea perch that kept showing up from all those dark holes.
One thing is sure it was nice not to have so much clutter around my torso. The inflator hose was simple without an AIR2. It was easier to orally inflate the bladder under the water and on the surface so no way that I am going for an AIR2 BC!
The only problem came when I had to dump air out from the bladder in a frenzy when I would all at sudden become positive buoyant. That particular bladder had one dump valve and a thin short piece of string attached to it without a knob. For me it was hard to find. The inflator hose did not have an extra dump valve to release air in a horizontal position. Now my ideal bladder is the one that has at least two dump valves with thick strings ending with a knob and a second dump valve on the inflator hose so I don't have to keep holding my arm upward to release air if I need to.
Good night
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Since you specifically asked about North Atlantic wreck diving you may want to check out this site:
Scuba Diving - New Jersey & Long Island New York - Wreck Valley
Good luck and safe diving.
ligersandtions
Contributor
The only problem came when I had to dump air out from the bladder in a frenzy when I would all at sudden become positive buoyant. That particular bladder had one dump valve and a thin short piece of string attached to it without a knob. For me it was hard to find. The inflator hose did not have an extra dump valve to release air in a horizontal position. Now my ideal bladder is the one that has at least two dump valves with thick strings ending with a knob and a second dump valve on the inflator hose so I don't have to keep holding my arm upward to release air if I need to.
When I first bought the bp/w, Tobin (from DSS) said that many people have problems locating the dump valve. He gave a couple suggestions. The first was to reach back between the wing and the bp, and slide my hand downwards until I run into the solid, plastic piece....at that point, you can grip your hand and will catch the string to use the dump valve. The other option is to attach something like a fishing weight to it and use that as a method to find the string and operate the dump valve. After a while, you get used to where it's located and you don't have to do anything special or think extremely hard about it.
I think once you figure out where it is, you won't feel the need for multiple dump valves. I don't know if anyone makes wings with multiple dump valves or not, as I haven't really looked. But as others said, you will use the dump on the LP inflator to break the surface, and then you will use the one on the back following that point, so you don't have to break trim or stop or anything.
Glad you got to try it out before you made your decision to buy one.
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