What BP/W for a petite diver?

[tbone1004]

yeah I don't think you'll be getting in or out of it in class either. It's good to know how to do, but frankly that's why I carry a Z-knife, if I can't get out of it, just slit the webbing. Sucks you're out $15 of webbing, but better than a whole new rig.....

Unfortunately there is literally nothing about the Halcyon rig that makes it worth 2x the cost of the DSS rigs, the glide is nice, but I don't know anyone who actually uses it. Know people that bought it, but it came off because once it was fitted properly they never had to use it. You can buy an STA for $25 from DGX and use it on the DSS if you want to, but you don't have to, that alone makes the rig less bulky for travel. STA's aren't the smallest or flattest of things unfortunately, and with the blue H, they are mandatory. Hell, up until VERY recently, Halcyon didn't have cam band slots on the plates.

Oh and regarding Tobin's dedication, he actually hand builds everything in there, it's pretty much a one man shop.....

 

[TSandM]

I keep saying, and apparently not convincingly, that the one-piece harness will NOT be a problem for your shoulder, if it is adjusted correctly. I have no issues at ALL getting out of my single tank rig at the surface, which one does have to do on a lot of tropical boats. Getting out of a BP/W underwater is beyond simple -- you unhook the waist buckle, pull it through the crotch strap, and then reach back and pull the valve over your head. NO issue with the shoulder straps. (You will not be asked to do this in any GUE class.)

 

[Jim Lapenta]

BPW's are actually easier to doff and don underwater than most jacket bcd's. They don't flop around, they don't have buckles and unnecessary straps and buckles getting twisted and tangled.

 

[Ayisha]

I know that I'll be doing drills with GUE to don and doff the gear, and I shoukd always be comfortable with this skill.

There are no donning or doffing drills with GUE and you won't be asked to put your gear on or take it off in the water. If you look at the standards, you will see what the skills are that you'll be learning and practicing. Trust me, the harness will be the least of your concerns.

Prior to getting in the water with you, the instructor is going to look at your gear on you to ensure that it meets the equipment standards and that you and they are comfortable with your setup. Speed is not an issue at all. In fact, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Speaking of being the over-prepared student, I'm guessing you may have read the GUE Instructor Gareth Burrow's articles on the Secrets from GUE Fundamentals. If not, Gareth has those awesome articles as well as a lot of really helpful articles on his website at GUE Training and courses in the UK

 

[SeahorseDeb]

I keep saying, and apparently not convincingly, that the one-piece harness will NOT be a problem for your shoulder, if it is adjusted correctly. I have no issues at ALL getting out of my single tank rig at the surface, which one does have to do on a lot of tropical boats. Getting out of a BP/W underwater is beyond simple -- you unhook the waist buckle, pull it through the crotch strap, and then reach back and pull the valve over your head. NO issue with the shoulder straps. (You will not be asked to do this in any GUE class.)

Thank goodness you said I reach back underwater to pull it over my head! I wish Snoqualmie was better this weekend so I could drive over and try on your BP/W!!

---------- Post added January 2nd, 2015 at 11:15 PM ----------

There are no donning or doffing drills with GUE and you won't be asked to put your gear on or take it off in the water. If you look at the standards, you will see what the skills are that you'll be learning and practicing. Trust me, the harness will be the least of your concerns.

Prior to getting in the water with you, the instructor is going to look at your gear on you to ensure that it meets the equipment standards and that you and they are comfortable with your setup. Speed is not an issue at all. In fact, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Speaking of being the over-prepared student, I'm guessing you may have read the GUE Instructor Gareth Burrow's articles on the Secrets from GUE Fundamentals. If not, Gareth has those awesome articles as well as a lot of really helpful articles on his website at GUE Training and courses in the UK

Thankyou I will look at this website tomorrow when I get off work! I'm glad there's no removal during class but I still need to be prepared because I want to be a better buddy!

---------- Post added January 2nd, 2015 at 11:17 PM ----------

BPW's are actually easier to doff and don underwater than most jacket bcd's. They don't flop around, they don't have buckles and unnecessary straps and buckles getting twisted and tangled.

I agree because the BPW has 50% less "stuff" than the BCD! Cleaner, more streamlined look as well.

---------- Post added January 2nd, 2015 at 11:24 PM ----------

Unfortunately there is literally nothing about the Halcyon rig that makes it worth 2x the cost of the DSS rigs, the glide is nice, but I don't know anyone who actually uses it. Know people that bought it, but it came off because once it was fitted properly they never had to use it. You can buy an STA for $25 from DGX and use it on the DSS if you want to, but you don't have to, that alone makes the rig less bulky for travel. STA's aren't the smallest or flattest of things unfortunately, and with the blue H, they are mandatory. Hell, up until VERY recently, Halcyon didn't have cam band slots on the plates.
Oh and regarding Tobin's dedication, he actually hand builds everything in there, it's pretty much a one man shop.....

Why wouldn't I want the STA?

 

[tbone1004]

they add 2lbs and a bit of bulk for travel, and they push the tank back an extra inch or two, other than that there are no cons to them, lots and lots of pros, but very few cons.

 

[Aquavelvet]

The main con to an STA is that it pushes the tank farther away from your body. I have a couple of the DSS plates and wings for cold and warm water diving., and have never used an STA. The DSS wings have a built in cradle for the tank, and dual tank straps hold very securely.


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[Peter Guy]

If your BP has slots for cambands, there really isn't any need for an STA and I can't think of any "pro" that is sufficient to get one (again assuming your BP has the right slots as the DSS BPs do).

For example, I just got back from Mexico where, as usual, I went intending to cave dive but I also thought I might do some ocean diving. Therefor I took a set of cambands (weight, 2 pounds? With weight pockets and DSS rubber tensioners) and my warm water (26 pound) wing in addition to my doubles wing and my doubles regulators (i.e., 2 first stages, each with a single second stage).

To change over the gear from doubles configuration to singles configuration took all of maybe 5 minutes -- including changing the doubles reg sets to a singles reg set (that took the most time of course). Admittedly I've done this a number of times but still, it is quick and easy (and even with an STA I'd still need to change the reg sets).

Just got to thinking about how much weight the cambands/singles wing added so I just weighed them -- about 3.75 lbs which may well be less than the weight of the STA.

 

[tbone1004]

Peter, not quite true, the wing has to be designed to be used without one. Halcyon Eclipse, DRiS Trianta, the whole Dive Rite line, and a few others either don't have cam band slots, or don't have stabilizer bars on the side of the wing to keep the tank from going cockeyed. The STA guarantees the tank is stable and not offset *have seen this a lot actually with people that don't use sex bolts to keep the wing from skewing on the backplate.

For switching over it means that you don't have to unthread the cam bands which doesn't take a long time, but I do like the ability to just use the delrin thumb wheels and unscrew it in all of 10 seconds. Also allows me to use double hose regulators if I want, since those have to be mounted lower than normal tanks for optimal breathing and also allows me to run the regular tank lower and still be able to reach the valve since it is set a bit farther off of my back. I love them and the only time I don't use them is when I'm diving with my Transpac, but I also don't dive singles in backmount hardly ever.

 

[Ayisha]

they add 2lbs and a bit of bulk for travel, and they push the tank back an extra inch or two, other than that there are no cons to them, lots and lots of pros, but very few cons.

As you said later, the Halcyon Eclipse needs the STA. That's where the camband slots are to attach the tank.

The Halcyon STA is 7/8 of an inch. Slightly further back actually helps petite women so that the valve doesn't hit our head, and the STA keeps the tank perfectly stable. It's also a great place for the weight in the STA and trims out nicely.