Ranger (ditching weight questions)

[Larry]

Got a new Ranger. Three questions: 1) Has anyone actually ditched weight in an OW situation. 2) If so, was it a smooth and complete release, and 3) How difficult is it to rethread the ripcord (looks awkward). Thanks

 

[Uncle Pug]

...that is probably not something most Ranger folks practice every dive. It will be interesting to see how many Ranger owners admit to never having pulled the ripcord.

I had one for five years and never did.

 

[MikeFerrara]

I never pulled mine but I have seen others do it. OK, it was my idea. If your going to dive it you should try it, IMO. By my observation It pulls easy enough. I have also had folks in the shop go "what's that!" and pull so I have restrung them. It's not too hard.

 

[BillAllbritten]

Never did in water (2 years). Practiced on land with empty bags though - rethreading is faster if you use a pencil point, cable tie, or something else blunt to hold each loop up while you push the red cord through (my fingers are too big). With practice, takes about 3-5 minutes.

FWIW, I use the yellow weight bags from Zeagle and just remove those one at a time and hand them up to the boat if necessary on exit. I've practiced that move quite a bit in the water, including looping the weight bag strap over my wrist to retain weighting when doing an underwater gear removal.

Have fun diving,

Bill

 

[GP]

I had a Ranger for a year and never pulled the ripcord once in the water but I did pull it at the shop when I first purchased it so I could learn how to thread it. As the others mentioned, threading the ripcord is really quite simple.

 

[Uncle Pug]

BillAllbritten once bubbled...
just remove those one at a time and hand them up to the boat if necessary on exit.

That is what I did too... but I used solid hip weights with a nylon loop through one hole... the solids were easier to insert after the Ranger was on.

If I had ever needed to ditch weights I probably would have just unzipped a pocket and pulled one weight out instead of dumping both at the same time.

 

[herman]

I have quite a few dives on my Ranger and have never pulled the release. Unless the LDS did it before I got it, it's still rigging the factory did. I have looked at how to re-rig it and it does not look too hard. Most of the time I don't dive with enough weight to bother with removing unless I am going to store the BC.

 

[chepar]

I've had mine for a year and haven't pulled the ripcord.

When I first purchased it, the shop pulled the cord to show me how to rethread it - but I haven't done it myself dry or otherwise to practice. If I had to rethread it myself, I would probably have to get the manual out first.

 

[ScubaCRNA]

It is not too hard to re-string the cord on the ranger. I have never had to ditch my weight but when I was buying mine I asked the salesman what this red thing was while I pulled it. Ooooppppppsssssss!!! Went back together fairly easily and then I knew that I could do it again without any problem. Hope I never have to ditch my weight though. You should do it a couple of times just to understand how it works.

 

[JT2]

There is an old cave diver from Florida that lives around here and he is also an instructor although his teaching days are long over, and used to when he would see a new diver wearing a Ranger,(and that includes almost everyone around here) he would give them "the speach" about the accident in the Florida springs a few years ago that he helped invetigate where the guy was overweighted and struggeling on the surface and when he tried to ditch his weights from his Ranger the cord broke and well, we all know what happened next. We have always assumed the old dude is full of #**t as he sounds like the scout leader telling a ghost story around the campfire, but the story gets some interesting looks from some folks.

P.S. I'll let who ever buys mine on Ebay be the first to pull the ripcord on it. I fall into the never have group.