Aqua Lung Bac Pac, 56-58

[Tommymac]

Pac on the left, seems to be quite common but recent acquisition is different. Slots for the nylon strap rather than hardware and wider plastic shoulder straps. I have a copy of a 1955 catalog, and my oldest catalog is from 1959. Pac is in neither of those. Raised plastic buttons formed in the plastic are right where the hardware would be. Anyone know what year this pac is from.

Thanks in advance

 

[Fish&beer]

I checked old US Divers catalogs and found that they changed over to the Bac-Pac pictured on the right in 1970. USD last made the one with the old style hardware in 1969 which had a retail price of $16.95. I guess it was just cheaper to make them with web slots instead to match the common webbing size.

 

[Luis H]

The one on the left is by far the most common. Even in the 70's we had lots of them around.

I have only seen the one on the right maybe a couple of times max. Even do it was in the catalog, I don't think they sold many of those at all. I don't think we ever sold one in the dive shop I worked.

By the time the one on the left was introduced, the newer blow-molded back-packs were gaining popularity.


Those back-packs (also known as Dolphin Packs) had the big disadvantage that they were a pain to move from one tank to the next. You basically installed them on one tank and didn't move it.

 

[regulator bj]

Just a thought ,maybe there was an issue with cracking with the molding at the webbing link, and wider shoulder straps proved more comfortable in use.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

Actually, a lot of us who used this backpack set it aside because of those plastic shoulder straps. They were very slippery against a nylon wet suit, and tended to slide off our shoulders underwater; it got rather irritating. That is probably why U.S. Divers Company went to the nylon straps.

SeaRat

 

[Tommymac]

Thanks for all the info. Like a dummy I never thought to look in newer catalogs. 1969 and 70 were a couple lost years, waiting to get back to the real world. I assumed it was an older unit since I had never seen one like it before. Will clean up the straps and put it to use. I always had problems with the older style slipping off my shoulders.

 

[John C. Ratliff]

I always enjoyed the old "military" harness as it has a cross-chest strap that prevented the shoulder straps from slipping off my shoulders. I have several of my twin tank units equipped with this harness.

SeaRat

 

[Tommymac]

I think the dog bone pac works best for me with a single tank because of both chest and crotch strap, never tried a set up like yours. My favorite set up is Sportsways with center section knob up. Regulator sits so low, I have to mount the regulator first and then use a single bolt to put the pac on. Single bolt is solid and holds the pac with no movement as the double tanks contact the pac on its outer edge so it can't move. RAM's fit but closer to alum pac.