Choosing a single tank wing/bp set-up.

[mempilot]

One MAJOR problem I am seeing (reading about), is that most of us are diving with back plates that require an additional plate for conversion to a single tank, or a bent plate with band slots, or worse. This makes the tank stand proud off of your back by several inches causing a "top heavy" affect, and when you move to the side it causes a rolling effect.

The new OMS 30# single tank wing doesn't need a single tank adapter. The plate slots work fine with the BC and the BC has single tank stabilizers built in. They work great. The tank sits right against the plate/wing.

As for quality. Come on people. There's no real technology in a bp, harness, or wing. They're all the same quality.

 

[mempilot]

I liked the oval shape of the Pioneer system over the usual "U" shapes in other wings. I think OMS is coming up with a similar wing as well. Although I personally do not like the bungee OMS systems. They feel bulky and large... I almost feel like a turtle with a huge shell on my back. That's just my personal opinion on those bungeed systems though.

For crying out loud! When was the last time any of you looked at an OMS catalog or their website? The single tank donut is out. Bungees are an option, not standard equip. They sell different length inflator hoses. There is so much misinformation being posted on this board it makes me sick.

jplacson, this is not intended just at you, but everyone stop posting cr#p that isn't true about length of inflator hoses, bungees, quality, and other comple bull sh#!.

Before you trash a company, whether it's OMS, Halcyon, or Dive Rite, do some f'ing research. This board has become a Ford vs. Chevy WWF bull sh#t fest on about 20 different threads.

A plate is a plate. The only thing you can possibly screw up is not finishing the edges. A wing is about the simplest damn piece of equip in the scuba industy (much simpler than a jacket or back inflation BC which don't get half the bad info posted). As for a harness. How the f do you screw up webbing? If it's one continous piece, it is better. If it isn't, it is still good for 99.99% of diver's out there. 99.99% of diver posting on this board don't need to worry about half the little nit picking crap they post about bp/wings/harnesses.

In about 3 hours in a metal shop, any moron can produce a bp and harness that is as good as any from the companies mentioned. As for the wings, do really think these companies are putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into R&D? Get real. It's a $100 product being sold for $200+. If they were selling them in mass quantity, they'd be produced for $50 and sold for $200+.

Let's waste more bandwith on these stupid threads about who is better. They are all good. Go with who you can get locally and forget the crap posted in these threads.

 

[LioKai]

ouch

 

[roakey]

ouch

Yhea Matt, a lot of people not engaging their brains (as well as the usual anything-for-an-excuse-to-Halcyon-bash, but that's nothing new...)

As far as I can tell, everyone missed Matt's point about the single cylinder stand-off. You DON'T measure this by measuring the thickness of the STA, that's insignificant. You look at the entire setup. Normal BPs have a very high dorsal that goes between double cylinders. Not so with a singe cylinder, the single cylinder gets perched on top of this dorsal. Different BPs have different height dorsals, Halcyon/Scubapro being one of the lowest and FredT's being one of the tallest. So you start with a dorsal an inch or two off your back, then you add an STA, which, depending on the STA may add another inch off the dorsal and you've got a cylinder spaced between two and three inches off your back.

It looks like this jet pack pulls the cylinder back down against your back. Like all potentially interesting designs, it's really nothing new, it looks a heck of a lot like the Hawaiian packs I used on Maui back in the 70s, which were a flat piece of metal with two padded metal "hooks" that went over your shoulders and a waist strap.

As for having to buy multiple BPs to accommodate doubles and singles, heck, I already own three that I mix and match depending on my weighting and trim requirements, the BP itself is the cheapest component around, what's one more if it performs better?

Does it perform better? Heck, I don't know, but it's interesting enough to look at before my next WWW trip.

Roak

 

[reubencahn]

So you start with a dorsal an inch or two off your back, then you add an STA, which, depending on the STA may add another inch off the dorsal and you've got a cylinder spaced between two and three inches off your back.

