theatis
Contributor
Hi everyone,
This is my first actual post even though i've been reading these forums (and learning a whole lot) quite diligently since this past summer, which was when i decided to certify OW. I've decided to buy my own gear now and so i would like some recommendations for a BP/W purchase which will happen within the next few weeks. Later on, i will ask for some recommendations on regs as well; my timeframe for that is in the next few months, say before May.
OK, so here's my situation. I'll be as thorough as possible, since i see that often people ask for advice without providing enough info for others to comment on.
Like i said, i did OW and plan to do AOW and Nitrox, probably around September, definitely not before the summer. I will be back home in Greece over the summer and will log as many dives as possible to have some experience before AOW and Nitrox. I don't anticipate to advance any further than that, at least in the foreseeable future, or to dive doubles or to buy a drysuit.
So, the rig that i want to put together is basically single-tank to be dived with wetsuit in temperate to warm waters. There are a few reasons why i decided to try a BP/W, please let me know if you think these are credible. My limited diving experience is all on jackets, during training, or with rentals or borrowed from friends. I have tried a few different ones from Aqualung, Cressi, even a friend's Seaquest Pro Unlimited. There were the same problems with all of them (the Seaquest was somewhat better but very expensive!).
I am 5'6", weigh 180-5 lbs and have a relatively athletic build (42" chest, 32" waist). The result is that i can barely get in smaller sized BCs whereas larger sizes fit my shoulder width but are way too large for my waist and torso length. All jacket BCs that i tried had the effect of either riding up on me (if too large) or crushing my chest when even partially inflated (if too small). Also, small BCs during OW cert constrained my arms so much that it was physically impossible to reach behind my neck and touch the 1st stage and tank valve. It seems that with a BP/W you can have the harness tight on a more muscular body (I'm trying really hard not to sound too full of myself, I'm really just stocky and short!) without restricting range of motion and, obviously, without the squeeze. Also, it seems that there is no issue with torso length. Is this correct?
Another reason is that as a graduate student with limited funds i would like to buy something that wil last me a very long time both in terms of durability and in terms of me not outgrowing the equipment. I plan to move back to Europe in a few years so I'd like to buy something that i can take care of in the long run. I'm not sure whether there will be issues with it being serviceable. I'm from an island, and the major brands are the usual suspects, SP, AL, Mares, Cressi, Oceanic. Most smaller/newer US brands like Zeagle or Atomic don't even have dealers there. Will a BP/W setup create a problem for me in the long run?
After careful research on this forum, i narrowed my choices to: 1) the full DSS rig, 2) the DR BP with Travel Wings from NESS, the Oxycheq Razor 30 rig, or the Golem 35 rig. I haven't read much about the Golem rig but i included it because it's very inexpensive. It seems that any of the above would serve my purpose well enough. Any comparisons among them? Any compelling reason to prefer one over others? Obviously, trying all of them out would be very difficult so i would appreciate any opinions.
Thanks in advance for any assistance. Sorry for the tremendously long post but i wanted to provide some detail and hopefully get some more informed recommendations.
This is my first actual post even though i've been reading these forums (and learning a whole lot) quite diligently since this past summer, which was when i decided to certify OW. I've decided to buy my own gear now and so i would like some recommendations for a BP/W purchase which will happen within the next few weeks. Later on, i will ask for some recommendations on regs as well; my timeframe for that is in the next few months, say before May.
OK, so here's my situation. I'll be as thorough as possible, since i see that often people ask for advice without providing enough info for others to comment on.
Like i said, i did OW and plan to do AOW and Nitrox, probably around September, definitely not before the summer. I will be back home in Greece over the summer and will log as many dives as possible to have some experience before AOW and Nitrox. I don't anticipate to advance any further than that, at least in the foreseeable future, or to dive doubles or to buy a drysuit.
So, the rig that i want to put together is basically single-tank to be dived with wetsuit in temperate to warm waters. There are a few reasons why i decided to try a BP/W, please let me know if you think these are credible. My limited diving experience is all on jackets, during training, or with rentals or borrowed from friends. I have tried a few different ones from Aqualung, Cressi, even a friend's Seaquest Pro Unlimited. There were the same problems with all of them (the Seaquest was somewhat better but very expensive!).
I am 5'6", weigh 180-5 lbs and have a relatively athletic build (42" chest, 32" waist). The result is that i can barely get in smaller sized BCs whereas larger sizes fit my shoulder width but are way too large for my waist and torso length. All jacket BCs that i tried had the effect of either riding up on me (if too large) or crushing my chest when even partially inflated (if too small). Also, small BCs during OW cert constrained my arms so much that it was physically impossible to reach behind my neck and touch the 1st stage and tank valve. It seems that with a BP/W you can have the harness tight on a more muscular body (I'm trying really hard not to sound too full of myself, I'm really just stocky and short!) without restricting range of motion and, obviously, without the squeeze. Also, it seems that there is no issue with torso length. Is this correct?
Another reason is that as a graduate student with limited funds i would like to buy something that wil last me a very long time both in terms of durability and in terms of me not outgrowing the equipment. I plan to move back to Europe in a few years so I'd like to buy something that i can take care of in the long run. I'm not sure whether there will be issues with it being serviceable. I'm from an island, and the major brands are the usual suspects, SP, AL, Mares, Cressi, Oceanic. Most smaller/newer US brands like Zeagle or Atomic don't even have dealers there. Will a BP/W setup create a problem for me in the long run?
After careful research on this forum, i narrowed my choices to: 1) the full DSS rig, 2) the DR BP with Travel Wings from NESS, the Oxycheq Razor 30 rig, or the Golem 35 rig. I haven't read much about the Golem rig but i included it because it's very inexpensive. It seems that any of the above would serve my purpose well enough. Any comparisons among them? Any compelling reason to prefer one over others? Obviously, trying all of them out would be very difficult so i would appreciate any opinions.
Thanks in advance for any assistance. Sorry for the tremendously long post but i wanted to provide some detail and hopefully get some more informed recommendations.