Think about it: Any time that a newbie asks a question about BCD selection, they are instantly greeted with a choir of "Why a BP/W is so much better". And then nothing more.
A good point (and the light goes on for me!), and I better understand where you are coming from here and in other posts. You are right. We offer lots of comment - 'Go BP/W because it is streamlined.', or 'Go BP/W because it is moves weight from your waist to a more appropriate place (your back).', or 'Go BP/W because it is modular.' But, when someone wants to get down to the nitty gritty, it is perhaps a bit (too) easy to say, 'PM Tobin at DUSS for details.' While Tobin is a great resource, as BP advocates we are passing the buck in a way, and dumping a lot on him. Now, having confessed, I am not sure I feel particularly creative in contributing to what you suggest. Maybe, a reasonable starting point might be to think back to how each of us began using a BP/W, and list some of the problems we had. For me, I wondered whether using AL or SS made any difference. I decided it did, in terms of weight distribution, and went SS. I wondered if the shape and length of a plate made any difference? I decided it did not make any difference for me as a newbie. I wondered if brand made a difference. I ultimately decided it did not, although there are some differences between brands, and I prefer the OMS plates a little more than Dive Rite, because it has more holes around the edge (talk about simplistioc selection criteria). I wanted to do a simple, one piece web harness, but did not know how long a peice of webbing to get. So, I bought 12 feet, and watsed a lot, but had plenty. I tried to figure out what other hardware needed (I ended up with 4 D-rings, and keepers for the chest straps, and 2 for the waist). How was I supposed to make a crotch strap? Should it be 1" or 2"? The list goes on.
What I'm suggesting, (to get back on subject), is that it would be nice if somehow the members of SB who seem to have a wealth of experience with BP/Ws, could produce a document of some kind that could help beginners with BP/W selection, instruction in set up and use.
Some good stuff is already out there - AL vs SS, for example. Maybe, more. It could be a matter of creating a sticky with links to previous thrteads, and adding new FAQs.
