first dive with BPW

[hammet]

Crotch straps... ugh.

 

[tbone1004]

Crotch straps... ugh.

based on experience or concept? if experience, with which straps? not all crotch straps are created equal...

 

[hammet]

based on experience or concept? if experience, with which straps? not all crotch straps are created equal...

Never used one. Never needed one. I've had 4 BCs over 30 years and never felt any one was loose or ill fitting where I felt I need another place to strap down to my body. And as someone who dives half the year in just boardshorts and a rashguard, I don't want anything bunching up the boys down there.

 

[Neilwood]

@KentB BP&W are more reliant on set up than a traditional BCD where you cinch up everything every time. Getting it right the first time is difficult but it is worth sticking with it.

Once the BP&W set up has been done right though, they become very liberating.

I would echo @tbone1004 about the crotch strap and waist band - they are the bits that are doing the bulk of work (similar to a well fitting & properly adjusted backpack). The shoulder straps don't need to be tight at all and once set can be left there for any number of kit configurations - I have mine the same for pool work (rash vest & shorts), warm weather diving (3 or 5mm wetsuit) as well as drysuit (with a weight harness underneath).

I have to say @hammet I found the opposite about crotch straps. Once it is set up at the right length and with the right material (it should not be nearly as stiff as the main webbing) it is actually a very comfortable way to dive. I certainly haven't felt the "boys" getting bunched up.

 

[tbone1004]

I'm surprised you even bother replying to this kind of posts...

i'm always curious to see if it is based on someones actual experience of disliking them *very rarely hear that*, or if it's about the concept of the crotch strap which is what @hammet said. In that case I see no validity in his comment and it's important to distinguish that. The program I work with has trained thousands of divers over the last 20ish years in Halcyon bp/w's, each with ~40 hours of pool time in their basic training with crotch straps in bathing suits, and we have yet to hear anyone complain about them being uncomfortable. They spend a LOT of time on the surface so we would know if they complained....

Now there are some that are uncomfortable *I don't like 1" crotch straps, especially if you scooter, but the 2" padded strap from Dive Rite is incredibly comfortable, even on the trigger with a wetsuit on. Some think that the soft webbing is going to be better, but the reason to not use things like seatbelt webbing on a bp/w, especially shoulder and crotch straps is that when under tension they curl. It's why in my field we don't use soft webbing for tourniquets, and why you don't see them in backpacks. It goes against what you would normally think, but stiff webbing is much more comfortable.

 

[Dogbowl]

My husband went and pulled his crotch strap from his Transpac XT and attached it onto his travel back inflate bc (Oceanic Biolite). He loves it. He began as a "I'm not wearing a crotch strap!" kind of guy.

I haven't tried it yet but I don't mind it on my Transpac XT.

 

[hammet]

I'm surprised you even bother replying to this kind of posts...

You know, there's no need to be so disparaging.

The point I'm making is that, in my most humble opinion, a crotch strap is a solution for a problem that a well fitting BCD doesn't have. Therefore, if it doesn't solve a problem, it only adds complexity.

ETA: I'm talking specifically for single tank rec diving only.

 

[aquacat8]

@KentB glad you aren't afraid of the learning curve! it is very much there, and one of the biggest issues with bpw's is making sure the harness is set up properly. Especially as people are coming from jacket style bc's where you need to cinch the shoulders down pretty tight, it's tough to get used to the loose shoulders but they really should be loose enough to get a full fist under. On mine I can get my full fist under with my thumb/index touching my chest and pinky touching the webbing. It makes the rig sit a bit low when walking around, but once in the water you will be sitting on the crotch strap at the surface and it comes up to where it is supposed to be.
Once horizontal on descent, you resnug the waist strap up at your natural waist and your shoulder straps literally do nothing other than provide a place to clip stuff off so long as your are horizontal and not rolled over. It is super liberating

The dump takes a bit of getting used to if you are used to dumping with your head up and it's very weird on blue water ascents, but you get used to it pretty quickly. You also never need to "bent" the hose where the mouthpiece is facing up. You only need to get it sticking straight forward as "bending it up" only increases the amount of strain on the hose and the water coming into the wing. It's something most instructors teach incorrectly by showing the inflator going up over your head, but that's incorrect form. On ascent, you'll also learn some tricks over time to use the wing as a constant volume device where you hold the dump button and move the inflator up and down a little bit to allow you to maintain a constant ascent rate

Wow, just wow that is great information!

 

[Coztick]

You know, there's no need to be so disparaging.

The point I'm making is that, in my most humble opinion, a crotch strap is a solution for a problem that a well fitting BCD doesn't have. Therefore, if it doesn't solve a problem, it only adds complexity.

A bc mimics a snug jacket.
A harness is very similar to an industrial fall restraint safty harness.
There is no need for any tention in the fit apart from the waist belt.
If your harness is uncomfortable it's set up wrong.
A harness is secure by design not tention.

 

[scrane]

I like the BP/W because:
I need less lead weights.
I find it easier to get on/off.
But, I feel I dive equally well with a BCD.