I wanna try them all on - OMS, APEKS, TRANSPAC = :-(

[sarahlee]

So.... I was thinking of getting my first comfort harness plate wing setup. I found three I'm really interested in, and would of course like to try them on before i buy, as they are quite expensive.

The OMS IQ, the APEKS WTX and the TRANSPAC. I called a few dive stores, LA area, and no one had any of those in stock at all. HUMPH!

any suggestions....

 

[Caveeagle]

Get in with some local divers who can let you try them out. My daughter lives in Monterey and dives a Transpac that she really likes. I bet you can find some folks close by to work with you.

I think you just missed a Dive show nearby where the Dive Rite reps were on hand and I know they did some diving.

 

[ronscuba]

Not sure about the others, but the Transpac comes in 6 different sizes so you should be able to get a good fit.

 

[tbone1004]

So.... I was thinking of getting my first comfort harness plate wing setup. I found three I'm really interested in, and would of course like to try them on before i buy, as they are quite expensive.

The OMS IQ, the APEKS WTX and the TRANSPAC. I called a few dive stores, LA area, and no one had any of those in stock at all. HUMPH!

any suggestions....

those aren't plate and wing setups in the traditional sense, they're integrated harnesses and soft plates.

If you want a proper plate and wing setup, the best bang for the buck, and imho the best are made in Pasadena right up the road from you at Deep Sea Supply. You can add a Transplate harness to that rig for not a lot of money.

That all said, if you are doing local diving, and are not doing long hikes with gear *i.e. more than 100yds*, then I would try a single piece harness on an appropriately sized hard plate first. You'll have enough exposure protection on that you shouldn't have an issue with comfort from the one piece harnesses. If at some point you determine that you want to change to a comfort harness, the Transplate is fairly inexpensive and very easy to put on any hard backplate.

Transplate/Transpac is the original btw, is made in the USA *upstate NY*, and was originally designed for backpacking in the jungle with scuba gear on. The other brands followed Dive Rite, but they're all basically the same. My money of the three of them goes to the small business in Florida that has all of their cut and sew operation done by another small business in NY vs the other two that are large global corporations with their cut and sew done overseas.

 

[sarahlee]

thanks for the great info