BP and WINGS or BC

[Freedive WI]

Too much money. Too many extra do-dads that get in the way. Save your money.

Jon

[LKunze]

Too much money. Too many extra do-dads that get in the way. Save your money.

Jon
[/quote]
Yeah I agree. All you really NEED for a BP/Wing setup is a simple backplate, a wing, some stiff webbing for the harness, soft webbing for the crotch strap, and three D-Rings. No need for quick releases, chest straps and junk.

[beeger]

Welcome to the Board, Earl. I would agree with most of the replies below. A backplate/wing setup is a better setup even if you never intend to strap on doubles or do any "aggressive" (i.e. "tech") diving. In the long run you will find it much more flexible, configurable, and fun. It does require a bit of a commitment in terms of diving style: you will want to avoid the frequently seen gauge consoles, understand and get comfortable with a long hose/bungee backup setup, learn how to properly adjust a harness, etc..

I know SDT carries both Dive Rite and OMS, which are probably the brands you are going to want to look at anyway. Halcyon also makes wings and backplates but there are no local dealers (that I'm aware of). I saw and examined the Deep Outdoors stuff up close at DEMA in October. Wrong solution to the right problem. Their Matrix and Harmony systems have too much stuff going on with these units - they beauty of the backplate system is that it is simple because it needs to be simple to work. Deep Outdoors does have a cool ad though (the one with the diver doing the flip off the boat). Their basic backplates seem the same as others on the market. I'm not sure about their bladders but they do have some sort of "internal compression" device - and this is a bad idea. Stick with one of the three brands above and you should be in good shape.

[Chris]

Is it possible to use ScubaPro's tank strap on a backplate? I've yet to see a better tank strap.

[DRE]

You can feed whatever tank strap through the Single Tank Adapter (STA). EG: Diverite recently came out with SS buckles on their cambands and you just have to take the old ones of the STA and put the other ones in.
Aren't the Scubapro ones SS as well?

[Chris]

Yeah, they are. Some patented thing they have going that really works!

[Gramps]

Comment in response to the below post on the integration of a quick release/chest strap into the harness config as being "junk". Disagree. Some divers prefer having one or both built into their configuration. Chest strap for stability purposes when diving with singles and the quick release for ease of entry/exit in and out of the system. Some divers prefer the single piece of webbing route. Either way both work and are minor personal configuration preferences.

[LKunze]

Didn't mean to offend ya there Gramps. I guess if you want to call it personal preference that's fine with me. My point was that chest straps and quick releases on the harness are not needed. A single piece of webbing harness that is rigged CORRECTLY doesn't need anymore stability.

[Gramps]

Didn't mean to offend ya there Gramps. I guess if you want to call it personal preference that's fine with me. My point was that chest straps and quick releases on the harness are not needed. A single piece of webbing harness that is rigged CORRECTLY doesn't need anymore stability.

No offense was taken. I just felt it important to point out that while there are basic config guidelines to the system in no way does it mean it's a one way or the highway deal. Some may disagree with that perspective and I appreciate their opinions as to why. Personally I like a quick release on my setup. No lake side "duck and wiggle" to get in and out of my rig. Having previously enjoyed that feature on the Ranger, I built one into my harness. A personal preference issue that, IMHO does not compromise the core philosophy behind the setup. As to chest straps aiding in stability I agree with you but some folks swear by 'em.

[Groovekitty]

Gramps,

I have to disagree with you on this. I see no pratical reason to dive with a quick release. Sure it's convenient, but are you willing to risk your life for convenience?

A quick release is nothing more than a failure point. Webbing is pretty much guaranteed to never break, (now I don't want to argue the properties of webbing, i'm generalizing) but what are the instances of a quick release comming undone, getting caught, or the buckle breaking? I am willing to bet they are worse and more common then webbing breaking.

Now, I'm not telling you how to configure your gear, but a quick release is a pretty far departure form the general BP/Harness philosophy, which I belive fundamentally encuorages a stramlined and simple rig. A quick release pretty much goes against this philosophy completely, since it is totally unneccessay for diving.

If you get into a situation underwater where you HAVE to get out of your harness, chances are you cannot just reach up and undo your quick release, since you are probably wedged, stuck, or trapped in someway, thus you probably do not have ready acess to your quick release. This can become even more complicated if you wear the buckle on the inside of your harness strap.

In this type of a situation, you will probably end up having to cut your harness anyway. So what is the point of having a quick release then???

Now as for a chest strap - I think this is totally a personal choice. Some of the male divers on this forum may not have considered this, but a chest strap is definitely appealing to female divers! I have noticed that having narrow shoulders causes the harness to have a tendancy to slip off if not fatened more tightly that my male counterparts.

I do not dive a chest strap, but I think if you choose to it's okay, just don't clip anything to it. If you do it will create clutter and drag in the chest area, which again is not part of a streamlined and practical rig.

Overall, I think that if you don't need it to dive, you don't need it period.

Safe diving,
~groovekitty*