Upgrading to a back plate....?

[cool_hardware52]

Let me re-phrase: After using any store bought rig for 20 hours, any thinking diver would find issues in the product that would lend itself to modification or customization.

In the first 20 hours of use I would expect most new BP&W users to adjust there harness, and the position of the Drings, none of which requires sewing.

You have to have the recognition of the problem first.

Agreed. That's why we dive the gear we design.

Look, examine, touch, feel and ask questions (face to face) with those who are wearing and using. There is no rush, here. Don't stop looking at just your nearest shop. Go to your local retail dive show or travel to Our World Underwater, SeaSpace, etc., many divers do! It's the consumer version of DEMA. Look, touch, ask. Wow, this http://www.deepseasupply.com/index.html from "cool hardware" looks great, too, but there is no one single panacea.

Agreed. Become an educated consumer. I'm pretty confident informed consumers will want a DSS rig.

Beware the one size fits all pitch... as in "Here, this is perfect for ya..."

Agreed. See above. Become well informed

Dubious. You will likely pay more by selecting the precise piece-parts that you want and need. Less refined? By deffinition it would be more refined.

Shoe horn a Big Block Chevy into a Pinto and it will have refined written all over it.

This is like starting with Bush's Baked Beans and then adding Bacon, Onion and.... you get the idea!

Too many cooks can spoil the recipe. That's the beauty of the basic hogarthian configuration, buy it, adjust it, dive it.

Tobin

 

[Icarusflies]

Thank you guys, I see that the BP is the way to go. I was thinking about Diverite since there is a dealer close or OMS.

 

[runamonk]

My wife and I recently upgraded from BC's to BP/w configurations and we're loving it. So much less crap. We love it!

I wish where we had purchased our original set of gear from had clued us in on a BP/W configuration, we would have gotten that instead but we just didn't know any better.

We both got OMS backplates, tank stays and APEX wings, using a continuous harness. It's very comfortable!

 

[Biodiversity_guy]

ROFL TSand M

Of course the Zen types would say: think less, and be more <grins>

 

[TX101]

Contradicting (ever so slightly) some previous posters...

It isn't an "upgrade", it's more of a shift.

Agree 100%

Most people on here shout from the rooftops about how much better a wing is.... well, I found it's roughly the same as a BC.

The BEST feature I've found for my wing is that when I fully inflate on the surface I can still breathe!

As for being more streamlined.. well what do you lose going from a BC to a wing that makes you more streamlined? Some padding (which is usually around the back anyway), the front pockets, possibly a dump valve and er... some straps?

Then you have to add a pocket somewhere while wearing a wing (to carry your backup mask & reel/bag) - either a clip on bag or a pocket on the front of your drysuit leg. Congratulations! You have just moved the "problem" somewhere else!

I'm not saying wings don't have benefits (they do). But changing "because scubaboard says so" IMHO, is dumb. But I'm sure many subscribers do it every year...

 

[wreckchick]

I 'shifted' from a bc eerily similar to the OP's to a bp/w and there is a WORLD of difference in the way they dive.

You shed padding (drag), overall lead (because you lost the padding), you present a clean presentation to the water which reduces drag (decreased air consumption), and shift the weight up under the tank instead of around the waist (better trim, see also: clean presentation), and the rig rides the in the same place on your body in all positions instead of under your ears on the surface like a jacket does.

Pockets are easily accomplished with the X-shorts, or equivilent, which are the dorkiest things ever but I LOVE mine.

Don't do anything because I said so, try it and see if you like it!

Rachel

 

[CUunderH2O]

Borrow a bp/wing setup from someone who dives one. I was fortunate enough to have several friends who had single tank setups they weren't using and I'm glad I was able to try out different wing shapes. I dove the borrowed gear for a month before I settled on the one that worked for me. Now I've moved to doubles, and all I did was add a new wing. It's awesome.

Edit: Try a Zeagle Ranger if you wish, too, just for comparison. I used to have one and loved it until I realized those bulky weight pockets were getting in my way. I dive dry, so lots of lead was necessary.

 

[Icarusflies]

At fillexpress I can rent a BP and when I buy it they ll deduce the cost of the rental from the purchase. I was thinking about the TransPlate from DiveRite or maybe a similar set up from OMS, what do you think, which one is the better brand?

 

[plot]

At fillexpress I can rent a BP and when I buy it they ll deduce the cost of the rental from the purchase. I was thinking about the TransPlate from DiveRite or maybe a similar set up from OMS, what do you think, which one is the better brand?

I've yet to see this forum agree on something... so you'd be better off trying both and deciding which one you like rather then leaving it up to SB to decide which is the "better brand."

I have a DSS bp/w and love it. I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who has made the switch to bp/w and regretted it.

 

[Jasonmh]

Hello All;

I have 25 dives so far and I am thinking to get a new type of BC. Now I have a Mars Vector 1000 Air Trim. It's a good BC but so bulky that I feel I am driving a tractor. I am thinking about a Back Plate what do you think?...Should I go instead for a Zeagle Ranger type of BC? How about good brands any recommendation?

I would recommend the BP&W, but everyone has their favorites. One thing I can tell you is that with a BP&W (like DSS, Halcyon, Oxycheq, etc) you will definitely NOT feel like you are driving a tractor. I have used the ranger, and it is a great BC, but it is closer to what you are using now than a BP&W, imo.
Good luck