Picking up BP/W setup from the ground?

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@keeperguy64. What tbone1004 said above as far as picking up your gear by the shoulder straps. I just switched from a Zeagle back inflate to a HOG bp/w, and have not noticed any difference in lifting the set off the ground from my Zeagle and a previous heavy duty jacket bcd. From your photo you look pretty young, so you might be happy with a one piece harness, but as an old guy with shoulder issues, a single piece harness was a non starter. One of the really nice things about a bp/w is being able to configure it for your comfort and convenience, and you can change the configuration should your mobility change without buying a new setup.

what setup do you use given the shoulder issues? I have some problems with my left shoulder which is why I started looking into bp/w, so any advice is appreciated!
 
slide out of what? with proper webbing in there they won't slide out of the backplate slots, but if you're concerned you can always put a triglide on the back which will lock them down properly.

easiest way to put a single tank on with a backplate if you can't do it from a bench is over your head
How do you avoid smacking yourself in the head with the tank and regulator?
 
How do you avoid smacking yourself in the head with the tank and regulator?

eat spinach ;-)

seriously though, a full rig is about 50lbs. It's not terribly heavy. I've been doing that for many years and that was actually a very common way to get into a rig in the early days of diving when the straps were floppy and you had the loop hoses from a double hose. It's definitely the easiest way to get into a double hose rig since the loop is a PITA to deal with. Obviously don't do it on a boat, but for shore diving with a single tank when there isn't a bench, I genuinely find it to be the easiest way.
How to avoid hitting yourself on the head? Tip your head forward when you actually go to put it behind you, then gently rest it on the back of your head before it slides down. It's hard to explain, but you can do it with just the backplate a few times and it makes more sense.
 
what setup do you use given the shoulder issues? I have some problems with my left shoulder which is why I started looking into bp/w, so any advice is appreciated!
You can do anything from getting a full BC style comfort harness to adding a Fastex type buckle to the standard webbing on one or both shoulder straps.

But if the trouble is only with one shoulder, you might be ok. Just put that arm in first when donning and out last when doffing.
 
In ye days of olde, my young squire would’st assist mineself with the donning of gears.
 
eat spinach ;-)

seriously though, a full rig is about 50lbs. It's not terribly heavy. I've been doing that for many years and that was actually a very common way to get into a rig in the early days of diving when the straps were floppy and you had the loop hoses from a double hose. It's definitely the easiest way to get into a double hose rig since the loop is a PITA to deal with. Obviously don't do it on a boat, but for shore diving with a single tank when there isn't a bench, I genuinely find it to be the easiest way.
How to avoid hitting yourself on the head? Tip your head forward when you actually go to put it behind you, then gently rest it on the back of your head before it slides down. It's hard to explain, but you can do it with just the backplate a few times and it makes more sense.

Hmmmm. My tank of preference is a HP130, but I also have some tall HP 120’s. For cold water I put 10lbs on the top cam band, so that gives me 42 + 9.3 + 6 + 3 + 10 + 2 = 73 lbs. What could possibly go wrong??
 
what setup do you use given the shoulder issues? I have some problems with my left shoulder which is why I started looking into bp/w, so any advice is appreciated!

@keeperguy64. I use a HOG bp/w with a flex harness, which is similar to what you were likely using on your Zeagle. For me, the flex harness works best because I can quickly loosen the shoulder straps as much as I want to get my arms in/out of the straps during donning/doffing and then easily tighten or loosen the shoulder straps as desired. Next, I close the chest strap buckle, then slip the crotch strap over the waist belt buckle the belt, and I am ready to go. Because the webbing is doubled on the upper part of the shoulder section of harness and has a metal O ring on each side to connect it to the quick release buckles/straps, the harness is slightly heavier than a one piece,. However, with two shoulder replacements, the small additional weight/bulk is a no brainer tradeoff for ease of getting in/out and adjusting the shoulder straps. Before buying the adjustable harness, I did try a one piece harness and quickly thought "this sucks, and is not going to work for me."
 

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