I know there are already recent threads regarding this topic but not enough assurance has been given to us more inexperienced divers. I have dove for many years, but only one vacation week every two or 3 yrs on average. I purchased my first equipment in Nov 05 and used scubaboad to narrow down my choices. I had never even heard of bp/w till reading scubaboard. After researching on this site, I purchased a DSS system and used it for the first time last week on a dive trip to the Carribean. It worked flawlessly. It was rock solid on my back without any slipping, the buckle which I worried about stayed secure and buoyancy control was the same as traditional bcs. DSS does not provide any instruction diagrams on how to rig the DSS with hogarthian webbing but there are threads on scubaboard with internet links to pictures which are excellent. I found I needed pliers to pull the webbing through the plate and then a rope cutter to trim the ends of the webbing. But it was very easy to do once I had the appropriate pictures/diagrams & pliers in front of me. And since it was all new to me, I found myself calling Tobin a couple of times and he was very accesssible both by phone and email. One great thing about doing it all yourself, is in the end when you are in the water you really feel as if you know your system.