ranger --> ebay --> BP/Wing

[Rockhound]

to make a few more dives with my Ranger over the last few weeks. It DOES trap some air, but not very much. I estimated that diving with an AL80, the difference between my weighting with the Ranger is now about 1 lb. or less in saltwater. I now see no difference in fresh. I don't think this air trapping would be considered a safety issue.

As for the post regarding discomfort with the straps on a backplate rig: I used neoprene pads on my AT PAC straps. These pads are wraparound and secured with velcro. While they may not be readily available anymore, similar pads are available as "stay/chain" guards for bicycles. I have one on my bike. They wrap around the lower stay to protect it from dings...or in the case of my bicycle, from completely flying apart (carbon fiber). Mine is of sufficient width to work with harness webbing.

Of course, I don't know if such pads would be approved DIR add-ons. I mean, you could get the velcro caught in your beard, causing a potentially tragic self-entanglement hazard (sorry, Uncle Pug, I couldn't resist).

Another possibility regarding the fit is the length or width of your torso. If you are "long bodied" or have a weightlifter's breadth (or my bubba-girth), then some adjusting might be in order. Do these backplates come in different sizes or have different web lacing points? (I don't know much about the new "BP-Wings" beyond what I read here.) You might need to "spread" the loop formed by the shoulder straps by lengthening the attachment points (my AtPac had continuous webbing, but you could adjust the spread by changing "slots"). That way, you couldn't tightent the webbing to your body without digging in under your arms.

I agree, it sounds like an adjustement issue. While I'm unfamiliar with Halcyon and the other BP wing setups out there, I agree that back inflation and simplistic rigs are the way to go. Still, though, I like me new Ranger just fine......

Speaking of bicycles, someone congratulate me....I rode my bike from Houston to San Antonio over the weekend--215 miles, half of it in the rain. It was great. I wasn't alone, as I was a ride marshall for about 400 bikes attempting to make the trek.

My diving will have to taper off for this biking thing, since I'm training to ride with the Houston Police Dept. Bicycle Relay Team from Houston to Edmonton, Alberta next summer (We'll be in Calgary for the Stampede, and may even riding in the parade). I'm not a cop, but I'll be riding as a civilian member of the team in "honor" of my 7yr. old son. We are riding and fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

If I kept diving, flying powered parachutes AND riding a bike almost every day, I'd be deeevorced fer sur.

 

[xoomboy]

I used neoprene pads on my AT PAC straps. These pads are wraparound and secured with velcro. While they may not be readily available anymore, similar pads are available as "stay/chain" guards for bicycles.

IMHO, one should not have to modify their setup by adding on extra "comfort-enhancing" parts. Most comments I've read on the board regarding an uncomfortable harness say that it is for one of two reasons: new, stiff webbing, or the harness is not adjusted properly. Once the webbing has broken in and you have the harness set to the shape of your body, supposedly it feels like you're not wearing anything at all -- while underwater, that is.

Regardless of qualifying as DIR or not, when you start adding on items that are not intended for the system which you have chosen to adhere, you get away from the simplicity and flexibility of the whole concept.

It's going to sound like I'm OVERLY nitpicky about the issue, but consider this: How fast/easy is it to move the position of a D-ring once the velcro is wrapped around the straps? It's an extra task to worry about (undoing the velcro), even if it sounds like an easy one. If you're wearing bulky neoprene gloves, or gloves attached to your drysuit, forget it. You'd need your fingers, which means wasting time getting your gloves off, using up your gas for that amount of time, etc. Then, you have to reattach the velcro when you're done with the task. Again, more time, more gas used.

And what about an emergency situation? When panic sets in, the less you need to do to resolve an issue, the better. Why not just wear a wetsuit or even a skin that will offer up some padding without compromising your rig's efficiency?

As I said above, I know it sounds like I'm being super-nitpicky about something as simple as a couple of velcro straps, but keep in mind it's not the velcro straps that are the issue, it's the concept of complication. You don't want to compromise your simplicity, your flexibilty, or your efficiency to move, breathe, or function even a single bit when your life is on the line. Even if you're only underwater for five minutes.

Ah, now that I've had my chance to get up on a scubaboard soapbox (!!!):

Congrats on the biking. Sounds like you were really able to push yourself, and your next ride sounds like a blast. I love being exposed to the elements myself. Hiked Mt. Madison (Presidential Range, WMNF) in zero-vis, rain, and 50kt gusts about a month ago with three other people. Felt like we were climbing Everest. And, of course, on the way down, the sun broke through all the mess (figures!)

Matt

 

[Uncle Pug]

tampascott once bubbled...
Would you mind elaborating on that?

Scott I really don't know why the Ranger traps air but it does... not a safety issue unless you consider having to carry extra weight to compensate a safety issue... that coupled with the inherent buoyancy of the Ranger does mean extra extra weight!

As to why the Pioneer wing dumps so easily I can only guess that it has to do with it being bladderless and connected across the bottom (oblong donut shape.) I do know that divers switching from a Ranger to a BP/wing drop significant total weight (not just off the belt due to the plate.)

 

[Rockhound]

Actually, I agree with you on the padding. I think you could mitigate the interference with D-rings and such, but I do recall my pads would occasionally snag my hoses or lines (never more than briefly).

I continued to use them with the old AT PAC whenever I wore the unit bare-skinned in open water, but ditched them at any other time. You have to remember though, that this was mostly back in the 70's and 80's, when guys who were diving DIR weren't talking to the rest of us....but developing the system by trial and error.

My old ATPac didn't have D-rings on the harness, although it did have the much feared shoulder release buckle on the left side. The pad did not interfere with this buckle, although the buckle offered interfered with a lot of stuff.

My comment about beard entanglement was a half-hearted, half-humorous admission that I recognized such an arrangement would be subject to criticism. No problem, since I agree that "fit" is the real issue.

Thanks for 'grats on the Double Century bike ride. At 250lbs, I am an atypical cyclist. But, I did fine, rode really fast (mid pack of the finishers) and felt good at the end. By next summer, I hope to have 50 lbs. of this lard off my big butt, since every pound of fat is another useless pound I have to lift uphill. That ought to make me seriously fast.

 

[captjohnr]

I have several BCDs which I use for various reasons/applications:

Back Pack Old style: Cleaning boat bottom, unfouling anchors;
3 Seaquest Explorer 1989 - Very little more than a backpack with
12 pounds of lift-- for travel and light Gulf Dives.
1 SeaQuest ADV 4 1990-- for use with 100+ CF Tanks
1 SeaTech Manta -- lifting/recovery work (more lift than others).
1 New Zeagle Express for teaching scuba and general diving.