Considering switching to w/bp

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farsidefan1

Contributor
Rest in Peace
Messages
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Location
Salt Lake Valley, Utah USA
# of dives
200 - 499
As I pack my dive bag I'm irritated when my scubapro superglide plus takes up 2/3 of the space. I love the pockets and D rings, I love the integrated weight system, but it is a big bulky sucker.

Let me describe my diving. I'm a warm water wuss. I will never dive in water below 74 degrees. Ever. I ALWAYS have to fly to my dive destinations so size DOES matter. I'm 5' 11" 230. I'm not a techy kind of guy. I want a fairly simple set up and I don't want to have to redo it every trip. (In other words having to take it apart and rebuild it every trip is an absolute deal breaker).

Price is not important. I carry a light, signal mirror, SMB (on a D ring), and camera (small pocket sea and sea camera) and a tiny bottle of johnsons baby shampoo in my pockets every dive, so I do need decent sized pockets.

It just seems to me that a plate and wing would be much more compact but can I get one with the pockets, 3 D rings and integrated weights? (Tropical diving only)

Oh, and I will never dive doubles. Single tank only. I know it seems picky, and maybe it is impossible. If so I will look at a travel BC. Thanks, Jay
 
It just seems to me that a plate and wing would be much more compact but can I get one with the pockets, 3 D rings and integrated weights? (Tropical diving only)

The plate and wing with harness would probably be more compact. (And most divers add the proper amount of D-Rings to that set up.)

But where you might be disappointed is that if you require pockets and integrated weights you have to add them to a system that was conceived to be more minimal.

Of course you can strap as many aftermarket devices to your harness as you like but you may find yourself simply creating a Frankenstein rig that eliminates any benefit you may have gained from going BP/W in the first place.

As a warm water dive traveler you might want to stick to a simple, off the shelf BC.

They make them that way for a reason.
 
If price is not really a concern, the Halcyon Eclipse system looks like it would meet your needs.

Some dealers like Diveseekers have a deal where you get the ACB 10 (integrated weights) included with purchase of the Eclipse. Price is around $730 or so.

The Eclipse comes with 5 D rings... 1 on each shoulder, 1 on the left side weight pouch, and 2 on the crotch strap.

The ACB 10 is good for 5-6 lbs per side. Those plus a SS plate should be all you need for warm water diving.

The pockets are the tricky part... with integrated weights, there really is no room for pockets. Your best bet would be to get a pair of x-shorts or glue pockets onto your wetsuit.

I personally dive the Eclipse with 30# wing, ACB 10's and absolutely love it. You cant go wrong with BP/W.

Hope this helps.
 
BP&W is modular. So you can add components as you need them. This allows the option of pockets and integrated weights if you need them.

However, once you get a BP&W you might find that there are alternative storage options that you are not familiar with from using a jacket BCD.... such as rolling the DSMB and securing it to the rear/bottom of the backplate via bungee loops.

If you get a BP&W...start simple... then only add components as and when you have to. If you research your options for storage, you will probably find that there are better choices than adding pockets to the rig.

Same goes with weight. A lot of your weight requirement is going to be satisfied by the backplate itself. For tropical diving, some trim weight pockets on the tank camband will probably provide you with all the weight you need.
 
Why not look at the ScubaPro LiteHawk?
 
A few things to consider -

You may not need much additional weight if you use a steel backplate, so weight integration may not be as big of a deal as you may think. I'm a big guy, and use a weight harness (I hate weight belts) for the extra ballast I need, and it allows for quick ditching of weights just like an integrated system. I did try pouches on my BP/W harness briefly and hated it.

Pockets - Don't recall who makes them, but there are shorts with pockets that you can wear over your wetsuit / trunks. Alternatively, have pockets added to your wetsuit. I dive dry in cold water most of the time and have two huge pockets on my suit for storing gear.

D-Rings - With the minimalist / Hogarthian rigs you can add as many D rings as you like. I have four on mine (clearly, I'm going to die).

My advice - before you buy a BP/W, try one out for a few hours in a pool at least. It takes a bit of adjustment to get one fitted correctly, and it takes a bit to get used to the difference how it fits compared to a "normal" BC.
 
Some good thoughts. I will hit the pool or maybe go up to the crater (hot water spring 64 feet deep). One question. I had not thought about the "crotch strap. That does not sound fun. Well at least not unless I'm the diver that yanks on some poor victims tank for a laugh. No I would never do that - but it does sound, um, very uncomfortable. I mean how tight do you cinch it?
 
It's not load bearing in the water. It's snug... but all it does is hold the rig close. To be honest, you won't even notice it in the water.
 
I, too, am a warm-water, singles, fly-there only kind of guy. Here's how I do it:

Full 3mm

DSS Stainless plate, Torus 17, plain harness.

I roll my smb, pass a bungee thru it with a clip on each end, and clip to the right side of the plate under my right arm. Spool clips to the bottom right corner of the plate.

Light clips to left chest d-ring, secured with a bungee loop.

Camera clips to right hip/right chest D-ring. Sometimes to the crotch d-ring.

Compass clips to left chest d-ring

Double-ender clipped to right chest d-ring so I can clip my primary 2nd when not using it.

I need 2 lbs of additional weight. I either thread it on the waistband or wear a weight belt, depending on the phase of the moon.

Small dive-rite pocket on right waist band for stuff I no longer want.

The only assembly/disassembly is the wing pulls off the plate for travel/storage, and is replaced by pulling the cambands thru the slots - no tools required - see DSS website for video of assembly/disassembly.

Crotch strap is a non-issue, never know it is there until you stand on your head and your tank stays rock-solid.

edit: typo/think-o
 

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