Zeagle Ranger issues?

[diversteve]

Since the pockets are too small on the Ranger for your needs - some options:

Buy a Ranger LTD and add the Ziptouch pockets under the wing. I have one and carry a soft-skirt mask (with a hard frame) and an SMB in it. Not much room for anything else though but you can buy both sides. Accessories - Ziptouch

Zeagle also sells their ZipMount system separately as an add-on for the standard Ranger or other models. I'm pretty sure the Stiletto is one and there's probably others. All the Ziptouch components work with it also.

Or mount a Zeagle Utility pocket on the front of the jacket in the extra grommet holes. The pocket Zeagle sells has the matching grommet - they use a thick plastic screw to secure it. Tech Utility Pocket - or it straps to the belt. Diverite also sells a similar pocket - no grommet - for $20 or so less.

I'd look at the Scubapro Seahawk - it seems like the best option. Big pockets and 54lbs. of lift if you need it to pull someone off the bottom. Yet still a conventional BCD in case you have to demo don/doff skills in classes you DM.

 

[buckled plates]

Muy bueno...Muchas gracias!

 

[tbone1004]

For that situation, I'd still go with a SS plate and what I would do for the weights to carry and hand around is to double zip tie them to bolt snaps so you can just clip them off to the back D-ring, or you can put welded d-rings way back on the hips almost right up on the plate so that way you can clip on and off 2lb weights as needed to help the divers get what they need

 

[enduser]

I agree with tbone even though I'm the one that gave him a hard time about always mentioning DSS earlier in the thread. I just try to keep questions on topic as much as possible and dove a Ranger before going BPW and it is a great BC. Scubaboard treats BPW like it is a religion I guess I'm just not a very good missionary.

In all actuality I dive a Medium DSS SS plate with an LCD 30 the exact system he is recommending and I love it. I also have the bolt on weight plates and they work great as well.

If you can find someone to let you try a BPW at least give it a try BUT just know that if you do go with a Ranger or other Zeagle product you are getting a high quality bit of kit. I'd still buy one on eBay though

 

[buckled plates]

The wind's picked up again, and diving's off for a few days. I'll use the time to check out all the recommendations you guys have made and uh, "Well, honey...I just had to buy everything they recommended. I mean, these guys really know what they're talking about and it's a safety thing, see? I mean, you want me to be safe, don't you?"

Ha. Lol.

BTW, to change the subject for a moment, since some of you guys are tech, I'm wondering if any of you have been on the Wilkes-Barre? The wreck's 10 miles from the inlet at Big Pine Key, and I'm wondering what dive service/boat did you use? Along with a couple of friends, I've got a niche 6-pack dive service running and I'm wondering what, if any, opportunity exists for developing it further for tech diving here in the lower Keys?

 

[tbone1004]

yes, but it was while I was working at Seacamp on Big Pine so we took our boats out there....

 

[Colliam7]

Neutral at 10 lbs. summer in dive skin; 18 lbs winter in 5mm (what they called a dive skin when I bought on sale in San Diego!). Love to get rid of as much lead as I can.

If you came in to our shop this afternoon, and provided this description, I would tell you without hesitation that you are a candidate for a SS BP (a 5-6 lb plate, not one of the 'lite' 2lb plates marketed as an alternative to AL). I would also tell you that this is not the only option, but it is a good one to consider for the diver who wants to 'get rid of as much lead' as possible. Your net 'gain' is not just swapping 6 lb from your integrated weight pockets to your back (in itself a benefit from a trim perspective). Part of the 10-18 lbs you are having to strap on is the 'tax' you are paying for a positively buoyant fabric BCD. A plate with a 25-30 lb wing for personal recreational diving should work well. In your situation, given your desire to transport some extra lead for your newer divers, I would suggest a somewhat larger bladder, probably 40 lbs (possibly 35 as you are in salt water). I wear a 30lb wing - with a SS plate, 5mm wetsuit and 4lb strapped on - and it struggles when I want to get positive at the surface, in fresh water, carrying extra weight (the dropped weight belts I mentioned earlier). And, going back to what I would do if you walked in, I would propose to loan you a SS BP/W (one of mine) to try, before you made the investment, to see how you liked it.

 

[tbone1004]

Colliam, lift requirements are the same whether in fresh or salt water despite the increased lead requirements due to the salty stuff being more dense.
18lbs in a 5mm in the salty stuff, assuming an AL80, would be fine with a 30lb wing, if it was with a steel tank then it would be a different discussion because now the 18lbs of lead has to be added to the 6lbs delta in AL80 vs most steel tanks, but 18lbs with an AL80 in the salty stuff isn't that bad. You are essentially wearing 14lbs of lead to offset you+exposure protection, then need 6lbs for the gas in the tank, and a 30lb wing is more than enough.

For the money, Deep Sea Supply will win over the other options, however Dive Rite is a great option to support a Florida based company. If you are outside the "normal" range, i.e. 5'9"-6'1" and 200lbs ish, then go straight to DSS because they have long, short, and wide plates to accomodate different sized divers, and probably the LCD30 or Torus 35lb wing. If you are within the size range and are ok spending a bit more money to support a Florida based company, then I would call Cave Country Dive Shop and have them hook you up with a Dive Rite SS plate, Voyager wing, and harness. With both if you decide you don't like the concept or feel of a one piece harness, you can always go to the Transplate harness which will fit more like a recreational BC but without most the clutter.

 

[buckled plates]

I don't do fresh water (I cry in the shower), and the 35 lb lift of my present BC has been adequate. As a DM more lift would be helpful, but the added profile of bigger bladders would not be, and that's something I hadn't considered. In all, the Dive Rite Hunterpac seemed a good solution until I realized there's no padding on the harness. Most of my diving is in summer and after 5-6 hours in the water without some neoprene between my skin and those straps, I figure chaffing could be an issue. Much the same for an unpadded BP. Probably aftermarket solutions to these issues too, but enough. Dive Gear Express (e-retailer for Dive Rite) has a Hollis LTS on closeout for $250 ($200 under retail). It's back-inflate, padded, integrated (a bit), has a lower lift capacity then I wanted but, all things considered, it might be a good compromise. With a Comfo Belt for extra weight and pocketed storage I'll give it a try. If nothing else, at that price, it'll make a reliable piece of rescue gear to leave on the boat.

Now I'm going to take all this great information I've gotten for free from you guys, write a book, make a fortune, and move my op to the Philippines! Ha, ha!

 

[tbone1004]

I have neoprene sleeves and a backpad that I put on my plate when I was in Big Pine, but with a T-shirt an unpadded backplate is a nonissue. I ultimately got a 3mm non-hooded vest that I wore in place of the t-shirt and was no problem *it was cheaper than a rash guard, so figured it was worth it*. We used to do 2x2hour pool sessions back to back in a day, 4 days a week with a tshirt on an unpadded harness and it was a non-issue.