I'm buying stuff! Give opinions...

[travelmadness]

Good gear ideas. I would personally avoid the Zeagle. I have a Ranger that I never use. It got used for 16 dives before I got so frustrated with it that I went with a BP & Wing. If you are going with a back inflate why not look at something that is donut shaped for your wing? Personally I also find my BPW far more comfortable both in and out of the water than the Zeagle.

Wrist mount SK7 is a great idea. Vyper over the mosquito also good advice. I use an Air Nitrox Z as a bottom timer, depth guage. OMS - SPG is a very good choice as well. ATX - 50's very nice. I currently use Scuba Pros S600's, but in air share drills using the ATX - 50's they performed beautifully. My next set of regs will likely be either ATX - 100's or 200's.
Steel tanks over AL. I use PST's of various sizes all DIN. I don't float face down with them although my BP weighs 16#'s so I would hope that it would act like a keel.

this is the bp/w i tested out last weekend...

http://deepseasupply.com/page12.html

anyone care to comment? has anyone else tried and/or purchased this one?

tobin and the guys at deepseasupply were very helpful and very nice. thanks for the demo! i loved the product, but i'm still deciding between bp/w and bcd...

 

[OE2X]

Good gear ideas. I would personally avoid the Zeagle. I have a Ranger that I never use. It got used for 16 dives before I got so frustrated with it that I went with a BP & Wing.

what specifically don't you like about the zeagle? i have heard so many great things about zeagle, and the zeagle ranger?

Specifically - it turtled me whenever I used it. It was great as long as I didn't mind swiming with my right shoulder down, even after I had reefed the shoulder straps and waist belt too tight. I have an Knighthawk that doesn't do it and now my Oxycheq wing doesn't do it either. I also found that to stay horizontal I needed to mount the tank to point where the valve hit me in the back of the head. In otherwords very poor balance characteristics on both x and y axis. BTW - I use PST 130's and 119's. I also was able to get rid of 10#'s of weight by going with a BPW setup. Now that I have gone to a BPW setup I no longer like all the extranious material, pockets etc... I never did have any need for them and they present multiple dive ending failure points. I cannot say that this was a determining factor in switching though. I came to realize this after the fact. Other than that it seems well made, but so are a lot of other much better designed BCD's.

 

[OE2X]

this is the bp/w i tested out last weekend...

http://deepseasupply.com/page12.html

anyone care to comment? has anyone else tried and/or purchased this one?

tobin and the guys at deepseasupply were very helpful and very nice. thanks for the demo! i loved the product, but i'm still deciding between bp/w and bcd...

I can't say about the quality by looking at the picture, but I am now a firm believer in using continous webing for my harness. The plastic buckles are potential failure points. I have seen that type of buckle break before. Come to think of it I have three here that need replacing. That will involve cutting and sewing and a minimum of an hour per buckle. Glad it's just on a couple of gear bags. At least this way I won't miss out on any diving.

 

[OE2X]

what about this SK7...

http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.aspx?op=ItemDisplay&ProductID=SQTSK7R

?

Sure, but why not mount it on your left wrist instead?

 

[yknot]

travelmadness- if you have a good source for the Apeks/Suunto gear, take a look at the Suunto gauges with their "new" style modular housings. For a SPG only, you would need a CB-One. If you add an SK-7 compass, they can be mounted either to the back side of the SPG or inline or also wrist mount and hose mount. Same story for a mechanical depth gauge- mount in line, add compass, etc. Tanks are difficult to get at a good discount because of shipping. You should be able to get your LDS to match a LeisurePro price when you factor in the shipping. Your choice may be limited to the OMS tanks at this time (very good tanks, IMO). There have been reports that the Pressed Steel tanks are in short supply. I even have a LDS by me that would throw in free air for life if I bought a steel tank at their retail price.

 

[Boat]

The only gear I own that's in your wish list is the Mosquito. I've been really happy with mine and would buy another. One thing I like about having a wrist mounted computer is the navigation ease. Just turn the computer backwards on your wrist and you can monitor depth while holding the compass out in front. No switching back and forth with anything and I like that setup. Good luck with your gear.

Oh, you might want to check out how easily it is to get the brand of reg serviced at the locations you'll be diving. I've got a Scubapro Mk16/S550 setup, and a Mares a pony system. I'm moving soon and called one of the local dive shops in that area. They told me I might have problems getting the Mares serviced locally. Again....good luck!

 

[Quarrior]

That's the one I was talking about. I have it because I could not read the wrist mount. I now have a prescription mask and will be putting a wrist band on it. Not sure how that will work, we'll see. I may have to buy a wrist mount.

what about this SK7...

http://www.leisurepro.com/Catalog.aspx?op=ItemDisplay&ProductID=SQTSK7R

?

 

[divad]

this is the bp/w i tested out last weekend...

http://deepseasupply.com/page12.html

anyone care to comment? has anyone else tried and/or purchased this one?

tobin and the guys at deepseasupply were very helpful and very nice. thanks for the demo! i loved the product, but i'm still deciding between bp/w and bcd...

The harness is only slightly less convoluted than a Zeagle and way more expensive than a standard harness. I had a Zeagle.

 

[ae3753]

this is the bp/w i tested out last weekend...

http://deepseasupply.com/page12.html

anyone care to comment? has anyone else tried and/or purchased this one?

Check out the BCD section of the board, there has been a lot of discussion on their product and Tobin has given some very detailed explanation of things. For example, here's one.

btw, I dive the Zeagle Ranger and never had issues with getting rolled or rotating along the wrong axis. This is with aluminum 80's, steel 72's and steel 95's. For me, the fit is incredible, felt great in and out of the water. The main drawback for me is the bulk. For the type of dives I do, it's overkill. However, it it fits your diving, then it's a great BC. And yes, I have tried bp/w a couple of times. It was fine and I liked the streamline aspects, but no underwater epiphanies.

After you get recommendations from people to help narrow down the choices, it's still best to try everything yourself. Your preferences and needs may not be the same as others.

 

[Quarrior]

Travelmadness, I dive a BP/W setup and think they are the cat's meow. Couple of points on this poarticular rig. I suggest getting cam straps with stainless steel buckles and I've never seen D rings like those used on that harness. My problem with the plastic buckles is they areunder constant use and the tabs that lock them down have a tendancy to snap off. Have you checked out the Dive Rite BP and harness?

I use the DR SS plate and Transpac harness with the Oxycheq 45 singles wing. I also have the cam straps with the SS buckles. Here's some links.

www.diveriteexpress.com www.oxycheq.com

this is the bp/w i tested out last weekend...

http://deepseasupply.com/page12.html

anyone care to comment? has anyone else tried and/or purchased this one?

tobin and the guys at deepseasupply were very helpful and very nice. thanks for the demo! i loved the product, but i'm still deciding between bp/w and bcd...