Boarderguy
Chief Narctopus Wrangler
The real question this brings up is did the diver notice before or after exciting the water and rinsing gear?I found a weight pocket on the bottom with 8lbs in it 2 days ago.
It happens.
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The real question this brings up is did the diver notice before or after exciting the water and rinsing gear?I found a weight pocket on the bottom with 8lbs in it 2 days ago.
It happens.
This is a catch 22 for you?Having a weight belt and dump pouches increases the likelihood that you're accidentally going to drop weights.
rip cord to dump weights and now its actual name escapes me LOL)
Yes! Zeagle Ranger!If its zeagle then ripcord is the actual name lol
I’m not really sure dive shops intentionally pick jackets just because they wear out faster and they make more money on them. Many dive shops still have not seen a BP/W in the flesh believe it or not. Many still think it’s all a bunch of tech diver crap (yes they used those exact words).Do you think dive shops like this?
when I look at the jacket style BCDs in my area (I had one, I nicknamed it the Chamber Express from the rip cord to dump weights and now its actual name escapes me LOL) I see excess fabric, more things to tear, weaker material. Contrast that to a quality wing that will last me my entire diving career and inexpensive webbing. Where's the money in that for dive shops?
There's a reason a less optimal solution is prevalent. Though this is detrimental to the tropical dive location where customers typically rent.
Yep. I would bet that is the primary reason so many shops don't sell them.I’m not really sure dive shops intentionally pick jackets just because they wear out faster and they make more money on them. Many dive shops still have not seen a BP/W in the flesh believe it or not. Many still think it’s all a bunch of tech diver crap (yes they used those exact words).
Oh, I believe that. I think many dive shops are poorly run.I’m not really sure dive shops intentionally pick jackets just because they wear out faster and they make more money on them. Many dive shops still have not seen a BP/W in the flesh believe it or not.
Oh, I believe it. The funny thing is the most successful shops in my area serve both recreational/technical diving well. The others tend to be mills focusing on mask, fins, snorkel, and gloves sales, which are high margin items.Many still think it’s all a bunch of tech diver crap (yes they used those exact words).
My LDS has now finally come around to at least change their thinking and open their eyes, thanks to me. They were selling my plate and sold all 8 of them in a few weeks. All were sold off their website and went out if state. However, this opened their eyes to the reality that people are hungry for this stuff. My plate is a single tank recreational plate so no “tech diver crap” here. I didn’t see them selling eight jackets in a couple weeks over the internet.
We’re still going to try and get a few units set up complete and put them on display. But getting the best wings will be a challenge now, not only because of a wholesale issue but a supply issue. We’re also going to put out a few in rental and get a few instructors set up so students can see them in use.
This is what it will take. They would be happy to sell BP/W, after all a sale is a sale. But the problem is that the BP/W was so underground for so long that it became the domain of the Internet and had a cult following. The standard LDS kind if missed the bus in many respects by not embracing the concept from the start. Now trying to get wings and plates from their sources is tricky. They don’t know enough about them to know what to get to set up a few units.
I’m trying to help them.
Same way they compete with internet sales? It is about relationships. Shops that I know that take good care of customers typically earn sales through them. There will always be some people that will get their questions asked at a shop and then go buy online.How is an LDS supposed to compete with something like the DGX package?
Hence my comment about poorly run shops.The shop owner's attitude was "See! I told you!"
They could do it with HOG Edge stuff. Or source their own. Wings would be the only tricky part.How is an LDS supposed to compete with something like the DGX package?
Also companies like Apeks, Hollis, and others do offer BP/W setups.They could do it with HOG Edge stuff. Or source their own. Wings would be the only tricky part.
But that starts messing with the manufacturer kickback structures from their existing lines that most dealers depend on. It's got to be tough to be a dealer because the largest manufacturers are still pretending it's the 1980s and they can make the internet go away like they mostly did with mail order.
The last thing the big guys want is for the modular BP/W to take off. That's why when they do produce them, they come with premium prices and proprietary parts.