Just stiring the pot.

[Goatfish face]

I found this on another site and thought instantly of some discussions on this site. I loved it. Let me know what you think.

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif]Keep it simple
Too many people today seem under the impression that more is always better. The basic principles of the DIR outfit are this:

1. Remove all unecessary equipment - take all you need, but only what you need.
2. Each member of the team should be wearing an identical outfit. This makes it easy to understand each others equipment and in an emergency, kit can be swapped or cross patched.

Lets look at each item starting from the top.

Hair
Almost goes without saying that it should be kept short, no more than 1 inch on top. For easy identification, it should be parted slightly to the left.
Other styles:
A French crop would appear to be a suitable alternative at first glance, it presents a number of problems:
1. A considerable increase in task loading as it requires visiting a decent hair dressers in the first place and then regular maintenance after that.
2. Usually requires some form of gel/mousse. The use of hair products is strictly for strokes and only serves to increase drag and reduce efficiency.
Other Syles to Avoid:
Quiff - too much task loading due to the maintenance
Mullet - although popular in Holland and Germany, it really doesn't get any more unfashionable than this. And anyway a hair cut named after a fish? - I ask you.
Curly mop - although it requires no real maintenance there is a distinct likelyhood of being mistaken for Sheck Exley, Rob Palmer or Bill Stone (the horror of it).
Moustache - not strictly a hair cut, you may end up being mistaken for one of the above. It can create an even worse scenario when combined with cropped hair - you just end up looking like one of the Village People.

Glasses
Simple wire rimmed are essential as they are light and unobtrousive. Designer glasses are not acceptable because they are too individual and therefore cannot be interchanged with another team member in an emergency.

T-Shirt
This is a key part of the outfit and whilst there are many t-shirts on the market, the DIR shirt must have the following criteria:
White Eygptian cotton
Short sleeves - the correct length must be 5 inches - any longer and there is a risk of entanglement, any shorter and there is a risk that they'll look like those cap sleeve T-shirts that were worn in the 70s (thus precipitating a major fashion incident).
T-Shirt markings
The DIR logo on the front should be at least 3 inches high, as you will be instantly recognisable anyway, and there should be no other markings on the T-shirt. Beware of large oversize type as this is dangerously 80s (eg Frankie Says Relax).
The back of the T-shirt should have a much larger logo (at least 12 inches) with the words 'No Strokes' written on it. This will allow you to be clearly seen by other team members who may be looking for you in a conference room or busy pub.

There is no excuse for incorrect T-shirt markings - although other agencies recommend other sizes and colours it may lead to other team members failing to recognise you.
Always analyse your T-shirt before wearing it. Picking up a T-shirt from the drawer or the shop without properly checking it first could be dangerous. A recent incident occured when a Genesis Tour T-shirt was mistakenly bought from a shop (the label hadn't been checked) in the belief that it was actually a bonafide DIR T-shirt.

Trousers
Levis regular 501's with the button fly. The key thing about these is that they have the correct number of pockets and most significantly, exactly 5 belt loops of 1 1/2 inch diameter. This standardization allows team members to cross patch their equipment during a major trouser emergency.
There has been an trend away from jeans and towards combat trousers in the belief that the extra pockets will come in useful. This is wrong. Its just a just fashion thing as the extra pockets creates an atmospheric trapping effect, thus increasing drag.

Belt
Brown leather, 1 inch in width. These fit best into the 501's belt loops and stay properly in place. Extras like studs should be avoided as they may snag.

Shoes
Timberland desert shoes. Colour:sand. Makes for easy identification of other team members and allows for interchangeability if you end up putting your foot in it and ending up on your back-up shoe. Avoid boots as they create drag (especially in thigh length patent leather)

Shoelaces
Must not be cross threaded through the islets as they will make removal and replacement difficult in the event of a major shoelace failure.

Harness
Leather, rubber, studs - just say no to bondage gear. This is Doin' It Right! (not an S&M convention - though lets face it, easy mistake to make)
Mark Brill, 1999[/FONT] [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif]After posting this on the Tech Diver Mailing list, we received this typically stern response from one of the DIR divers (George Hamilton IV or someone)...[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif]What you morons need to understand is that to wear any thing other than White Egyptian cotton, you would have to be an blithering idiot. How many people have to die before you strokes get a clue. There is no excuse not to have the right equipment. Rayon, Silk, 50 50 blends. These are nothing but attempts by manufactures to take advantage of all you strokes. The catwalks have displayed some of the most dangerous stupidity ever posted.
I am real sick of amateur bull**** opinions whether they come from 5th Avenue or Pairs. We do not need displays of drooling ignorance, such as long sleeves. If the insulation provided by 5 inches is insufficient you should abort your excursion. I've been wearing T-shirts longer than most of you have been alive!
I learned the hard way. The fact is that I know what it is like to come out from hell with only Haynes on my back.
I don't buy cheap *** bull**** gear for Evening Dress, and only a stroke would do so.
Suits are some of the worst examples of idiocy I have ever seen, like collared shirts, with ties no less, have resulted in fatality after fatality.
You can not get around the logic of the system, and when you start adding other things, you are asking for confusion, trouble and mutations that will end up killing somebody.
Are any of the basics of DIR making any sense to the strokes yet, or do we need more research?[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Sans Serif]But if you really want to know how to rig your harness, go to www.gas-diving.demon.co.uk/pages/misc/kit/harness.htm
There's more on DIR at www.wkpp.org[/FONT]

 

[grassyknoll]

I didn't see it noted, but I'm assuming the 501's and T-shirt MUST be black?

 

[wreckchick]

The t-shirt must be WHITE Egyptian cotton.

Wearing black jeans with sand color shoes is beyond the pale. Anything other than blue is farm animal stupid.

