New Diver needs BC advice

[Flatliner]

Hi all,

I know that my questions have been covered by other posts in a general way but I would like to list my specific situation and get your advice.

I am a new diver. I am 6'5" and 235 lbs. I am diving dry. I am VERY interested in tech after I gain experience. And lastly, I will be diving with my 10 and 12 year olds starting this spring.

Here is my question. Should I get a rec bc (like the brigade), a higher end bc (like the Ranger ltd) or should I start out with a bp/w. I obviously won't be diving tech when I dive with my kids so should I plan on having a BC for regular OW diving and add another system later. Would the Ranger do everything I will ever need? Or would it be a good idea to start out with a BP/W. Or do you have yet a better suggestion for me? I am not looking to start any kind of heated debate I just want advice on my SPECIFIC situation. Money is an object and no one I know dives BP/W.

Neither of my local dive shops sell Zeagle so I will most likely purchase used or over the internet. I HAVE decided I want Zeagle because I have been very impressed with Scott's posts and the fact that so many of you are positive about them. (On a side note, I will be servicing my own gear no matter what I buy.)

Robert

 

[sasscuba]

I stopped counting dives after 500 and that was long ago. I dive only warm water, caribbean and mexico mostly and I have a Brigade and it is top notch. Never seen an actual BP/W in the caribbean although people say they are there. The Brigade is my 5th BC and hopefully my last. Very well made and great customer service.

 

[S. starfish]

I have never dove with a zeagle BC so i can't offer any advice on specific modles but here's what I can say:
I'd go straight for a bp/w. You can use a tech rig for a recreational dive but you can't use a rec rig for a tech dive. It woul dsave you that extra bit of cash that you could stick into getting a really awsome tech rig. If you're interested in going tech, which cna be quite demanding, I'd just go for one setup and become very fammiliar/comfortable with it. Having only one rig is also that much less equipment to maintain and I'm fairly sure that if you were to get both you'd eventually end up diving the bp/w all the time and selling the rec bc.
You'll be able to dive with your kids no matter what setup you get, so don't worry too much about that. If I were in your position I would go for a stainless steel backplate with a 30 or so LB wing for diving singles and then when you're ready to progress to diving twin tanks move up to a 50lb wing.
Hope this helps.

 

[ApexLongimanus]

Since you are diving dry and are interested in tech, I would start out with a BP/W. The Ranger LTD would cover your bases for the time being but it would fall short later on.
Just my opinion (I dove the Ranger for a couple of years und then switched to BP/W).

 

[jeckyll]

Chances of using the same setup for both singles and double are slim, unless you really like swapping things around. For going to tech you'll need extra regs for your doubles setup, canister light, stages, etc. I don't think that you can do tech if you are on all that much of a budget.

Given your size, you may find that fitting a BP/W system is very easy though. All you'll need is a longer harness. OTOH, if you go with something like the DSS setup, you can actually purchase different backplate sizes based on your body size (though most other manufacturers use a single BP size).

You also mention that you're diving dry, so you'll probaly enjoy having a SS plate with a weighted tank adapter for single, which can help take some weight of your belt.

If at all possible, try whichever systems you are deciding between once you have them narrowed down, to see how you like it. Just be aware that it takes a bit of time to properly setup the harness on the BP/W.

You can find severl BP/W systems for around $450, I'm not sure how that relates to BCD prices
http://www.deepseasupply.com/page12.html
http://golemgear.com/pc-165-2-golem-35-lbs-ss-combo.aspx

Good luck and have fun

 

[Flatliner]

Chances of using the same setup for both singles and double are slim, unless you really like swapping things around. For going to tech you'll need extra regs for your doubles setup, canister light, stages, etc. I don't think that you can do tech if you are on all that much of a budget.

...Good luck and have fun

YOU ARE ALL AWESOME, once again, a lot of good advice quickly!

While I don't like to create extra work for myself I don't mind investing a little time if it will allow me to save several hundred dollars. As for the budget, I am willing to spend what I need to get the right equipment but I don't want to waste money that is why I am agonizing over the boyancy system more than the other systems. (I don't want to do two seperate systems if one will work WELL for both). As for setting up the tech rig, I already plan on purchasing my kids gear with the thought that it will do double duty as part of my tech set up therefore I am planning on swapping things around anyway.

 

[RJP]

The biggest waste of money is the gear you buy instead of what you SHOULD have bought!

Go BP/W right out of the gate. It's the only way to be sure you don't have to replace it later, while still getting what you need to get started.

I switched to BP/W around dive 15 or so.

Want a really good price on a slightly used BC?

 

[Jasonmh]

... I am VERY interested in tech after I gain experience.

IMO, this is the biggest deciding factor. Go with the BP&W from the start, it will save you time and money.

Here is my question. Should I get a rec bc (like the brigade), a higher end bc (like the Ranger ltd) or should I start out with a bp/w. I obviously won't be diving tech when I dive with my kids so should I plan on having a BC for regular OW diving and add another system later. Would the Ranger do everything I will ever need? Or would it be a good idea to start out with a BP/W.

Start out with the BP&W. It really doesn't matter what you plan to do with your kids, the BP&W will accomodate any type of diving. You definitely don't need to to buy a second BC just for regular OW diving. If anything, you could use the money you save buying a second BC and use it for a second backplate of a different material. You might find that you want 2 of them, one for warm water wetsuit diving and one for cold water drysuit diving. I'm not sure what people were meaning when they said you can use a BP&W for both singles and doubles if you don't mind switching alot around. With a BP&W you can EASILY use the same one for singles and doubles... I do it all the time. To convert from singles to doubles: 1- Unscrew the single tank and wing, and 2- Screw on the doubles and wing. Peice of cake, takes all of 2 minutes and requires no tools.
Hopefully you will avoid making the mistake I did... I've been trying to sell my BC for almost a year...

EDIT- One more thing.. if you really want a Zeagle, you might want to talk to Scuabtoys. There are alot of other good BP&W companies, and you might also want to talk to Tobin at Deep Sea Supply, who also posts on here and is very helpful.

 

[Mike126]

I'm a Zeagle owner and I love my Brigade. I don't plan on doing any tech diving so the BP/W was an option but I felt better in the Brigade. Given that you are set on tech diving I'd have to say BP/W would be the better choice. You can set up doubles on the Ranger but having 6#s (SS plate) on your back may be helpful and less weight on the belt.

Zeagle does make BP/Ws so if you really like the company thats and option. Although fo rthe money it looks like DSS is the overall best buy.

Mike

 

[kirikuru]

I have the brigade and the DSS BP/W. I have used them from NY to Hawaii to The tropics. I have to say that my brigade (and my other BCs) are all in (almost) cold storage. I only use it when I am teaching an openwater class. (I teach part time). What I do use for my own rec dives is the plastic BP from DSS as I travel with it and it does the job.

Just my opinion that once you get comfy with the BP/W setup, you'll begin to wonder why you have a BC