Joining the Dark Side. . .

[kelseysmith]

Wow, Nice Article. Thanks for the link.

 

[PerroneFord]

I bought the magazine just to read the article. Truth be told, half of what they reviewed could barely be called a BP/W. OMS should be blackballed for sending a double bladder, 60lb lift setup, to a recreational scuba shootout. And since when did the trans-pack become a BP/W? :06:

I counted 4 BP/W systems in that review.

ScubaLab reviews 10 backplate buoyancy rigs to answer the question: Are they a viable option for recreational divers?


[Some BP/W reviews

 

[xiSkiGuy]

I bought the magazine just to read the article. Truth be told, half of what they reviewed could barely be called a BP/W. OMS should be blackballed for sending a double bladder, 60lb lift setup, to a recreational scuba shootout. And since when did the trans-pack become a BP/W? :06:

I counted 4 BP/W systems in that review.

Who are you leaving out?
-Obviously Tobin's stuff should be there as it has a SS backplate.
-The Transplate again has a SS backplate.
-All 3 Deep Outdoors have an actual SS backplate. Although two of the Deep Outdoors only differ by the wing being offered.
-The OMS has a SS backplate (although I agree that was a ridiculous offering for a “recreational” test.)

That’s six.

 

[PerroneFord]

RIPTIDE Zone II

The Verdict: A conventional soft-pack BC when you want to do some fun diving, the Zone II can be modified for some more serious single- or double-tank diving by adding a backplate.


A system that can be MODIFIED to have a plate is not the same as a BP/W. In fact, these two systems don't even sell with the plate you'd need to modify it. Not sure how you classify something a BP/W when it's missing one of the two components necesssary to call it a BP/W.

Who are you leaving out?
-Obviously Tobin's stuff should be there as it has a SS backplate.
-The Transplate again has a SS backplate.
-All 3 Deep Outdoors have an actual SS backplate. Although two of the Deep Outdoors only differ by the wing being offered.
-The OMS has a SS backplate (although I agree that was a ridiculous offering for a “recreational” test.)

That’s six.

 

[xiSkiGuy]

RIPTIDE Zone II

The Verdict: A conventional soft-pack BC when you want to do some fun diving, the Zone II can be modified for some more serious single- or double-tank diving by adding a backplate.


A system that can be MODIFIED to have a plate is not the same as a BP/W. In fact, these two systems don't even sell with the plate you'd need to modify it. Not sure how you classify something a BP/W when it's missing one of the two components necesssary to call it a BP/W.

I agree with you completely, there.

But there were 10 offerings in the test and you said you only counted 4 BP/W. I was counting 6. I was just curious what else you weren't including.

 

[PerroneFord]

I counted the OMS, The Matrix purist, the OMS, and the Transplate. Everything else appeared to be a softpack or a modified jacket/softpack.

A backplate and wing has three elements. A wing, a backplate, and webbing. These were the only 4 that I saw that met that criteria.

 

[xiSkiGuy]

I counted the OMS, The Matrix purist, the OMS, and the Transplate. Everything else appeared to be a softpack or a modified jacket/softpack.

A backplate and wing has three elements. A wing, a backplate, and webbing. These were the only 4 that I saw that met that criteria.

While I'll agree that the two other Matrix systems as equipped with the releasable weight were pushing the spirit of BP/W somewhat (not so streamlined), so did the Transplate and OMS rigs. The Matrix Element and Black Fusion both came standard (no modification) with a SS backplate. So while they can be used without the backplate (why would you want to?) they met the wing, backplate, and webbing test. That’s how I counted six.

 

[PerroneFord]

Hey, if you want to count them, go right ahead. Personally, I'd rather not count systems with countoured shoulders, lumbar pads, integrated weights, a plate that "SLIDES IN AND OUT", double waist straps, etc. as a BP/W system.

To me, the idea of a BP/W system is minimalist, and provdes a secure method for attaching the tank to a fixed plate. In this case the plate appears to be used more for weighting since it doesn't actually ATTACH to anything.

Again, just the way I see it.

 

[DiveGolfSki]

I ditched the BC today for a BP/W. I'll dive it for the first time tomorrow.
I can't wait. . .

For a minute, I thought this thread was about you're becoming a Yankee fan.

I use a BP/W and love it. Jacket BC's make me look fat :11:

 

[xiSkiGuy]

Hey, if you want to count them, go right ahead. Personally, I'd rather not count systems with countoured shoulders, lumbar pads, integrated weights, a plate that "SLIDES IN AND OUT", double waist straps, etc. as a BP/W system.

To me, the idea of a BP/W system is minimalist, and provdes a secure method for attaching the tank to a fixed plate. In this case the plate appears to be used more for weighting since it doesn't actually ATTACH to anything.

Again, just the way I see it.

If you use a STA or doubles with the Matrix system, it all integrates nicely and works like any other system. I agree that if you just slid the BP in a slot, then it would defeat the purpose. The double waist straps, I’m not wild about, but the overall fit was better than anything else that I tried. I didn't go for the integrated weights.

I don’t agree that a BP/W has to be Spartan to be a BP/W.