Excursion II

[youhen01]

I just upgraded from the Excursion to the Excursion II BCD the other week. I have done a few dives with it and find it to be to be great. No surprises there.

I have noticed that the weight pouches are on the tank strap. I have not used them yet but they seem bloody annoying. The pouches where fine where they were on the original Excursion.

Secondly the tank strap does not have the rubber sleave with the velcro on the back like the original Exc had. My tank slipped during my dive and it was annoying.

Finally they have put some decent pockets on the BC! About time.

The whistle is also a good addition to the buckle.

And it is more comfortable.

What does anyone else think?

 

[Geekhybrid]

I was recently diving with someone who was wearing the Excursion 2. It looked really good, but didnt seem enough of an upgrade to make me want to upgrade from my old Excursion, which I like a lot. The pockets are my only complaint for the Ex 1. I attached an add-on utility pocket, which is good enough, but it's not a very streamlined or elegant solution. But still, not enough to make me want to change.

But I'm confused. Are you talking about the trim weight pouches? Those are indeed on the tank strap on the Ex 2, as opposed to the back of the harness on the Ex 1. The QLR weight location hasnt changed, of course. Again, I don't have the Ex 2, but I have an Oceanic Islander that uses the same tank strap trim weight solution, and I like it a lot. It seems to me it places the weights just right in relation the QLR pouches on the front. Give it a chance on your next dive. You might like it.

I should note, they also havent included a rubber pad on the Islander. I feel it's better to have one than not, though it's not a requirement. But really, how much can it save them to not include one?

 

[Jim Lapenta]

One should not need a rubber pad on the tank strap. Tanks slip because they are not properly tightened not because of a lack of a rubber pad. If you wet the strap first, tighten and let it sit for a minute then retighten that extra 1/4 inch of nylon that will be there from the stretch the tank will not slip unless the strap totally fails. Hundreds of hours in the pool, nearly 400 dives, and I don't know how many times I've put a BC on tank and I have never had one come loose.

 

[Doug Krause]

Our backpacks incorporate a rubber anti-slip pad into them as well - to eliminate the need for another on the band.

 

[Geekhybrid]

Our backpacks incorporate a rubber anti-slip pad into them as well - to eliminate the need for another on the band.

You know, I just took a look at my Islander and sure enough on the inside where the band feeds through the plastic there's a blue rubber pad. A clear case of looking for something where it was, not where it is. My apologies for misunderstanding and misrepresenting your products. Keep up the great work!

One should not need a rubber pad on the tank strap. Tanks slip because they are not properly tightened not because of a lack of a rubber pad. If you wet the strap first, tighten and let it sit for a minute then retighten that extra 1/4 inch of nylon that will be there from the stretch the tank will not slip unless the strap totally fails. Hundreds of hours in the pool, nearly 400 dives, and I don't know how many times I've put a BC on tank and I have never had one come loose.

Personally, I have had a tank slip before and no doubt it was because I didn't tighten it properly. I think it's one of those normal "stupid" errors that happen when you're learning that give you the experience to be better.

But I should think a pad on a strap would help lessen the likelihood that a tank would slip if it's not quite as tight as it should be. In a world where we don't always get things 100% right 100% of the time, maybe it's not a bad idea. But what do I know, except many manufacturers keep putting some version of them on, presumably not because they never do anything. Perhaps you know better from your 400 dives, hours of pool time, and hundreds of posts.

 

[youhen01]

Don't get me wrong guys i really really like the new excursion BC.