Reviews Wanted: BP/W from Dive Right In Scuba

[chrpai]

I'm getting mixed signals from you. Based on what you've written, the Zeagle Express Tech would be a good choice and the SS BP/W would be a better. But then in that last statement you expressed interest in a travel rig.

From my perspective, unless you have a lot of $$$ and just want to try out different toys, I'm not sure there is need for both a SS BP/W and a travel rig. I'd suggest owning both (and possibly an AL plate and harness) if you planned on doing a lot of local diving and travel diving. Since you say everything will be travel then I'd say buy a BP/W or Express Tech but not both.

 

[tracydr]

I bet you'll lighten up when you switch to a rig like this from a regular BC. 11 or 12 pounds of lead with a warm water set-up seems like an awful lot,especially for a guy.
I use about 6-8 pounds total, even when using an aluminum tank, if diving a 3 ml. I'm a slightly overweight, 48 year old woman. My BMI is 26 and I'm sure my body fat is in the low 30%.
Most guys tend to drop like a rock once they get comfortable in the water, at last in warm, fresh water. In salt water, not quite as much.
I bet your BC has a lot of inherent bouyancy that you haven't even been aware of. You may also be filling up your great big lungs with air, which is incredibly buoyant.
When you are just swimming in the pool and you exhale all your air, do you float or sink? I float and if I'm in salt water I hardly even need a life jacket. So, I'm sure you will require a lot less lead once you streamline your rig and relax.
The BP/W system is probably the best travel system there is. Light, easily packable. Especially if you get a kydex or aluminum plate with a plain, nylon ( hogarthian or DIR) harness. Check out the DSS packages.
All the extra padding does is give you more air pockets which requires more weight to sink. The simpler the rig the less weight you'll need.
Check out some of the weight pockets that can be used. I think DRIS carries some. Halcyon has some nice ones that you put on the waist belt, although they're more expensive. They're basically like having integrated weights, you can just dump the weight from the pockets if needed. I have them, and really like them, although they take a bit too much room on my waist, which I don't have a lot of.
I like to have most of my weight on my backplate and a small amount dumpable. In warm water, I don't really have any dumpable weight, since I can swim up with a short steel backplate, weighted STA ( total 8 pounds) and my AL 63. In cold water, I have to add another 8 pounds, plus use an HP 80 steel tank, so I use 8 pounds on my waist in the dumpable pockets by Halcyon.
i have two BP/ wings. One is DSS, the other is Halcyon. The DSS is an 18 pound wing, the Halcyon is a 30 pound wing. Both with short steel BP. The Halcyon has the Cinch Harness system, which I really like. Overall, I like the Halcyon a little better but they are both very, very nice. I like the DSS for travel and for a nice, warm water system.
I would never go back to any sort of regular BC again. I use my jacket BC in the pool, just to keep from messing up my good wings, but I really hate my jacket. It's just that my pool gear gets severely abused, sitting in the sun all the time, basically never even really rinsed off, because I dive it sometimes several times a day during the summer.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I went through trying to make these decisions last summer and it was tough.

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

I'm getting mixed signals from you. Based on what you've written, the Zeagle Express Tech would be a good choice and the SS BP/W would be a better. But then in that last statement you expressed interest in a travel rig.

From my perspective, unless you have a lot of $$$ and just want to try out different toys, I'm not sure there is need for both a SS BP/W and a travel rig. I'd suggest owning both (and possibly an AL plate and harness) if you planned on doing a lot of local diving and travel diving. Since you say everything will be travel then I'd say buy a BP/W or Express Tech but not both.

Haha. Sorry for the confusion.

I am set on getting a BP/W rig for now. I am just admiring the travel rig.

So for now, I am going to get a BP/W rig.

Maybe later down the road, I will get a travel rig for the wknd/short dive trips.

