To backplate or not to backplate

[JoelW]

LY,

I have been talking to Fifth Dimension. According to Andrew it can be scheduled in. I just have to get organized on this end.

JoelW

 

[tombiowami]

I echo the question of where are you getting that price? I have looked around a good bit, the cost on most websites is well above that, the bp/wings are about $505 and weight system $120 or so. Is he giving you a good deal for some other reason or is that his standard price. I have the Ranger BC and am looking hard also at the Halcyon rig. Extreme Exposure will let you buy the setup and try it for a month and send it back if you don't like it. I probably would not do that and send it back and then buy it cheaper somewhere else as I see the added expense as part of the try and buy deal. If you dive shop will let you try these out before hand by all means do that, though sometimes initial thoughts and then more experienced thoughts are different. If you are truly thinking about caves or technical diving then the bp/wings is really the only choice. If you go with GUE they would probably laugh you out of the building with a frontal sport bc. They have an excellent website with extensive guidelines on what they expect you to have in terms of gear and what the class will involve. I am considering the course in the future, Cave1. Don't really want to do much caving but it looks like a great course. They want you to have 75 dives or so before even asking to take it, and they still go through a weeding out interview. Those guys are pretty much hand in hand with Halcyon. They have some videos and a docuementary or two out also. One of them just showed on OLN and was pretty good.


Tommy

 

[MnLakeDiver]

well it looks like the jurry is in and the verdict is bp. as for the deal it's a special offer through my instructor and includes the fact that I am buying my other gear through him. one of the bennifits of a LDS.

Thank you all for your help.

 

[Liquid]

As I saw where the wind blows here, I am probobly going to be the only one saying this, but still-

Yes, the price is a GREAT price. The question is- do you really need it?

From reading the profile of your future dives, I take it that MAIBE in two years you will start with technical diving. In this case, there is really no reason to go with a BP. It is not as comfortable to dive with as standard jacket style BCs, It's harder to manuver with for new divers and it is not originaly intended for recreational diving. I understand you are not even certificated yet, the BP is intended for technical dives, of a kind that requiers quite some experience.

BackPack rig is a tool for "medium" to "very heavy" technical divers. Recreational divers have absolutly no reason to use it, beside trying to look cool. Buy it only if you are sure you are going to do some seriouse tech diving, otherwise, don't buy it.

Jacket style BC, on the other hand, is intended exactly for recreational divers. It's built in a simple way, much easier to use and done than BPs. It exists for the everyday divers that want comfortable, easy to use, safe and fun equipment. I have the option to use both, and on every dive that dosent DEMAND bp, I go with jacket.

I guess most of the answers here were written by technical divers, so it's understandable they recomend it. It is a great price for a rig.

P.S-
What did your instructor dive with?
just remeber he tries to push the BP becouse he probobly makes some money of it.

p.s.s-
Just so you'd know- you can actualy attach two tanks to every ordinary BC. you just need special bands. It's simple.
A rig is nessesary when you need a lot of additional equipment.

 

[100days-a-year]

Sorry to disagree with liquid,but as someone who dives recreationally with a bp. I find it to be far more comfortable than a jacket,but thats just my opinion.However it is a fact that bp.s are far more manueverable underwater due to such small frontal area.They all have disadvantages,but backplates are versatile enough to configure in any way desired.As for using a jacket style bc for diving doubles,try it.They just don't work that well.

 

[JoelW]

Liquid,

The gong is going off for an incorrect assumption. I am not a tech diver and may never get into that end of the pool. But, I do wear a plate and would not trade it for anything. I recertified last year after a long absence from diving. I got back into diving using a Zeagle Tech. I remembered during class why I hated jacket BCs. I like to breathe. Swimming a back inflation BC is no real trick and I am always amazed at recommendations for not using one. Back to the story. I borrowed a bp/wing setup for kicks and was amazed. The thing that bothered me about the Zeagle is all of the "crap" hanging on it. For that matter on almost all BCs. It all went away with the plate. There is nothing there, no chest strap, no multiple waist straps, no large cumberbund, no large and pretty much useless pockets. My harness is very comfortable, easy to get in and out of (correct adjustment is critical, I got into and out of it standing up while wearing a drysuit yesterday morning) and when I am wearing it nothing moves during the dive. I would recommend a plate to anyone who is interested regardless of where and how they dive.

And yes, I do look cool wearing one and all of the scuba chicks in the area stand by me as I kick sand at the wussy warm water divers. The only thing throwing the look off is the pink tank.

Joel

 

[scubanole]

I am a new diver and nerver intend to get into the tech. stuff. I bought a jacket style BC used when I got cert. I Have 12 dives and I now use a BP and wings and will never use a jacket style again. I find it much more comfortable underwater and much easier to get on. Like 100days said that is just my opinion. And also the BP and wings works just as well for rec as a jacket and I also had no probs. with the BP pushing my face into the water on the surface, but I had read here how to prevent that.

 

[detroit diver]

I bought my Halcyon BP/wing setup after renting the jacket stuff during my pool training for OW. I would NEVER go back. Most posts before this did quite well for the reasons that I won't. It's simple, easy, and streamlined, VERY streamlined.

Mnlakediver, are you also setting up your rig Hogarthian style? (notice-I didn't say DIR!!!).

Oh yeah. Joelw, Pink tank? Care to explain? Do we even want to know? I'm going to make an assumption here in that the tank was a rental and it was the last one in stock and there was no dive shop for 100 miles. How did I do??!!!

 

[MnLakeDiver]

I plan to order the bp and pioneer wing today, mainly for it versility as I will be switching between cold water with a thick wetsuit and warm water in trunks and ?. As far as looking cool, as stated earlyer I'm 6'1" and weigh 300 lbs In the black and wight wet suit I'm borrowing I look like an Orca so cool is not a high priority.

both of the systems I was concidering are back inflate because I already feel confined in the gear without the "squeze" from a wrap around jacket.

As far as "Hogarthian style" I wouldn't know it if I did as I have not read the info on the GUE site.

JoelW: I would be intrested in checking out the Fundamentals class if you put one together then I can decide if it's wright for me.

as far as my instructor, he instructs in a jacket bc bacause that is what his rental gear is and that makes it easier to deminstrate (sp) but dives in a BP and wing.

 

[Liquid]

It seems everyone here is "poisoned" with the BP rig, so there isn't any point on arguing about it.

Yes BP does look cool, and looking cool is a very important aspect of diving.

Still-the guy that originaly asked the question- I'd still advice on using an ordinary BC, I can give here a lot of reasons to suport it, but I won't, couse it's pointless. Let's just say that I have dived with a lot of styles of rigs or BCs, and have quite an experiance with a lot of different type of dives. For recreational diving jacket BC is better. It's designed for it, BP isn't designed for it.