Questions about ranger

[jhspb]

Hi

I've observed this board for a month or so. You have provided me w some excellent input and advice. I have a couple of questions about zeagle's ranger:

1) I've read elsewhere that the ranger may be more inherently buoyant than other bcd's e.g. a transpac II. Does any one have any insight on this point? If it is more inherently buoyant, do you have any sense of how much add'l weight might be necessary to offset the buoyancy?

2) Does the lumbar support affect your advice re: my 1st question?

3) How stable is the bcd and tank loaded w weight? That is before you don the bcd will the weights tend to pull the set up over onto its side? Does the lumbar support affect this answer?

4) Is the ranger or the transpacII easier to attach to a single tank? That does the soft pack nature of the ranger make the attachment process more "clumsy" (not sure that's the right word)?

5) Is the additional price of the ranger limited edition worth the additional dollars?

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by jhspb
Hi

I've observed this board for a month or so. You have provided me w some excellent input and advice. I have a couple of questions about zeagle's ranger:

1) I've read elsewhere that the ranger may be more inherently buoyant than other bcd's e.g. a transpac II. Does any one have any insight on this point? If it is more inherently buoyant, do you have any sense of how much add'l weight might be necessary to offset the buoyancy?

2) Does the lumbar support affect your advice re: my 1st question?

3) How stable is the bcd and tank loaded w weight? That is before you don the bcd will the weights tend to pull the set up over onto its side? Does the lumbar support affect this answer?

4) Is the ranger or the transpacII easier to attach to a single tank? That does the soft pack nature of the ranger make the attachment process more "clumsy" (not sure that's the right word)?

5) Is the additional price of the ranger limited edition worth the additional dollars?

1) 18#
2) yes...add more
3) not; yes; no
4) no response
5) not to me

The above are my opinions only and do not reflect any experience with a transpacII but do reflect 5 years expericence with the Ranger.

One additional thing to consider is that scuba equipment should be chosen based on perfomance UW rather than above.

Have fun...

 

[jhspb]

Thanks for the add'l pointer. That's in fact how I decided on back flotation v jackets. No words could suffice for actually diving the two styles.

Re your response to my first question, you don't mean 18# in addition to what I might need for an alternative set up do you?

again thanks

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by jhspb
you don't mean 18# in addition to what I might need for an alternative set up do you?

Just my personal experience.... yours might vary.
Ranger/steel tank/drysuit > 36# (16# weight belt + 20# BC)
BPwing/steel tank/drysuit > 18# (12# weight belt + 6# plate)
Difference > 18#

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by jhspb
Thanks for the add'l pointer. That's in fact how I decided on back flotation v jackets. No words could suffice for actually diving the two styles.

You are welcome....
Back inflation BC v Backplate/harness/wing....
No words could suffice for actually diving the two styles....
Have fun and try them all....

 

[TexasMike]

1. If you are asking "Do the matereials and construction make it more bouyant by itself (i.e. no tank, no weights, no diver) than other BCD's", my answer is....I don't know. You're the first to ask that question. My guess is any existing difference is negligable.
   
2. The lumbar pad (in my experience) does not add to buoyancy with any significant amount. Additionally, in my personal opinion, the lumbar pad is an uneeded accessory. I didn't notice any increase in comfort worth the cost, just bulk.
   
3. If you load the Ranger with a large amount of weight (say 12# or more) while mounted to a tank standing in the upright position, there is an increased chance that the Ranger will take forward header off of your tailgate or bench. But all BC's that carry their weights in a similar location will do this.
   
   As far as "pulling the set up over onto its side", are you speaking about while diving or when it is sitting on the bench/tailgate?
   
4. The Ranger is very easy to mount to a single tank. And now that you ask, I have never seen ANY diver have difficulty attaching ANY BC to a single tank. So I'm not sure what the purpose of question 4 is.
   
5. I have not had the opportunity to compaire the Ranger limited to a standard Ranger, so I can't answer the question.

However, as a former Ranger user, I will put in an unsolicited plug: If you are thinking about purchasing the Ranger due to your desire to eventually translate into tek diving, then you might want to take another look at a BP/Wings setup. For the reasons you might have read in other threads where the OMS, Dive-Rite, Halcyon, and FredT setups are discussed.

But if you're stuck on the Ranger, I do have one for sale. Was planning on putting up on eBay soon unless you want to strike a deal with me.

 

[Uncle Pug]

 

[jhspb]

Read somewhere, by some one that they needed substantially more weight on a ranger than say a transpac II. That and Rodale ratings on inherent buoyancy are what prompted my question.

Not sure I'm on a tech path after a month or so of OW cert an 15 or so dives. Just know I want more experience, experiences and continued course work.

Regarding question about mounting a single, in hindsight it was probably dumb, but again based on something I've read off of a forum somewhere; I don't think this one.

 

[Uncle Pug]

Originally posted by jhspb
Regarding question about mounting a single, in hindsight it was probably dumb, but again based on something I've read off of a forum somewhere; I don't think this one.

No such thing as a dumb question jhspb....
And we love to answer the same ones over and over and over....
No, really.... we do!

 

[divedivedive!]

Although I wouldn't say the Ranger has 18lbs (!) of inherent buoyancy, given that I can sink with 7lbs of weight (warm water, 1.5mm wetsuit), its buoyancy is certainly noticeable. When I wore a normal jacket BC I used 3-5 lbs. With the Ranger I need to add 2-4 lbs.

Also, during one of my DM skills drills I had to take the weights out of the pocket because I needed to wear a weight belt. Problem was, when doing the remove-and-wear BC drill, the damn BC was so positively buoyant that it kept wanting to float up, such that I could only get it back on with a little assistance. Very embarrassing. Of course, the Ranger was nearly new so it would tend to be more buoyant than you'd expect.

Having said all that - want to buy a barely-used Ranger? Name your price.