xiSkiGuy
Contributor
I ditched the BC today for a BP/W. I'll dive it for the first time tomorrow. 
I can't wait. . .
I can't wait. . .
Joining the Dark Side. . .
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abitton
Contributor
You'll love it...
Once you go "back", you never go back...
Alex
Once you go "back", you never go back...
Alex
xiSkiGuy:I ditched the BC today for a BP/W. I'll dive it for the first time tomorrow.
I can't wait. . .
:hoondidi:
May the Dark Force be with you.
Welcome.
Tristessa
Contributor
Good luck , i hope you enjoy.
Let us know how it went!
Let us know how it went!
Have fun and keep us posted with your opinion on how it goes switching over.
sbijou
Contributor
The dark side corrupts and you can never go back. I went to the "other Side" last month after twenty years with a stab jacket and standard back flotation bc. It is different and I believe, better. Trim is good, but it was good before, weight location is comfortable, but I didn't mind the weight belt. I thing I like best is the "cleanness" of the unit. I can easily reach any instrument or accessory without fumbling and don't have any unneccessary features of my original BCs wasting space and requiring maintanence.
Steve
Steve
kidspot:
OP
xiSkiGuy
Contributor
I definitely will not be going back to a BC. The dives with the BP/W were great!
To begin with, my previous BC was a ScubaPro Superhawk NT (back inflator). I had about 65 dives on it. Then, when I was researching my potential purchase a month or so ago, I tried a Deep Outdoors BP/W with the continuous webbing, a wing designed for doubles, and an STA. I found the continuous webbing to be a pain to adjust and not ultra comfy, but not uncomfortable. The wing was improperly sized for a single tank and suffered from the taco effect as well as massive airshift. But I loved the easy trim and the rock-solid way that the tank attached to the rig. So armed with that experience (and some great advice from ScubaBoard), I kept researching. I also landed a part-time job at a dive shop (all those years in ski retail paid off). Thus, my brand selection was somewhat limited (if that is what you want to call getting deals on only what your shop carries). I was leaning towards at the Deep Outdoors Freedom or the OMS Comfort Harness . After trying each one on several times, I also tried the Deep Outdoors Matrix LTD . My first thought was, There is too much going on with this double waist belt. But in the end, the fit and adjustability was the best of the three. So, I got the Matrix LTD with the SS backplate.
I knew that I would want to have at least two wings (as doubles are in the near future). Ive also been curious as hell about the bungeed-wings-of-death. So I got an OMS 60# bungeed wing and topped it off with an OMS STA (I plan to get a 30ish #, non-bungeed wing soon). The bungees werent super easy to install (lets just say that hemostats were involved). Oral inflation did seem more difficult once they were installed, but not hard. While diving, I added air orally at ~100ft with no difficulties.
I fully expected to have excessive taco effect and lots of airshift with a wing that is designed for doubles when I used it with a single tank. I was pleasantly surprised to find that wasnt the case. I experienced minimal tacoing and no massive airshifts. Here is a case where the bungees seemed to work as advertised. I wouldnt recommend the Deep Outdoors wing I tried earlier for use with singles. I would recommend the OMS bungeed wing for singles. It was as easy as my BC. I can only imagine a singles specific wing will be even better.
My only problem with the wing was that the lower pull dump was on the left. There is nothing wrong with it being there, but my muscle memory wants to pull the lower dump on the right (where it was on the Superhawk). Im sure Ill get over that.
I wore a weight belt with the system, because I didnt care for any of the ditchable weight pockets from OMS or Deep Outdoors. They just seemed to defeat the streamlined effect that a BP/W provides. I imagine a weight belt would work great with most BP/W setups, but the superwide waistbelt on the Matrix just didnt leave any room on my waist for the weight belt quick release buckle to be accessible. It spent the whole time underneath the waist belt. I think I will just buy some Velcro weight pockets from XS Scuba and mount them on the Matrix waist belt and be done with it.
To me the most immediate positive effect of switching to a BP/W was the easy horizontal trim and the rock-solid way the BP and STA held the tank in place. I doubt most people who dive with BCs believe that their tank is unstable. I didnt. But once you experience a BP and a STA, the bar is set much, much higher. Rock solid doesnt begin to describe it.
I enjoyed using the elevated D-rings on the Matrix LTD. They were very easy to locate and attach things to.
I love the clean chest area. No pockets bulging out. Everything neatly clipped off. When I first looked at BP/W, I thought I would miss the pockets. Somehow I do not.
