PfcAJ
Contributor
Oh and DO NOT remove your gear to get through a restriction. If you got through and now you think you need to remove it to get out, you’re wrong.Yesterday I tried doffing and then donning my backplate & wing while on the surface of the water. I failed. Hoses and shoulder straps were all tangled up. I found it very difficult to get my right shoulder through its strap. I always start with the left shoulder and immediately connect my drysuit inflator hose, and I mostly got that to work. I tried a few times with the right shoulder, always struggling. Once I succeeded in getting the shoulder straps on, but somehow I trapped my long hose between my back and the backplate. It was all a mess. I got to shore and started from scratch on my table again.
I have no trouble doing this with a traditional jacket BC and short hoses though.
I suspect my shoulder straps are too tight. Also with a primary light, backup light, and primary 2nd stage hanging off the right D-ring, the shoulder strap was just weighed down. I also learned my 40 pound wing is too small for my double 85s, steel backplate, and 14 pounds of lead. Luckily I did this in chest-deep water so I wouldn't lose my rig if dropped.
How important is this skill with a bp&w? I suspect very important. I'm not cave diving anytime soon, but I understand that gear often needs to be removed to get through restrictions.
I'm in the GUE world, if that matters.
All tips welcomed...
If you think you need to remove it to get through on the way in, you’re in the wrong gear config.
Do. Not. Remove. Backmount. Doubles.
Or backmount anything. Don’t.