---------- Post added July 18th, 2013 at 12:01 PM ----------

I bet you'll lighten up when you switch to a rig like this from a regular BC. 11 or 12 pounds of lead with a warm water set-up seems like an awful lot,especially for a guy.
I use about 6-8 pounds total, even when using an aluminum tank, if diving a 3 ml. I'm a slightly overweight, 48 year old woman. My BMI is 26 and I'm sure my body fat is in the low 30%.
Most guys tend to drop like a rock once they get comfortable in the water, at last in warm, fresh water. In salt water, not quite as much.
I bet your BC has a lot of inherent bouyancy that you haven't even been aware of. You may also be filling up your great big lungs with air, which is incredibly buoyant.
When you are just swimming in the pool and you exhale all your air, do you float or sink? I float and if I'm in salt water I hardly even need a life jacket. So, I'm sure you will require a lot less lead once you streamline your rig and relax.
The BP/W system is probably the best travel system there is. Light, easily packable. Especially if you get a kydex or aluminum plate with a plain, nylon ( hogarthian or DIR) harness. Check out the DSS packages.
All the extra padding does is give you more air pockets which requires more weight to sink. The simpler the rig the less weight you'll need.
Check out some of the weight pockets that can be used. I think DRIS carries some. Halcyon has some nice ones that you put on the waist belt, although they're more expensive. They're basically like having integrated weights, you can just dump the weight from the pockets if needed. I have them, and really like them, although they take a bit too much room on my waist, which I don't have a lot of.
I like to have most of my weight on my backplate and a small amount dumpable. In warm water, I don't really have any dumpable weight, since I can swim up with a short steel backplate, weighted STA ( total 8 pounds) and my AL 63. In cold water, I have to add another 8 pounds, plus use an HP 80 steel tank, so I use 8 pounds on my waist in the dumpable pockets by Halcyon.
i have two BP/ wings. One is DSS, the other is Halcyon. The DSS is an 18 pound wing, the Halcyon is a 30 pound wing. Both with short steel BP. The Halcyon has the Cinch Harness system, which I really like. Overall, I like the Halcyon a little better but they are both very, very nice. I like the DSS for travel and for a nice, warm water system.
I would never go back to any sort of regular BC again. I use my jacket BC in the pool, just to keep from messing up my good wings, but I really hate my jacket. It's just that my pool gear gets severely abused, sitting in the sun all the time, basically never even really rinsed off, because I dive it sometimes several times a day during the summer.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask. I went through trying to make these decisions last summer and it was tough.

Hi Doc,

Tks for the offer and I am sure that I will take you up on that later down the stretch. Also, thank you for the comprehensive info.

I actually sink in the pool when I let out all of my air. But on the flip-side, I guess I tend to have a larger lung capacity because I am an avid runner and I do half and full marathons. There is no proof (and I've heard debates about this), but I was told that because of my lung capacity, hence I am bit more buoyant in the water. Anyway, I am sure it will be a process of lots of fine tuning and see how I can achieve optimal buoyancy once I get the BP/W rig.

But I am set on a BP/W rig. I've always been a minimalist. When it comes to diving, I believe that more steam-lined and simple the set-up, the better it is.

 

[Colliam7]

Any thoughts, feedback, opinion, and user experience will be greatly appreciated.

You have been directed to one very thorough review.

The package is functional, very inexpensive, and it is unlikely you will feel post-purchase remorse. You would have trouble putting a BP/W rig together with used eBay gear for this price.

Go for it, and enjoy diving. BUT, 12 months from now, please come back and tell us about your experiences.

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

You have been directed to one very thorough review.

The package is functional, very inexpensive, and it is unlikely you will feel post-purchase remorse. You would have trouble putting a BP/W rig together with used eBay gear for this price.

Go for it, and enjoy diving. BUT, 12 months from now, please come back and tell us about your experiences.

Will do! Planning on a diving trip in Oct. If I can get the rig in time and make it to the trip, I will certainly post my user experience right after that.