I was reluctant about a crotch strap. The first BP/W that I tried didnt have one. I wore a 7mm wetsuit and didnt even notice the crotch strap. I guess the real test will come in Panama City this weekend.
Some folks will call me a heretic for buying a harness with failure points and a wing with 12 stretchy implements of death. Ill be happy to burn on either count. (I dont guess using both Twin Jets and regular Jets helps me much with that crowd either)
All I can say is that Im sold on the idea! If you havent yet, go out and try someones BP/W. Youll probably like it. You might even buy one. . .
To begin with, my previous BC was a ScubaPro Superhawk NT (back inflator). I had about 65 dives on it. Then, when I was researching my potential purchase a month or so ago, I tried a Deep Outdoors BP/W with the continuous webbing, a wing designed for doubles, and an STA. I found the continuous webbing to be a pain to adjust and not ultra comfy, but not uncomfortable. The wing was improperly sized for a single tank and suffered from the taco effect as well as massive airshift. But I loved the easy trim and the rock-solid way that the tank attached to the rig. So armed with that experience (and some great advice from ScubaBoard), I kept researching. I also landed a part-time job at a dive shop (all those years in ski retail paid off). Thus, my brand selection was somewhat limited (if that is what you want to call getting deals on only what your shop carries). I was leaning towards at the Deep Outdoors Freedom or the OMS Comfort Harness . After trying each one on several times, I also tried the Deep Outdoors Matrix LTD . My first thought was, There is too much going on with this double waist belt. But in the end, the fit and adjustability was the best of the three. So, I got the Matrix LTD with the SS backplate.
I knew that I would want to have at least two wings (as doubles are in the near future). Ive also been curious as hell about the bungeed-wings-of-death. So I got an OMS 60# bungeed wing and topped it off with an OMS STA (I plan to get a 30ish #, non-bungeed wing soon). The bungees werent super easy to install (lets just say that hemostats were involved). Oral inflation did seem more difficult once they were installed, but not hard. While diving, I added air orally at ~100ft with no difficulties.
I fully expected to have excessive taco effect and lots of airshift with a wing that is designed for doubles when I used it with a single tank. I was pleasantly surprised to find that wasnt the case. I experienced minimal tacoing and no massive airshifts. Here is a case where the bungees seemed to work as advertised. I wouldnt recommend the Deep Outdoors wing I tried earlier for use with singles. I would recommend the OMS bungeed wing for singles. It was as easy as my BC. I can only imagine a singles specific wing will be even better.
My only problem with the wing was that the lower pull dump was on the left. There is nothing wrong with it being there, but my muscle memory wants to pull the lower dump on the right (where it was on the Superhawk). Im sure Ill get over that.
I wore a weight belt with the system, because I didnt care for any of the ditchable weight pockets from OMS or Deep Outdoors. They just seemed to defeat the streamlined effect that a BP/W provides. I imagine a weight belt would work great with most BP/W setups, but the superwide waistbelt on the Matrix just didnt leave any room on my waist for the weight belt quick release buckle to be accessible. It spent the whole time underneath the waist belt. I think I will just buy some Velcro weight pockets from XS Scuba and mount them on the Matrix waist belt and be done with it.
To me the most immediate positive effect of switching to a BP/W was the easy horizontal trim and the rock-solid way the BP and STA held the tank in place. I doubt most people who dive with BCs believe that their tank is unstable. I didnt. But once you experience a BP and a STA, the bar is set much, much higher. Rock solid doesnt begin to describe it.
I enjoyed using the elevated D-rings on the Matrix LTD. They were very easy to locate and attach things to.
I love the clean chest area. No pockets bulging out. Everything neatly clipped off. When I first looked at BP/W, I thought I would miss the pockets. Somehow I do not.
I was reluctant about a crotch strap. The first BP/W that I tried didnt have one. I wore a 7mm wetsuit and didnt even notice the crotch strap. I guess the real test will come in Panama City this weekend.
Some folks will call me a heretic for buying a harness with failure points and a wing with 12 stretchy implements of death. Ill be happy to burn on either count. (I dont guess using both Twin Jets and regular Jets helps me much with that crowd either)
All I can say is that Im sold on the idea! If you havent yet, go out and try someones BP/W. Youll probably like it. You might even buy one. . .
Glad to see you liked the BP/W. I'll overlook the harness and bungies for now. You'll come deeper to the dark side...eventually... :14:
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