Any special skills needed for bp/wings?

[TheRedHead]

How about remove of BC @ the surface though -- say for getting onto a small boat/inflatable.

I do this frequently. You should have a minimal amount of air in the wing, chicken wing out of one side (left side for me). The right side is easy, but before I let go of the strap, I pump a little more air into the wing. It helps to be double jointed.

 

[limeyx]

i would think weightbelt under the crotch strap would be more fiddly, since you really want the weightbelt off first in the sequence...

i know i've done this before (in whitecaps as well), but i don't remember it very well... i just remember us joking around about how we needed our snorkels... haven't been diving on any little boats lately...

I had to do it recently for the first time in a long time

I dive with the belt under the harness, but leave the belt on when getting gear off in the water as I'm basically neutral with the belt and drysuit on.

It works fine, but from what I remember, PADI has you do it in 2 ways -- 1 with the belt off but BC on, and then BC off, maybe belt on. With a crotch strap, it seems that one of those inherently got a bit more complex if you use a belt.

 

[limeyx]

I do this frequently. You should have a minimal amount of air in the wing, chicken wing out of one side (left side for me). The right side is easy, but before I let go of the strap, I pump a little more air into the wing. It helps to be double jointed.

Sure, just pointing out that the "PADI" OW skills might be more complex in this case.
Not 100% sure since I never dived with a jacket, but I know the jacket diver in our OW class had an easier time of those skills than we did.

 

[lamont]

I do this frequently. You should have a minimal amount of air in the wing, chicken wing out of one side (left side for me). The right side is easy, but before I let go of the strap, I pump a little more air into the wing. It helps to be double jointed.

yeah, i thought that's how i did it as well roughly. reg in mouth, deflate wing some, chickenwing out. and i thought it was actually easier than chickenwinging on dry land because it all rides up a bit, but i'm not sure if i'm remembering that detail correctly... i definitely don't recall it being any kind of big problem though...

 

[Debay777]

OK. IVE READ A GOOD PORTION OF THIS THREAD, THOUGH NOT ALL OF IT, SO IM GOING TO ASK A QUESTION. I AM ALMOST THROUGH MY BOW CLASS. WE USE JACKET STYLE BCS. THEY ARENT ALL THAT BAD AS FAR AS COMFORT GOES, BU THEN I HAVE NO STANDARD OF COMPARISON. I AM EYE BALLING THIS RIG http://scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=RangerPack , BECAUSE OF PRICE TO POUND RATIO. ITS A LOT OF STUFF FOR THE MONEY AND I AM READING A LOT OF POS STUFF ON BP/W SET UPS. ANOTHER LDS SELLS/RENTS BP/W BUT NOT IN MY SIZE. . IS THIS A GOOD RIG? TOO MUCH FOR A NEWB? LET ME GUESS, RENT, RENT, RENT, THEN DECIDE.??

 

[PerroneFord]

A proper BP/W will not have a "size". It is custom adjusted for YOU, so it fits like it was made for you.

"A lot of stuff for the money" is the opposite mindset of a BP/W. The idea is to have as little as possible. High Quality materials, take only what you need, streamline your gear.

I don't suggest you rent at all. Money wasted as far as I am concerned. I saved up, bought my gear, and went diving when I collected it all, including the tank.

 

[TheRedHead]

I AM EYE BALLING THIS RIG http://scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=RangerPack , BECAUSE OF PRICE TO POUND RATIO. ITS A LOT OF STUFF FOR THE MONEY AND I AM READING A LOT OF POS STUFF ON BP/W SET UPS.

You can have "too much" inflation for a single tank, but I don't think you would have a problem with the Brigade. I dived one before moving to the BP/W. I personally don't like the Aeris regulator as it breathes wet inverted and the swivel on the hose next to the 1st stage was always swiveling in a current, pulling the reg in my mouth. I would rather have a wrist computer and a small SPG, like the Tusa that they sell. I would get the Zeagle Envoy reg instead. You could ask them to give you a price on another "package."

 

[djanni]

OK. IVE READ A GOOD PORTION OF THIS THREAD, THOUGH NOT ALL OF IT, SO IM GOING TO ASK A QUESTION. I AM ALMOST THROUGH MY BOW CLASS. WE USE JACKET STYLE BCS. THEY ARENT ALL THAT BAD AS FAR AS COMFORT GOES, BU THEN I HAVE NO STANDARD OF COMPARISON. I AM EYE BALLING THIS RIG http://scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?PRODUCT_ID=RangerPack , BECAUSE OF PRICE TO POUND RATIO. ITS A LOT OF STUFF FOR THE MONEY AND I AM READING A LOT OF POS STUFF ON BP/W SET UPS. ANOTHER LDS SELLS/RENTS BP/W BUT NOT IN MY SIZE. . IS THIS A GOOD RIG? TOO MUCH FOR A NEWB? LET ME GUESS, RENT, RENT, RENT, THEN DECIDE.??

Zeagle is a first tier manufacturer and their support is excellent. All Zeagles are back inflate designs which is my first choice. Bp/w's are back inflates too. You could not go wrong with a Zeagle BC.

Renting is fine if your inclined that way but it's time consuming especially if you want to get your own gear now.

There are big bulky jacket BC's and there are compact streamlined jacket BC's such as the Scubapro Classic Sport. A lot of people use the term "jacket" as if they are all alike. They are not.

Opinions on this board, including mine, are a dime a dozen and often passionate so just absorb the input with a degree of skepticism, exercise caution, be thoughtful and wise and you'll make a good decision.

 

[TheRedHead]

Renting is fine if your inclined that way but it's time consuming especially if you want to get your own gear now.

I personally don't like renting regulators. Almost all the regulator problems me or my bud has experienced were rental problems. I think it should be the first piece of equipment a new diver purchases. And I don't think that price alone should be the paramount consideration. You don't need a top of the line regulator, but don't buy a regulator because it is cheap either. Many times, you can find a used regulator from one of the many people who took up diving for 6 months and quit, selling all their gear. Look for names like Aqualung, Apeks, Scubapro or Zeagle and have it serviced before use.

 

[lamont]

I personally don't like renting regulators. Almost all the regulator problems me or my bud has experienced were rental problems. I think it should be the first piece of equipment a new diver purchases. And I don't think that price alone should be the paramount consideration. You don't need a top of the line regulator, but don't buy a regulator because it is cheap either. Many times, you can find a used regulator from one of the many people who took up diving for 6 months and quit, selling all their gear. Look for names like Aqualung, Apeks, Scubapro or Zeagle and have it serviced before use.

Yeah the two things I thought when I clicked on that special were "nice, a zeagle back-inflate" and "i wonder how cheap those regs are".... I'm not saying they are, but looking at the price they're either cheap regs or a really *amazingly* great deal...