bungeed wings....????

[scubajoh44]

It's really not bad. I mean...I wish my wing was smaller, but also remember how wonderful it felt in the water. It has just what I wanted except for the wing. I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Thanks for all the advice again!

 

[SangP]

It's really not bad. I mean...I wish my wing was smaller, but also remember how wonderful it felt in the water.

Now you know why we like a bp/w so much. It looks intimidating on land but underwater it just feels great.

The best cure for those who think a bp/w is over rated, over hyped or whatever is a pool test... I've seen guys almost throw away their bcds after trying a out a bp/w.

Properly adjusted a bp/w is GREAT.

SangP

 

[scubajoh44]

I agree. I didn't think it would be THAT much better. I just needed a new "BC." I will never go back to a vest.

 

[SangP]

scubajoh44,

Welcome to the dark side mah hahaha... couldn't help it .

The thing is that you have been diving for more than 10 years, way more than I. Imagine if you had discovered this thing way back.

I really don't know how much of your current rig you can salvage but if the bolt spacing is 11" you might be able to get another wing to fit. Why don't you take the rig down to an lds that has some wings for you to try?

Another thing that you might want to convert to would be a hog harness. All that other stuff on the harness is just garbage.

You might just need a pouch and a back pad to keep your gear. Pouch for spare mask , whistle, reflector (old cd), backpad for the smb and a couple of XSScuba weight pockets. Other than a knife for emergencies I can't think of anything more you will need on your bc.

Happy hunting,

SangP

Btw, you might be able to keep the wing if you ever decide to do doubles. The harness... sell if u can. Heck if you can sell both the wing and the harness you can just get a hog harness and a singles wing.

 

[radinator]

If that's the rig:
http://www.diverssupplyusa.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=16034&dc=SCUBADUBA

It's huge!

The plate might be a keeper but the rest is overkill.

SangP

Yikes! That seems to be a BP/W in name only. Other than the metal backplate it looks like any name brand back-inflate BCD with lots of padding and foam and gizmos.

I saw that your concern about a 'standard' BP/w was about having weight you can dump. One thing to keep in mind is that you can still use a weight belt. I personally HATED my weight belt when it had to hold all of my weight (20 pounds), but when I went to a BP system and got rid of a lot of the foam and padding from my BCD, my belt went to 8 pounds.

You know, an 8 pound WB just isn't so bad. I don't even notice it anymore.

 

[scubajoh44]

Someone find me a picture of something they would recommend. I've looked on e-bay, but don't really know what I'm looking at.

 

[BigWhiteSquare]

Either of these should work well:

http://www.scubatoys.com/store/detail.asp?product_id=OXYSSWing

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/OMSSB32.html

___

 

[RonFrank]

I agree. I didn't think it would be THAT much better. I just needed a new "BC." I will never go back to a vest.

I'm not sure what you were diving. I dive a back inflate zeagle, so does Kent, and a lot of people for that matter.

If you are set on a BP/W, then plan on spending between $400-600. There are some listed on Ebay, but the truth is that while BP/W's are popular on SB they are not that popular with most divers. They are not nearly as easy to find used.

In addition BP/W divers customize their needs around the diving they do so by default many of these kits come in pieces, and you need to understand what you want before you buy, so you don't make a mistake as I assume you did with this last 75# monster of a wing purchase.

Some manufactures include:

http://www.hammerheadscuba.com/default.htm
http://www.diveriteexpress.com/
http://www.northeastscubasupply.com/specials/bp_famous_specials.html
http://www.salvodiving.com/backplates__wings
http://www.deepseasupply.com/page12.html
http://www.halcyon.net/

Unless doubles are in your near future, IMO go with a back inflate BC. You can find these ready to dive for $200, and sometimes less on Ebay every day, and if you are diving Singles in a rec environment I can not think of a compelling argument for the BP/W.

I had a buddy (Dimitri) who purchased a Halcyon Eclipse due mainly because of a deal he found, but also because of the SB BP/W hype. He was so impressed with the BP/W system that after a couple dives he sold it, and went back to his Balance Back Inflate. And his system was what most consider one of the best BP/W setups.

Not to say that the BP/W system is not great for a lot of divers, but he just did not feel much if any benifit for single tank diving, and he is not alone in that opinion.

If you have not tried a good BackInflate BC, I'd highly recommend doing so before spending the $$$ on a BP/W system. If at that point you have decided that the BP/W is they way you want to go, than plan on learning a lot more about them before you make a purchase, and $400 is about as cheap as I've seen one new with cam bands, and ready to dive.

 

[scubajoh44]

I got the BP/W simply because I found it on sale for $200. Even if I change out the wing, I think I will still have gotten a bargain. I love everything else about it. As someone mentioned before, it looks like a back inflate.

I know some will argue with these, but....
I love the weight integration
I love the small front pocket
I like the "back inflate"

AND I like the fact that things can be changed out in pieces..... <----Well, this is the one I'm working on now. I hope they can. If they can't, I might have well have gotten a back inflate "BC".)

I'll see how much can be taken apart tonight and post again tomorrow.

And don't get me wrong, I'll buy a new one, I just want to look at e-bay and get an idea for what is out there. (and maybe for what my wing will go for if I decide to sell)

 

[RonFrank]

I know some will argue with these, but....
I love the weight integration

BP/W don't typically have weight integration, that would be a Back inflat BC, just about all of them.

I love the small front pocket

BP/W don't have pockets, that would be a back inflate BC, most all of them.

I like the "back inflate"

Yeah, well Back inflate is just that.

Sounds like what you want Jo, is a Back Inflate BC, not a BP/W. If you think diving a 75# wing is GREAT, I'm guessing you will love ANY good Back Inflate BCD.