R

 

[grassyknoll]

The t-shirt must be WHITE Egyptian cotton.

Missed that the first read-through. But, white not balck and still DIR? I'm starting to think these guidelines might be in jest.
I also understand that they will soon revise the shirt standard to advocate the use of only Hanes brand T-shirts, this is due to the fact that they pioneered the printing of the tag onto the shirt, this was in response to entaglement issues with sewn-in tags which have led to diver deaths.

 

[300bar]

have the 501 and the timberland,where to order the T-shrit

details/websites PLEASE

 

[wreckchick]

I've found some conflicting direction here....

"I converted to DIR about 6 months ago and I have found that the
philosophy extends way beyond diving. I think most people tend to
view DIR as a gear configuration or diving objective type of thing
but it really is a philosophy that you can use in other parts of your
life. For instance, below are just some of the ways I've extended the
DIR way of doing things into other areas of my life.

Last week some of my buddies came over to my house. Now, not all of
them are divers but they do understand the DIR philosophy. So, first
off, we all drink the same beer. This avoids any situations where you
might be enjoying a lager and accidentally pick up an ale (or the
other way around). That can be very uncool. That could quickly lead
to a panic situation so we avoid it all together. We also drink only
from cans, no bottles. And we never put the beer in the refrigerator.
It always goes in the ice chest in my living room. 47% of Drinking
Related Incidents (DRI) occur when someone is going to the fridge for
another beer so better to be safe than sorry. Of course, this is all
rigged up while we're still 100% sober so there's no impaired
judgment once things get cooking.

All of us wear a bungee necklace with a full beer on it just in case
someone experiences an Out Of Beer (OOB) emergency. I can offer my
already opened beer to my buddy and simply reach down and grab the
backup off my beer necklace. And, without exception, we always use
the 7-foot hose on the beer bong.

Of course, we don't stay in every night so when we do decide to go
out we make sure we're still DIR. All of us wear exactly the same
clothing:

Levi's 501 Jeans (button hole, straight leg)
Gap Black T-shirt
Haynes boxer shorts, black
Gold Toe socks, black
Kenneth Cole shoes, Brad Bitt style
G-Shock watch, black band
Nylon belt, black, with military buckle
Black Leather Jacket (optional, depending on weather conditions)

This may sound a bit silly or overdone but believe me, when you're
penetrating a night club, knowing exactly what you buddies are
dressed like can make all the difference in the world if you're
hoping to snag some hottie. Let's say I see some cutie and just
before I get up to go talk to her a waitress spills a drink in my
lap? No problem, because I can always swap pants with my buddy. I
don't have to worry if they match, because I know he's wearing Levi's
501's. Bam, swap pants and I can still complete my objective.

One thing to keep in mind about nightclubs is that you seldom want to
penetrate a club on beer. I know, some of the macho jerks do this and
brag to all of their buddies. Believe me, it's not DIR. You have to
do it on mixed drinks. Obviously the mix will be different on
different nights but a good vodka tonic mix is pretty standard.
Again, there's a right way and a wrong way to do this. You can't just
order any old vodka or depend on some bartender to get the mix right.
That's what the strokes do. No, you order Stoli vodka, which has an
excellent reputation in the DIR partying community. The correct blend
is 2oz Stoli with tonic water poured over ice in a highball glass
(lemon or lime optional). I always bring a testing kit with me and if
the blend is off, I send it back. It's just not worth the risk and
it's not DIR.

So you penetrate the nightclub and you've got a good mix, now it's
time to meet the ladies. I should have said this earlier but watch
your drink consumption. It's a well-known fact that women look 25% -
30% better in a nightclub and if you get all narced up on vodka
tonic, it increases your chances of a coyote ugly blackout. You have
to keep your wits about you.

If it's early, you probably have pretty good viz. Later in the
evening when the smoke silts up the room it'll be harder to make out
the women on the other side of the club so get your headings early.
On a few occasions I've had to bust out the wreck reel just to get to
the bathroom and back.

If you are lucky enough to hook up with a nice hottie, this is when
doing it right really can pay off. Now, let's face it, there's a
certain degree of danger involved here that I don't want to downplay.
You need to minimize your risks by using the proper equipment. I
carry 2 condoms. One I put on . . . well you know, and the second I
put on a bungee that goes around my waist. If there's a malfunction
on my primary, I can quickly go to my backup without skipping a beat.

So, as you can see from these pretty basic examples, DIR is not just
for diving. It's something you can use in all areas of your life.

Keep it real."

From: http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?p=26336#post26336

R

 

[Goatfish face]

Wow, Biscuit7 has nailed the DIR lifestyle. Call me a lifestyle cowboy but that all seems too hard. I hope you do buddy checks on the back up condom and especialy a buddy check on the hotties to avoid to avoid day after syndrome DAS.

I prefer to be a solo lifestyler. My buddy is anyone who is living in the same town on the same day.

I've had a lifestyle for 7 months with a total of 35 outings so I feel I'm OK to go solo. I carry a removable bag with redundent pants, shirt, shoes and sun glasses.
When I venture out on my own I make sure its a place that I know well. I only go 25 metres away from home so I think that I am pretty safe.
I chose to go solo because going anywhere with a buddy can be dangerous. They are usualy badly trained in social interaction and will get you into trouble. This one time my buddy went to get drinks and came back with a Pepsi instead of a Coke. How close to disaster we came that night I don't know but it was a close one.

My gear set up is
Blue Jeans (brand doesn't matter)
Dive T-Shirt or Dive Staff polo shirt
Black leather boots
Dive shop cap

I believe that this gear set up will show everyone that I'm part of the wind swept and interesting scuba dive crowd and will attract hoards of screeming hotties who want to be as cool as me.