Matt B
Contributor
Redbelly737 check your dm's, Thanks
Question DGX Custom Aluminum BP/W for new divers... thoughts?
- Thread starter Redbelly737
- Start date
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Excellent thread. OP, congrats on setting up two nice rigs. It’s a best practice to do a pool session before going into OW with new gear.
My own rig is Subgravity Paragon 30# with adjustable straps and padding (I know, I know). I have ditchable 5# pockets on the waist belt and smallish trim pockets on the upper cam band. With an aluminum plate, AL80 and no wetsuit, I use 3+3 on the waist and 2+2 trim. Totally horizontal without effort.
If you need to stash important things on your waist, such as a Dryfob XL for your PLB, the large HOG utility pockets rock. With all that non-DIR stuff, I’ve been accused of wearing a “cop belt.” But at least not a Christmas tree. LOL. I love it.
Happy diving.
My own rig is Subgravity Paragon 30# with adjustable straps and padding (I know, I know). I have ditchable 5# pockets on the waist belt and smallish trim pockets on the upper cam band. With an aluminum plate, AL80 and no wetsuit, I use 3+3 on the waist and 2+2 trim. Totally horizontal without effort.
If you need to stash important things on your waist, such as a Dryfob XL for your PLB, the large HOG utility pockets rock. With all that non-DIR stuff, I’ve been accused of wearing a “cop belt.” But at least not a Christmas tree. LOL. I love it.
Happy diving.
OP
Redbelly737
Registered
Appreciate the comments! We wanted to make sure everything was dialed in as possible prior to getting on the boat. We don't want to waste our time, other divers time, or just embarrass ourselves! All still possible.... just reducing the odds! ; )
Yes, it’s best to make the mistakes in the simulator where they are recoverable. My buddy debuted his HOG BP/W setup in Maui last week. Seamless (until disaster struck—another story). Two weeks earlier, I convinced him to spend an hour in the pool to dial in buoyancy and trim. After that, it was easy as can be in open water, with current. And the same informal refresher was helpful for me to re-familiarize with my rig too.
The specific flavor of gear is not as important as thoughtful setup and thorough familiarity. Well done. This thread will help divers be smarter and safer.
OP
Redbelly737
Registered
8 dives with new rig and we both LOVE it!
Playa del Carmen 2 dives, Cozumel 4 dives (2 drift dives and 2 Nitrox Wreck dives), Cenotes 2 dives)
My wife did not like the trim pockets on the cam straps so on the 2nd day we used her weight belt and she was much happier. While I didn't have an issue I plan on moving at least 2 pockets to our waist harness and see how that is. She used 8 lbs and I used 12 lbs. Worked great and never felt over weighted except for the cenotes dive with the fresh water. but our dive master said we were not too over weighted. The wing provided more than enough lift and we both found the rig easy to be on the surface with as well.
We used a 2.5 shorty for Playa and Cozumel drift dive, 5 full for cenotes (75 degrees), and 3 full for wreck dive. The one piece harness (with shoulder padding) was very comfortable both in wear and ease of getting into and out of. Much easier than our normal BCD with the only adjustment point being your waist buckle. We both enjoyed the long hose set up and over all thought that the many hours of research paid off with how we set up our rigs. I purchased tech shorts (Mares and Halcyon). While I liked them both the Mares are a baggy short with lots of play when using the pockets. The Halcyon were my favorite with the neoprene providing a solid base for the pockets so getting to any item was just easier. If you have never done a Cenotes dive I highly recommend it! I am currently using the AppleWatch Ultra with Oceanic+ and it has a beautiful presentation that I enjoy. My wife has the Teric with AI and she loves being able to easily keep track of her cylinder pressure. (I'm hoping for AI for the Ultra in the future).
Kind of all over the place with this post but to the original question I asked about the value of DGX Aluminum BPW for someone thinking of this kind of set up I would say absolutely! We will get a lot of use out of this set up and it has started us down the right path for our future diving adventures!!!
Thank you all for your many suggestions and comments!
I'll add a photo (forum says photos restricted in coming days and I can't seem to post more than one)
Playa del Carmen 2 dives, Cozumel 4 dives (2 drift dives and 2 Nitrox Wreck dives), Cenotes 2 dives)
My wife did not like the trim pockets on the cam straps so on the 2nd day we used her weight belt and she was much happier. While I didn't have an issue I plan on moving at least 2 pockets to our waist harness and see how that is. She used 8 lbs and I used 12 lbs. Worked great and never felt over weighted except for the cenotes dive with the fresh water. but our dive master said we were not too over weighted. The wing provided more than enough lift and we both found the rig easy to be on the surface with as well.
We used a 2.5 shorty for Playa and Cozumel drift dive, 5 full for cenotes (75 degrees), and 3 full for wreck dive. The one piece harness (with shoulder padding) was very comfortable both in wear and ease of getting into and out of. Much easier than our normal BCD with the only adjustment point being your waist buckle. We both enjoyed the long hose set up and over all thought that the many hours of research paid off with how we set up our rigs. I purchased tech shorts (Mares and Halcyon). While I liked them both the Mares are a baggy short with lots of play when using the pockets. The Halcyon were my favorite with the neoprene providing a solid base for the pockets so getting to any item was just easier. If you have never done a Cenotes dive I highly recommend it! I am currently using the AppleWatch Ultra with Oceanic+ and it has a beautiful presentation that I enjoy. My wife has the Teric with AI and she loves being able to easily keep track of her cylinder pressure. (I'm hoping for AI for the Ultra in the future).
Kind of all over the place with this post but to the original question I asked about the value of DGX Aluminum BPW for someone thinking of this kind of set up I would say absolutely! We will get a lot of use out of this set up and it has started us down the right path for our future diving adventures!!!
Thank you all for your many suggestions and comments!
I'll add a photo (forum says photos restricted in coming days and I can't seem to post more than one)
OP
Redbelly737
Registered
sparragus
Contributor
Thanks for coming back to report on your experience!
Matt B
Contributor
Thats Great! Thanks for your report and it looks like you had a great trip,
looks like a great time!
These are so fun!
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