Roak

I'm not sure but I would guess the offset is more like an inch in total. I've got the Fred T plate with a Koplin stay, so maybe I'll measure when I get home.

 

[roakey]

I'm not sure but I would guess the offset is more like an inch in total. I've got the Fred T plate with a Koplin stay, so maybe I'll measure when I get home.

The only way you're gong to get an accurate measurement is to put it on someone's back and measure, my FredT "flats" that rest against my back have a fairly steep bend to them themselves, so the steep bend that makes up the dorsal starts well off my back. Then the dorsal itself is at least an inch deep.

Roak

 

[ShoalDiverSA]

Roakey,

Good point about the dorsal depth (I missed the point as well).

I'd certainly be interested to hear the results, if you can take the time out to measure it, Reuben. For interest's sake, does the dorsal (rib?) depth vary significantly on different backplates? If so, why? Surely it only has to be deep enough to accommodate a wing nut at worst? So, if this assumption is correct, most dorsals should have similar profile depths.

What about drilling and tapping the plate (heavy plate only) for the STA mounting bolts? Could the dorsal be reduced then, or is there another reason for the depth? I am thinking of modifying the design I have to reduce the standoff distance - in the unlikely event of me progressing to double tank diving (boat turnaround time limits dive to 60 minutes max - except Christmas ), I can always get another BP made for about $35.

Cheers,

Andrew

 

[FredT]

The only way you're gong to get an accurate measurement is to put it on someone's back and measure, my FredT "flats" that rest against my back have a fairly steep bend to them themselves, so the steep bend that makes up the dorsal starts well off my back. Then the dorsal itself is at least an inch deep.
Roak

Roak,
The dorsal is still fairly deep to provide protection for exposure suits from the tank or STA bolts. Current plate flats are bent at a considerably shallower angle, in a large part due to your input after the first run was completed. When combined with the W STA the valve centerline height above the back is down to within 1/4" of the most popular plate when actually measured on a back.

FT

 

[reubencahn]

The only way you're gong to get an accurate measurement is to put it on someone's back and measure, my FredT "flats" that rest against my back have a fairly steep bend to them themselves, so the steep bend that makes up the dorsal starts well off my back. Then the dorsal itself is at least an inch deep.

Roak

OK, here goes. I didn't measure with it on my back because I would need my wife's assistance and she thinks I waste too much time on this stuff anyway. But, the dorsal depression is about 1". The STA adds another 5/8". I have a more recent plate (purchased in October) and it may be flatter, but the while the dorsal may start well off my upper back, it starts right at the musculature in the middle of my back. So it wouldn't really be possible to bring it closer. Thus, I would estimate that the total standoff is about 1 5/8".

 

[LioKai]

The slander and the negative attitude that I see on this website is beyond belief. We as a group of (somewhat) like minded individuals should be promoting a more helpful attitude toward each other.

Most of the threads here use "DIR" more often than the word "the". Long before "DIR" was ever a cult phenom we had the acronym "KISS", "Keep It Simple & Smart", and it is just as true today as it was then.

Far too many people have been useing DIR (the phrase) as a means of perputuating a level of their own closed mindedness. This is not what DIR (the attitude) stands for. Uttering the acronym DIR does not make you a better diver than the rest of the group. Maintaining an open mind and a continuous effort to increase your own wide spread knowledge of the sport and the associated equiptment through personal and professional training, along with an attitude toward increasing your own level of personal fitness and good health and proper physical training, will point you in the right direction of being a better diver and a better person. However, this will still not make you better than everyone else, because the attitude of "I'm better than you" should not even be a goal. Try being the best diver that you can be, both physically and mentally. Share your knowledge with others and be accepting of the views and limitations of others. There is a lot of truth to the phrase "A Good Diver is Always Training". I dive nearly every day of the year, and I learn something new each and every day, doesn't matter if I am guiding, shooting video with my wife, learning about a new piece of equiptment, working on the boat, or reading posts on websites.