Do instructors not like to sell BP/W?

[flareless]

Glad you're making the right choice about getting a BP/W.

Without belaboring the point of why many dive shops don't carry these products I wanted to cast my vote against the IQPak or any other such similar wannabe BC.

All those buckles, quick releases hangy bits become a nightmare in practical use. I'm not just saying "I know a guy who....." or "I read on the Net....". I own one and hate it. Sure it's nice and padded. Got news for you; padded = carry more weight. Also; plastic snaps = failure points. Mine has been hanging in a closet for a year and a half now.

On a dive trip earlier this summer 2 guys with IQPaks had buckle failure. One guy's quick release shoulder strap broke. Fortunately we were at a dive shop prior to the dive. He got to route around in the "box of discarded parts" until he found something similar which kind of worked (if only it would have stopped coming undone). Then on the dive boat a second IQPak had buckle failure on the waistband. Since it's a proprietary buckle and we didn't have a spare he simply duct-taped his rig closed.

Oh, and the pockets are useless. One instructor I was DMing for on a Deep Dive class briefed me on the surface "If I give you this signal <points down towards his right hip> that means I can't get my slate out of my pocket so get it for me". I discovered my IQPak pockets were useless when I first got mine. It took so much effort to get my light out. When I eventually thought I got it back in I later realized I lost it. Also, a few weeks ago a teammate was pulling his camera out of his IQPak pocket. His spare mask fell out and he didn't know it until we were ascending back up the wreck and he spotted a mask. "Hey wait a minute - that's mine".

Please don't think I'm picking on OMS alone. All these BC hybrid solutions pose the same problems. They are also far more expensive than a webbing kit. Keep it inexpensive, keep it streamlined, keep it simple..

I have 2 SS backplates with standard 2" webbing run through them. A D-ring on each chest strap and a D-ring on each hip plus a crotch strap. It's not fancy but it gets the job done. If you absolutely need pockets then get bellows pockets on your dry suit or get a pair of X-Shorts for diving wet. Having the pockets on your legs make them far more accessible than above your hips. Why do you think they put them on pants instead of shirts

Oh, and I'm not DIR

Good luck whatever choice you make. Safe Dives!

 

[leapfrog]

And, I am not saying there is anything wrong with a jacket, as I use one for pool and OW checkouts, because that is what we have in our pool and rental inventory and I gear up like the students..

And there you have it, in a nutshell.

 

[rstofer]

New divers like gadgets and pockets to carry every thing they will ever need on any dive, real or imagined.

Ya ever really tried to get something out of a pocket that's wet velcro???

For so many new divers, appearance is paramount.

Ignorance is bliss.

the K

That isn't quite fair! I carried my dive tables and slate on every dive I ever made with my old SeaQuest ADVi. The pockets worked fine!

I REALLY MISS being able to carry the tables and a slate with my BP/W. Yes, I know there are pockets for the web belt but they collide with the weight harness. Yes, I know I can add pockets to my wetsuit but I haven't gotten there yet. I just miss some of the good stuff that came free with the old jacket BC.

Richard

 

[cool_hardware52]

Making the "popular choice" when making a purchase is usually safe. This is in part, because it's been validated thousands or millions of times by different people. The "popular choice" may not yield the highest possible level of "goodness" but will almost never result in a really bad choice either.

McDonalds doesn't make the world's best hamburger, but they do make a burger that generally tastes OK and almost never causes food poisioning.

Purchasing a Toyota means that you didn't get a Mercedes, but it also means you didn't get a Yugo.

Terry

Soo.....

Buying a conventional BC is the equivalent of getting a "safe" Big Mac when In and Out Burgers are available for those willing to make the effort to find them?

The herd seldom finds the sweetest grass.

Tobin

 

[Bob]

I certified four students yesterday, and all were wearing a Halcyon plate and wing. The shop also sells Scubapro, but I prefer the BP/W. I have had many former students thank me for not steering them into a jacket, but rather into a system that is more versatile and will grow with the diver as his/her skill level increases. If a student wants to be in a jacket, fine, if not, they're in an Eclipse. almtree: Bob

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I certified four students yesterday, and all were wearing a Halcyon plate and wing. The shop also sells Scubapro, but I prefer the BP/W. I have had many former students thank me for not steering them into a jacket, but rather into a system that is more versatile and will grow with the diver as his/her skill level increases. If a student wants to be in a jacket, fine, if not, they're in an Eclipse. almtree: Bob

Thank god, somebody gets it.

 

[WeldonDowd]

Thanks for all advice. After she read the post, Lori is going full BP/w, no IQPac or TransPac. I do however have to promise to find shoulder pads for the harness....but those will easily be removed when she finds them unnecessary.

 

[fisheater]

Thanks for all advice. After she read the post, Lori is going full BP/w, no IQPac or TransPac. I do however have to promise to find shoulder pads for the harness....but those will easily be removed when she finds them unnecessary.

Check these out.
Blackwater Slide-On Shoulder Pad

 

[cool_hardware52]

Thanks for all advice. After she read the post, Lori is going full BP/w, no IQPac or TransPac. I do however have to promise to find shoulder pads for the harness....but those will easily be removed when she finds them unnecessary.

Cut up an old wetsuit and make some pads. That way when you throw them away no money has been lost.

Tobin

 

[Colliam7]

And there you have it, in a nutshell.

And, that is a good point. Clearly, the training and rental inventories of most shops are based on jackets. Students often start out there. So, when it comes time to purchase gear, they may understandably gravitate toward what they are familiar with. In the case of independent instructors, and quite probably some shops, BPs may be made available to student divers. We don't even have any in rental inventory, notwithstanding the substantial emphasis on technical training in the shop, the extensive use of BPs by a number of the teaching staff, and their availability for purchase in the shop. So, when I demo a BP during the second day of OW checkouts, but don't have several units for students to wear, it probably has little if any impact. Besides, if I am a student, I don't want to change gear configuration between my confined water and open water dives, even if I purchase my own gear before the checkouts. I would be very interested in how many instructors on SB regularly put students in a BP starting with confined water, or even starting with the OW checkouts, and what your experience has been.