LDS say not to go with bp/w

[crlavoie]

wow. that is an unreal offer. i appreciate the courtesy, but to be honest with you, i am new to this and i would be scared that i would damage your equipment. outside of that, hell yea i would like to get out and dive with you. i have very few buddies who dive and they are all lazy. thanks!!!!!

Dude, seriously. Do yourself a favor and go check out PG Dive in Newton. They have a huge selection of stuff in stock including several BP/W rigs. They've got free pool time and Paul might even be able to set you up with a rig to figure it out (though I'm totally speaking for him here). A couple of the DM's and instructors there use BP/W's so they can give you plenty of advice.

I have a pretty good idea of the LDS you are currently talking to and believe me, they are a quality shop. I've bought lots of stuff there over the years (including a Pro QD) and they've always been good to me. I can't say anything negative about them.

 

[piikki]

my dive shop can order oms bp/w, he just said he doesnt see a need for it and that to go with what i know how to use. (jacket bc) and then of course the seaquest is the only bc worth purchasing because that is what he stocks. i dont know of any lds that rent bp/w. im not too sure that renting and trying first hand is an option. i almost want to go jacket style just because it is the only thing that i know. (and i know very little about even that). reading through these threads it seems that bp/w is sworn by and many people have gone from jacket style to bp. however, i havent read any threads on people doing vise versa. that is where my concern comes from.

I can relate to ‘not knowing much and feeling unsure about choosing the unknown’. However, I’d also like to point out that when you say you’d like to buy jacket BC on the grounds that it is the only one you are familiar with, you maybe should resign to the fact that you aren’t much less familiar with the others either at this point. Also, you might be out for a surprise unless you buy exactly the same or very similar jacket you used this far. They are not all the same either.

I found big differences between jackets, and after having done pool sessions in one type of a jacket and check-outs in another, I decided that despite feeling a bit insecure I wanted to find out how back inflate works. For me, personally, getting accustomed to back inflate at such an early stage was no different than swapping between two very different types of jackets. I chose the back inflate, and kept the door open for BP by choosing a system where the soft harness could be swapped for BP later.

You’ve had offers to try what guys locally are using. That is probably one of the best ways to go check out what other factors might be good to take into account for your particular kind of diving whatever the level will be. You could get some pointers about special features you might not have even thought about eg what features might work better in cold water diving with drysuits etc. Things that have not so much to do with debates on the net or shop preferences. And yes, I agree that a shop that offers you ‘absolutes’ about any gear is a little bit suspect.

 

[DivingCRNA]

Here is the real question. Does you lds sell backplates and wings?

I bet the answer is no.

They are just convincing you to buy what they sell.

BTW-that is me in my avatar on a recreational dive in Cozumel. The wing worked great, and I wore no lead in Cozumel, even in my wetsuit.

my lds tells me that there is no use for bp/w unless im doing tech diving. i am brand new and have no equipment and i will be doing mostly recreational diving out cape ann. should i still go with bp/w or a jacket style bc like the black diamond or zeagle ranger? thanks, derek

 

[gurumasta]

Dude, seriously. Do yourself a favor and go check out PG Dive in Newton. They have a huge selection of stuff in stock including several BP/W rigs. They've got free pool time and Paul might even be able to set you up with a rig to figure it out (though I'm totally speaking for him here). A couple of the DM's and instructors there use BP/W's so they can give you plenty of advice.

I have a pretty good idea of the LDS you are currently talking to and believe me, they are a quality shop. I've bought lots of stuff there over the years (including a Pro QD) and they've always been good to me. I can't say anything negative about them.

thanks. ill go check them out as soon as i get a chance. its about 45 minutes from me so not too bad.

 

[Derek S]

my lds tells me that there is no use for bp/w unless im doing tech diving. i am brand new and have no equipment and i will be doing mostly recreational diving out cape ann. should i still go with bp/w or a jacket style bc like the black diamond or zeagle ranger? thanks, derek

Mine told me the same thing and I made the mistake of listening to them. I put 10 dives on my jacket bc, tried a bp/w, sold the jacket at half price and bought a Halcyon.

Buy what you want, not what they're trying to sell you. If they aren't willing to sell you what you want, tell them you're going to go to an LDS that is willing to sell you what you want to buy.

I am not advocating either way (although I clearly love my bp/w's), but an LDS needs to sell you what you want, not what they have in stock or the fact that they can sell you a jacket now for rec and then a bp/w for tec later on. There is no reason why you can't use the exact same rig (bp/w that is) for rec diving.

A little light reading:

http://www.gue.com/Equipment/Config/index.html

 

[Halthron]

reading through these threads it seems that bp/w is sworn by and many people have gone from jacket style to bp. however, i havent read any threads on people doing vise versa. that is where my concern comes from.

I've known one person who switched back, he didn't like the way the BP/w felt. I feel he didn't give it a chance and tried it because others were convincing him to but to each his own.

If you listen to the hype, wearing a BP/w BC will do everything short of cure cancer. I like mine and won't use a jacket BC if I have the option of using a BP/w BC but that doesn't mean the jacket style is bad.

There are only two things that I believe are inarguable advantages the BP/w has over the jacket. It's more flexible, allowing me to use a single tank or doubles pretty easily. It also reduces the amount of weight you may need to bring with you. Most jackets (all I've seen) are positively bouyant. Most BP/w are negative (caveat: there are plastic plates available). Why carry more weight on the weight belt than you have to (within the bounds of comfort for ditchable weight)?

 

[pgdive]

Hi gurumasta

If you feel like trying a BP/W in the ocean this weekend, we are going to have a big group up an the DUI dog day at Stage Fort Park, and you can take one for a dive. PM or email me at Paul@pgdive.com

Paul

 

[gurumasta]

Hi gurumasta

If you feel like trying a BP/W in the ocean this weekend, we are going to have a big group up an the DUI dog day at Stage Fort Park, and you can take one for a dive. PM or email me at Paul@pgdive.com

Paul

i will be attending that. email in route. thanks.

 

[Soggy]

my lds tells me that there is no use for bp/w unless im doing tech diving. i am brand new and have no equipment and i will be doing mostly recreational diving out cape ann. should i still go with bp/w or a jacket style bc like the black diamond or zeagle ranger? thanks, derek

What shop?

I dive out of Cape Ann with a bp/wing for both recreational and technical dives. It is far more flexible and streamlined than any jacket BC on the market. Plus, due to the fact that there is no useless padding and excess material, you will drop your weight requirements by several pounds. When I moved from a jacket BC to a BP/wing w/ 6 lb backplate, I dropped about 12 lbs from my weightbelt.

 

[lowwall]

A bp/w is a back-inflate? What are trying to tell this person?

A back inflate (or back-buoyancy) is not a bp/w. It's a regular one piece (usually) BC, but the air bladder is all in the back, instead of wrapping around the sides like a standard jacket BC. This eliminates the squeeze of a jacket, allows for more room around the arms, makes it easier to get/stay in trim underwater, and leaves the front of your body less cluttered (so you can clutter it up yourself if you get into more advanced diving). The disadvantages of back inflates is you may have to adjust your position to dump air and if you overinflate them on the surface, they'll tend to push your face towards the water.

Someone around here pointed out the usual progression is jacket to back inflate to BP/W, with a sizeable percentage stopping at each stage and very few backing up a stage.

I'm on that train myself, having trained in a jacket, bought a back inflate (Zeagle Ranger) and now trying to rationalize buying a bp/w.