Looking for help with my first gear purchase.

[Gone for diving]

I have said this before buy some decent used gear and dive like crazy if you can. You will lock in your skills and it will be more like riding a bike,

You will upgrade and change no matter what you buy new,
If anything spend your money on a decent, maybe even custom suit,
I would recommend a wetsuit, if you get something like a semi dry 5 mil or 7mm, you can do alot with one in more northern areas, might not always be as convenient,

Big people don't tend to get as cold

 

[Rob9876]

Second question. When I said "I am a heavier guy" I meant I am fat. Do any of you have helpful advice for getting the size and fit right for a fat man in a wetsuit. Like I said above, I have never even put one on. I am honestly a bit nervous/embarrassed about it.

Ok, finally my main question... I would like to get all top of the line equipment, but my budget wont allow for that. I am trying to balance getting safe reliable equipment with getting lower cost equipment. I came across this bundle on amazon and the price seems too good to be true. But if it is legit, it would save me a ton of money.

I'm a big guy too. While I might wear an XL t-shirt as an undershirt, I would wear 2XL to be a bit roomy if just wearing a t-shirt by itself, and my wetsuits (Neosport 3/2mm and Neosport 5mm) are both 3XL. My BCD (see below) is an XL and has plenty of room (very adjustable).

ScubaBoard members tend to skew toward Backplate & Wing (BP/W). However, if you are watching your budget you can dive just fine with this bundle from Divers Supply (even cheaper than the Amazon bundle). I ordered those for my son and I, and we did the optional upgrades to the SeaElite Covert reg (a nice-breathing balanced reg, made by H.O.G.) and the 3 gauge console (adds a compass). We've been diving them for years, and they have been great.

 

[MidOH]

Big guy support club. Dont waste time buying online, try on wetsuits in a store. Used rental suits will be more comfy, so dont fear buying a rental for cheap. Is there any place to dive where a 5mm will work? My quarry is warm enough for 5mm at the end of summer. 7mm's suck.

After further training, Im going the dry suit route. Most likely trilam for ease of getting in and out. But crushed neoprene is likely a better, more durable, idea. In Wisconsin, youll likely have to go drysuit to enjoy the wrecks up there.

Dont be embarressed. 80% of divers are overweight. 30% of those are morbidly obese. I'm down to slightly overweight. Losing weight is the best skill you can add to your diving resume. The added lead to sink me was causing extra knee pain. Its getting better. Everyone at your LDS measuring you, will almost certainly be overweight to.

Skip bcd's. Go bpw only. Most midwest shops should deal with bpw's, because of cold water and dry suits. Dry suits need lead to sink. Carrying 25# of lead is sucky. Carrying 35# of more air is much better. So expect to transition to doubles as well. Which a bpw can do, but a bcd can not.

When you order tanks, order with left and right manifold valves, not rec valves. DGX offers this for free.

My current single tank setup:
SS backplate, hog/dir harness, SS STA, DGX SS hardware, DGX delrin nuts.
DGX 30# wing
DGX 6' dsmb, DGX black plastic spool, 2 DGX double end boltsnaps.
Dive Rite Xt4 regulators
7' long hose, DGX cut steak knife and holder for hose routing.
22" bungie necklace hose on Omni swivel.
26" DGX spg
18" flex inflator hose
Faber HP100
Shearwater Terric AI (Perdix better for drysuit though)
Cressi Ultradry snorkel with a bolt snap tied to it.
No idea on fins. Hollis F1 fins, Scubapro SW Novas. Trying Mares next.
Cant help on boots either.
DGX ultraview frameless mask. Atomic Venom Mask.
Webbing weight belt belt with SS buckle.
Highland weight plates for chest strap trim weights.

I have SS plates for local, AL and Ti plates for travel. Halcyon, DGX, Pirana Dive Shop, and Helium Ti (Paragon Dive Shop), are all good options. If the Halcyon you mentioned, is from your LDS, is a standard DIR setup.....by all means get it. It's not a rip off, but they are a little pricey.

 

[lowwall]

Skip bcd's. Go bpw only. Most midwest shops should deal with bpw's, because of cold water and dry suits.

