cmsstoneworks
Registered
Hey guys. Just curious as I work my way through my Rescue/PSD classes what everyone has found works best for them BCD wise. I have looked at the Zeagle Ranger and or 911. Opinions?
BCD for rescue/PSD
- Thread starter cmsstoneworks
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Since your thread is asking specifically about BC's.......I'm a Ranger fan all the way. Completely modular, completely adjustable, double cam straps and with some storage options. Here's a pic of one disassembled to show the modular components, any of which can easily be adjusted or swapped.
OP
cmsstoneworks
Registered
Yea it looks like its really nice. And I found a pre owned Ranger in my size for under $300 bucks, just has a broken zipper pull which i can have fixed easily. Just not sure if there are many "upgrades" on the 911 as far as rescue and search and recovery is concerned. I think the 911 just has a couple for d rings. But wanted to be sure.
Ryan Neely
Contributor
How fortuitus that someone else is asking the same question I came here to find an answer to. However, I'm torn between posting my own specific question in a new thread or asking here and possibly hijacking this thread. I'll try it here. Maybe it will open things up to additional conversation.
Very specifically, our PSD team is a volunteer organization. As such, we are required to provide the bulk of our own equipment, and there is no standardization--the team doesn't want to force volunteers to buy a specific BCD or a specific regulator. My personal gear is quite Hogarthian (long hose, necklace, backplate and wing, etc.). I love it, but the regs won't work for a full face mask (and besides, I'd like to have completely separate gear for personal and "work").
I've been using an old Aqualung HD Pro BCD for training, but I hate it. It's bulky and there's not crotch strap, so it's constantly riding up. The pockets are practically inaccessible because they're so high on my rib cage (I'd have to be double-jointed just to access them). There's like one usable D-Ring.
Anyway, I've been thinking about buying a second backplate and wing setup for working with the team, but because I'm new-ish (I've only been at it for two years) I haven't run into a ton of scenarios. How "dangerous" would a single-piece webbing harness be for this type of work? Do I need to look for something that has quick releases?
The Zeagle Ranger mentioned above looks interesting. I like the modularity component, but it looks like it might suffer from some of the complaints I have with my Aqualung HD Pro.
I'd love to hear what others are using.
Very specifically, our PSD team is a volunteer organization. As such, we are required to provide the bulk of our own equipment, and there is no standardization--the team doesn't want to force volunteers to buy a specific BCD or a specific regulator. My personal gear is quite Hogarthian (long hose, necklace, backplate and wing, etc.). I love it, but the regs won't work for a full face mask (and besides, I'd like to have completely separate gear for personal and "work").
I've been using an old Aqualung HD Pro BCD for training, but I hate it. It's bulky and there's not crotch strap, so it's constantly riding up. The pockets are practically inaccessible because they're so high on my rib cage (I'd have to be double-jointed just to access them). There's like one usable D-Ring.
Anyway, I've been thinking about buying a second backplate and wing setup for working with the team, but because I'm new-ish (I've only been at it for two years) I haven't run into a ton of scenarios. How "dangerous" would a single-piece webbing harness be for this type of work? Do I need to look for something that has quick releases?
The Zeagle Ranger mentioned above looks interesting. I like the modularity component, but it looks like it might suffer from some of the complaints I have with my Aqualung HD Pro.
I'd love to hear what others are using.
DrakeTheDiver
Registered
I started recently with a PSD team for the county, I have also worked commercially doing underwater installations and inspections for the last few years, at shallow depths (10-30 feet). I have found that a standard BPW will work great for both jobs and normal diving. I set my rig up the same whether I am diving for work or for fun. I would not worry about quick releases and I would not want any plastic hardware, in my experience these jobs are extremely rough on equipment and plastic stuff tends to break. Additionally, a single piece of webbing in a real incident will be cut, in drills things may be more complicated but in the real world I would expect my gear to be cut. If I was entangled or it needed to be removed because I was incapacitated, we all carry cutting tools of some sort that would be able to handle the task. Also to @Ryan Neely you do not necessarily need to buy another regulator setup, I have mine the exact same and dive a long hose for fun but for work I swap my long hose for a 36 inch hose to my FFM, this routes under the arm and straight up to the mask instead of behind the neck. You can do this with a LP quick connect on the first stage and it shouldn't be too much of a hassle. However, for work I also carry a pony bottle, back mounted on a bracket, that reg has a slightly longer hose for donation as my main reg set only has the FFM (Can't Donate) and the necklaced reg (Can't Donate).
Ryan Neely
Contributor
Thanks @DrakeTheDiver. You have reiterated my own thoughts on the matter, and I appreciate the clarification on your ability to swap between your long hose and a shorter hose for your FFM.
I've often considered the fact that I've never understood the drills we run that have us doffing and donning our entire rig at depth. Now, this is a thing I can do in my BP/W setup, but no one else on our team dives with this configuration, so they are uncomfortable with the fact that there are no quick release buckles (though, I do share your concerns about plastic buckles).
I will have to explore some options for hose routing. I have already purchased a second regulator set for my team diving. Again, this is a personal preference because I, first, want to maintain a separation between personal and "work," and, second, I want to be able to have my personal gear out for service or drying after a fun dive or packed for my next fun dive without having to worry about the need to tear apart my kit or manhandle hoses if we have a call-out for a recovery.
That being said, because we don't dive with a mounted pony bottle, my largest complaint about my reg setup now is the stupid octopus, which doesn't seem to have a legitimate storage location on my current rig. Switching from my jacket-style BCD to a BP/W (which would be my preference) will only exacerbate that. I've thought about putting my backup on a long hose, but I have a concern about the FFM getting in the way of deploying that in an emergency OOA situation.
However, this is trying from the original topic of the thread, so I'll do my own thinking on that, but I appreciate the assurance that you do dive a single-piece webbing harness with a BP/W for your PSD work. That will make things easier for me to ditch my jacket-style BCD for something closer to my preferred (read: making me more comfortable in the water and, therefore, better able to do the job) way of diving.
I've often considered the fact that I've never understood the drills we run that have us doffing and donning our entire rig at depth. Now, this is a thing I can do in my BP/W setup, but no one else on our team dives with this configuration, so they are uncomfortable with the fact that there are no quick release buckles (though, I do share your concerns about plastic buckles).
I will have to explore some options for hose routing. I have already purchased a second regulator set for my team diving. Again, this is a personal preference because I, first, want to maintain a separation between personal and "work," and, second, I want to be able to have my personal gear out for service or drying after a fun dive or packed for my next fun dive without having to worry about the need to tear apart my kit or manhandle hoses if we have a call-out for a recovery.
That being said, because we don't dive with a mounted pony bottle, my largest complaint about my reg setup now is the stupid octopus, which doesn't seem to have a legitimate storage location on my current rig. Switching from my jacket-style BCD to a BP/W (which would be my preference) will only exacerbate that. I've thought about putting my backup on a long hose, but I have a concern about the FFM getting in the way of deploying that in an emergency OOA situation.
However, this is trying from the original topic of the thread, so I'll do my own thinking on that, but I appreciate the assurance that you do dive a single-piece webbing harness with a BP/W for your PSD work. That will make things easier for me to ditch my jacket-style BCD for something closer to my preferred (read: making me more comfortable in the water and, therefore, better able to do the job) way of diving.
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