Looking for bp/w education

[JustJoe]

Greetings,

I am back to diving after a long hiatus. I am very interested in getting the right equipment so I have been reading this forum. What I have found is that there are alot of differing opinions.

The bp/w issue has left me a little confused. It is not so easy to pick and choose this type of equipment compared to a standard bcd, whether back inflate or jacket. That is a simple comparison shopping thing with features.

So my question is this. Where can I go to read about how to choose that style of bcd? There was something mentioned when I first joined this forum but I ignored it competely.

Sorry for the length of post and thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Joe

ps> If anyone knows a place in SW Florida to actually go and touch these things that would be awesome.

 

[jonnythan]

A backplate is a backplate, a harness is a 10 foot piece of weight belt webbing. Lots of people make single tank wings, with Halcyon and Oxycheq making the best of them - donut style, well shaped, variety of lifts, no pull dump.

Use the search button up at the top of the page to search for "wing" or "pioneer" or "oxycheq" in the BC forum and you'll find a tremendous amount of information... but really, it's not so complicated. www.halcyon.net is a good place to read about the bp/wing system specifically and www.gue.com and www.baue.com are good places to read about configuration.

 

[nalfein]

Hi Joe...

There is a ton of information on this board concerning bp/w setups. If you try a search in this forum I'm sure you'll have enough reading to keep you busy for a while.

That being said, I'm pretty sure that most backplates are somewhat similar, but I'm far from an expert. You can choose from aluminum, steel, ABS, and even titanium.... it depends on how much weight you want to carry on your back. There are also lots of choices for wings out there... it really depends on the style of diving you plan on. Single or double tank, cave, wreck..... if you are looking at DIR style training, make sure the gear you select is compliant with their system.

For a harness, you can go with a pack style like the Transpac 2, or the OMS IQ harness.... As well, many people use a single piece of webbing threaded through the backplate to attach it to their body... I prefer this method, but my wife uses an OMS IQ pack.... it's really up to your own preference, and the type of diving you're into.

I hope this has been a bit of help, I'm sure there's a shop nearby where you could get your paws on some of this stuff to check it out... good luck..

 

[jonnythan]

Oh, and to find dealers in SW florida:

http://halcyon.net/dealers/fl.shtml

There's are shops in North Ft Myers, Pinellas Park, and Tampa.

 

[JustJoe]

Thanks for the info. Maybe I am making too much of the whole issue. So basically the whole stink is the difference between a standard bc and bp/w is the difference between DIR and non DIR divers. How, when and where you dive.

Right now I am going to continue with my recreational diving with a few extra education courses to refresh my knowledge. So my dive equipment needs will be minimal for a while. A standard bc should work fine. But over time if I decide to go to more specialized diving, caves, wreck penetration, deep, etc., then I would be better suited to a bp/w that I can configure for each of the different needs faced here. Is this a good analogy?

BTW, my search up to this point has led me to believe that a Oceanic Chute 3 is an excellent choice for me. I have tried one on and it fits really nice. But the cost is up there and then if I decide that I want to go off the deep end (literally) I don't want to feel that I have wasted the money.

Funny thing about the halcyon resellers is that I was in the reseller in my area just the other day and probably just walked right past the gear thinking it was a standard bc just taken apart.

Once again thanks. I have a few things to look at that should keep me busy. Back plates - material, rigging options (strategic placement of holes), single or doubles. Wings - materials, lift, bladder type. Harness - style is the main difference.

One last thing is the integrated weight system. Am I missing anything?

Joe

 

[jonnythan]

Thanks for the info. Maybe I am making too much of the whole issue. So basically the whole stink is the difference between a standard bc and bp/w is the difference between DIR and non DIR divers. How, when and where you dive.

I disagree entirely. There are tons of bp/wing divers who aren't DIR. There's quite a world of difference between appreciating how great a system the bp/wing is without going all the way to being DIR. The bp/wing is just a piece of gear, that's it.

A standard bc should work fine. But over time if I decide to go to more specialized diving, caves, wreck penetration, deep, etc., then I would be better suited to a bp/w that I can configure for each of the different needs faced here. Is this a good analogy?

A standard BC will work fine for you now, but a bp/wing will work *better* for you now.

BTW, my search up to this point has led me to believe that a Oceanic Chute 3 is an excellent choice for me. I have tried one on and it fits really nice. But the cost is up there and then if I decide that I want to go off the deep end (literally) I don't want to feel that I have wasted the money.

The cheapest way to buy something is to just buy it once. You'll be getting no advantage over the bp/wing by buying that Oceanic, and you'll be giving up a lot. I absolutely promise you that if you buy the Oceanic right now, you'll end up spending a good deal more on BC's than you will if you go the bp/wing route right now.

One last thing is the integrated weight system. Am I missing anything?

Joe

There are lots of options. First of all, a regular BC has way more positive buoyancy than a standard bp/wing, so that's a couple pounds less of lead you can lose. A steel backplate weighs about 6 pounds, so there's another 6 pounds you don't need to wear in lead blocks. You can buy a weighted STA, pour a channel weight, buy a heavier backplate, use Halcyon's ACB pockets, or just put whatever else you need on a weightbelt. I have a 6lb backplate, a 7lb channel weight, and still need about 6 pounds more... so I put it on a belt. A 6 lb belt is hardly noticeable.

 

[JustJoe]

I'm going to the lds to check this halycon system out. I agree that I only want to spend the money once, hence my questions and desire to do it right.

What is a weighted STA and a channel weight?

Joe

 

[jonnythan]

When you go down to the shop you'll see exactly what an STA is. A weighted STA is one of those, just much heavier

Basically, an STA bolts to the backplate, sandwiching the wing between the bp and the STA. The STA has slots on it and is what actually straps to your tank. It stands for Single Tank Adapter.

 

[redacted]

If you are really not sure, it might be best to buy twice. But not twice with a $500.00 price tag. You can get a decent used BC on ebay or from your LDS (something around $50.00 should do) that will get you diving now and give you time to think about your needs.

I started out pay more than I shoud have for a jacket. After a few years, I built my own BP/wing. I think the jacket was a bit easier to manage out of the water. But the BP handles much better in the water. And it is so easy to modify and customize for your particular needs and even the needs of a specific dive.

Thnk hard before you sink big bucks into that top-of-the-line BC with all those bells & whistles permanently attached.