A quick explanation here. Stainless steel is almost as dense as lead. A typical BP/W with steel plate is around 6 pounds negatively bouyant while a typical big boy XL or XXL jacket BCD is around 2 pounds positive. So that's 8 pounds of lead you don't have to carry if you go with the BP/W instead of the jacket. Also that 8 pounds is distributed evenly over your torso which makes it easier to set up the rest of your weights to keep you in trim.

 

[MidOH]

Also:
Absurd durability. Only the wing bladder is fragile. Every other component is bulletproof or easy to replace.

Carries stage and pony bottles easy.

Doubles in just two thumb screws. Primarily designed for doubles. You can even bolt an entire rebreather to them.

And is just plain easier to dive in trim. I immediately saw an improvement in trim when I switched.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

You can get all this including the stainless steel backplate and trim pockets for $100 less than that Amazon package. First things first, you need a perfect fitting mask and fins. Then worry about a great fitting wetsuit, rent/borrow one for your AOW course if you can. If you’re still cold in a 7mm then look at Seaskin drysuits, neoprene or trilam whichever you prefer. When choosing a computer, do you want AI? Color screen? Compass? Stay away from suunto. Good luck, go dive more

 

[Cheizz]

I am not really fat (90 kg @ 182 cm), but I run hot too. In fact, I am far more likely to get uncomfortably overheated than cold. Until a month ago, I have been diving in wetsuits in water temperatures from 7 C and up (45 F). I started out with a 7mm semidry, but I switched to the 6mm Mares Seal Skin (as warm as a 7mm, but more flexible and versatile when water temperatures start to go up).

But the fit is key. So, make sure you can actually fit before you buy. I hear Bare wetsuits have an 'American' fit (to quote @Eric Sedletzky) and the Reactive suits are said to be quite warm too for their thickness.

 

[Robert H. Diver]

I am not really fat (90 kg @ 182 cm), but I run hot too. In fact, I am far more likely to get uncomfortably overheated than cold. Until a month ago, I have been diving in wetsuits in water temperatures from 7 C and up (45 F). I started out with a 7mm semidry, but I switched to the 6mm Mares Seal Skin (as warm as a 7mm, but more flexible and versatile when water temperatures start to go up).

But the fit is key. So, make sure you can actually fit before you buy. I hear Bare wetsuits have an 'American' fit (to quote @Eric Sedletzky) and the Reactive suits are said to be quite warm too for their thickness.

Both Bare and Henderson are both good at “form fitting” the more “rotund” divers.

 

[MidOH]

Depends on your neck size. Bare has never outfitted a linebacker or a Viking warrior.

The cheapo suits fit me though. Looks like Im out of luck with the good stuff and will have to go custom drysuit for cold water.

 

[BrandonTL]

There is so much great information here, it is hard to keep up (its a good problem). Thank you so much. After reading all of your posts, I am feeling a lot better about some things. First of all I was worried that that saving money on a regulator could be a safety issue but it seems like that is not the case. I has also not considered getting a BPW, but now I am absolutely considering it. I especially like the idea of the weight of the plate/tanks reducing the amount I have to put on my belt. The amount I currently need on my belt is a little unwieldy especially considering it is without a suit on at all.

I really like the idea of carrying a second tank. I know this is something I need to work on, but I suck a lot of air. On my last dive I went from 3000 to 500 on a 15lb tank in 39 min with a max depth of 43ft. I am not an expert, but when when we come up every else usually has more air left on a smaller tank.

Some of you have asked about specific water temperature. I am not 100% sure because I have seen conflicting numbers, but lake Michigan gets pretty cold and takes a long time to warm up. My best guesstimate is that in June it will probably be around 45F at depth. I think it can start approaching 60F by the end of the summer.

A few of you have also asked for more specifics about my size. I am very large, but fairly athletic for my size. I am 350lbs and definitely fat, but I can still run/bike/etc. I have a very long torso. I am 6'3" tall and I have a 32" inseam. I usually have a 40" or 42" pants waist, but my belly is closer to 56". My chest is 58" and my neck is 20". I am trying to get all of those numbers down some, but I will always be large.