ianr33
Contributor
Zeagle Ranger has my vote as well.
Can you dive a Ranger with double 130's and a couple of stages?
My suggestion is a BP/W with a basic Hogarthian harness.
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Zeagle Ranger has my vote as well.
Anytime someone gives you advice like that, your first response should be "Why?"Im in the same boat as you. Already had my LDS/instructor order me a Zeagle Ranger LTD. For where i want my diving to go, doubles, tech, ect... that was the only one he recommended. He said stay away from a bp/w setup initially. Dive a few years in the ranger first, then transition.
I transitioned well BEFORE moving to doubles, and prefer my BP to my Ranger for singles as well. Love the Ranger, great BCD in many ways, well-made, reliable, comfortable. But, it simply isnt as simple, comfortable, etc. as my BP.NWGratefulDiver:There's nothing wrong with a Ranger ... Zeagle makes good rigs ... but I've yet to see anyone actually diving doubles in one. And I know many ... many ... divers who transitioned to tech diving, sold their Ranger, and are now diving a backplate/wing. That's because for diving doubles and using stage/deco bottles, a BP/W is the best tool for the job.
Lynn hits it right on the head/nose/whatever. Serious divers will always find gear to buy, or add. The closest thing to a B-I-O solution is a BP. I will go farther. As a newer diver, in colder water, it is a steel BP, rather than aluminum. And, when you are looking for that light for colder, darker northern quarry waters, the can light you can buy with your accrued savings is also the B-I-O.TsandM:There could be such a thing as buy it once . . . and then buy the next toy, and the next . . . And in this case, "buy it once" is a BP/W. It's the best fitted rig for diving doubles, cave and tech. There is no need to go with a halfway measure. Buy it once, and put the money you would spend replacing a hybrid BC toward the cost of a good can light.
You might PM Tobin (Cool_Hardware52) at Deep Sea Supply. GREAT resource, and gear. There are also a lot of SB posts about the Mach V, and I want to try one. I have an Oxycheq Signature 50 that I like a lot but the Mach V seems to have achieved almost cult status.laughintom:You are a big guy like I am. Check out Deep Sea Supply's large BP. Awesome. I have the steel and the kydex plates and they are the best I have seen. They also have nice wings, but I love my Oxycheq Mach V.