issues with BP/wings

[Uncle Pug]

Hi Mike,
Tips:
You don't want the shoulder straps too tight, especially at first - you can make them a little tighter later if necessary....

If you are diving dry be sure you can reach over and manually operate your dump valve if it is on the shoulder....

The weight should be carried mostly by your hips like a good hiking backpack - not just your shoulders....

The crotch strap adjustment is very important for fit - not too tight but it should pull the rig down and tighten the shoulder straps....

When you release the waist belt and thus release the crotch strap the shoulder straps loosen up and you can slip out of the rig....

You might need help getting in and out the first few times until you get the hang of it....

For single tank diving I wear the weight belt under the waist strap but if that makes you uncomfortable then wear it on the outside....

If you are using the ACB weight pouches then ignore that....

The waist strap buckle should be adjusted so that it passes through the loop in the crotch strap and is positioned over toward your right side.... later it will be used to locate and hold your light canister.... the excess belt can be passed back through the crotch strap loop.

Hopefully you are planning a shore dive for your first few dives with the backplate... make sure your juice is turned on before you jump off a boat.

There.... that is all I can think of right now.... have fun!

 

[SPEEDSTER]

wow, now there's a few pointers!

I just printed out your reply and will refer to it frequently! I'll let you know if I have any other questions when it's going together. I'll probably dive in a pool for the first few tries to get it set up properly...no current and perfect vis. I'm also going to refer to the pics GUE and the WKPP have on their websites, but some of them are not all that clear, so your input definitely helps.

THANKS!

-Mike

 

[ericfine50]

Mike,

Any questions - just fire away. George mentioned he was going to post some new pictures on the wkkp.org site in a week or two. That DIR-F book is a very good reference as well.

Eric

 

[buff]

With BP and wings you can make a BC that fits YOU not you fit the BC.

I have a very short torso and almost every BC I put on sits on my hips. Add to that the placement of the weight belt and my ribs are being pushed on, the BC is riding up my back, my hip flexors are cramping becase of the weigh belt and BC riding on them.

In comes the B.P.-one made by Fred T. A short, heavy version!!

I am saved!! I have not only have single strap around my waist, but have decreased the amount of weight I have to carry do to the weight of the plate. Add an STA and I shave even more weight.

It's like having a dive manufacturer make a custom cut B.C.-and it costs less than a lot of B.Cs-it works on every level.

 

[jonnythan]

I dive open water with a Tusa Imprex Pro BC and there's no way DIR divers are any more streamlined than I am. There's nothing on my chest. I have my SPG hose routed under a pocket and it sits flat against my stomach area.. which is where i keep my hands folded anyway. Zero drag.

I have a pair of EMT shears.. the torso buckle threads through the belt loop on the holder... 5 mm thick, no drag at all.

The pockets on this BC are extraordinarily slim.. you can't fit much in them, but it means they sit totally flat against my body. I keep a spare depth guage in one. No drag there, and it's beneath my elbow anyway.

I have adopted the DIR reg configuration, and I like it.

My only gripe with this BC is that I can only fit about 18 pounds in the weight pockets.. I'd like to use a bit more when wearing a full coldwater wetsuit.

UP, I'd like to know where exactly you think a BP/wings setup is more streamlined than mine. This entire rig hugs my body like a glove, and surely my arms create far more drag than some shears pointing in the direction of motion! I certainly value your opinion, but I don't think I'm wrong on this one ut:. It's far superior to the jacket styles I've worn, and it seems impossible to me for it to create any more drag than a harness.

There's no "crap dangling all over the place" on my BC

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by jonnythan
UP, I'd like to know where exactly you think a BP/wings setup is more streamlined than mine. This entire rig hugs my body like a glove, and surely my arms create far more drag than some shears pointing in the direction of motion! I certainly value your opinion, but I don't think I'm wrong on this one ut:. It's far superior to the jacket styles I've worn, and it seems impossible to me for it to create any more drag than a harness.

Good Morning Jon,
Common' over for a dive and we'll show you.... empirically speaking...

Let's do apples to apples.... we'll take the original post's premise that I was answering (and you tried to emulate in point out the superiority of your Tusa):

We'll test them with 150 lbs of doubles, deco tank, argon bottle and canister light....

In fact let's make it interesting and do a 300 yard hike down a trail to the beach just to test the load carrying capacity of the rigs.

I am happy that you are streamlined... but there is actually more to the mix than that....

BTW if you just want to do the oranges to oranges dive with a singles rig we can do that one too. I show you the secret.

Shoot I'll even do an apples to oranges with you ut:

 

[jonnythan]

Well, I don't dive with 150 pounds of gear, and I don't plan on starting any time soon

Come on, show me the secret for the singles rig :mean:. I've no doubt you're 100 times the diver I am, and I don't doubt that the DIR system is at least as good as anything else out there.

*However*, it offers me nothing over my current rig.

One more thing... (to quote you):

"(and you tried to emulate in point out the superiority of your Tusa)"

No need for non sequitur. I never said that, and you should know it.

 

[pescador775]

Jonnythan, you are debating with a guy who thinks that an eight inch diameter tank has insignificant drag and, reversing gears while still in "forward", that a body hugging jacket with 1/2 lb buoyancy is a trim and drag problem.

If I could convince people in similar vein I wouldn't be hanging around this board. I'd be out making a million.

 

[large_diver]

Hey....give Pug a break.....he's helped almost all of us around here with his advice at one time or another.

If you show up as a board newbie saying "DIR can't top this gear config."........of course you're going to get a reaction. I think his point is that a BP/wings set-up is as streamlined as anything out there and is flexible enough to handle any diving, from single tank rec to tech. If you're starting from scratch.....you won't go wrong with it regardless of what kind of diving is in your future.

Welcome aboard.

 

[jonnythan]

Originally posted by large_diver
I think his point is that a BP/wings set-up is as streamlined as anything out there and is flexible enough to handle any diving, from single tank rec to tech. If you're starting from scratch.....you won't go wrong with it regardless of what kind of diving is in your future.

Thanks for the welcome aboard, but I don't think pug needs anyone to defend him. Besides, I don't think that's what he was saying.. I think his point is that DIR is *better* than anything else out there, but IMO it's not. It certainly has its merits, but for a lot of people, the gear config offers absolutely nothing beter than what they already have, and I think this is a point pug has never realized.

I certainly agree with your last point