My old Bc has kicked the bucket!!

[chris in the socal]

My old BC has had it. I dive cold water and am interested in dooing some tech diving in the future. I will probably start double tanking it soon. Dont have a huge budget. Would like a back inflator.

[FyVe]

http://scubatoys.com/store/detail.as...e_Wing_Package

good for singles, swap out the wing and use it as a doubles rig...

[chris in the socal]

What do you all think about the transpack, just kind of expensive.

[cummings66]

If you want to get into technical diving I think you'd be better off with a BP/W, that's my thoughts on the matter.

The special quoted above will require a STA and 2 straps, that will up the price somewhat and don't try to dive without the STA. It's going to be all over the place if you don't have one.

[mm_dm]

Originally Posted by cummings66

If you want to get into technical diving I think you'd be better off with a BP/W, that's my thoughts on the matter.

The special quoted above will require a STA and 2 straps, that will up the price somewhat and don't try to dive without the STA. It's going to be all over the place if you don't have one.

I agree. The Transpac would be fine for a single tank, but I sure wouldn't want to haul a set of doubles around with one. Too unstable, IMHO. For a good, soild, secure base I would get kit with a plate and wing. If you want to go tech, remember this phrase: Less is More.

[BSea]

Originally Posted by mm_dm

The Transpac would be fine for a single tank, but I sure wouldn't want to haul a set of doubles around with one. Too unstable, IMHO. For a good, soild, secure base I would get kit with a plate and wing. If you want to go tech, remember this phrase: Less is More.

I agree 100%

I know that people dive doubles without a BP, but I can't figure out why. I agree that the Transpac is fine for a single tank, but IMHO, it just makes sense to dive the same basic setup for singles & doubles. And I know that Diverite states that the Rec & Trek wings are suitable for singles & doubles, but they're great for neither. Get a single wing for diving singles, and a doubles wing for diving doubles.

I know in your post you said you are on a budget. Diving doubles doesn't fall into the diving on a budget category. But with a BP/W, you can add as you go when you start into doubles. You don't have to buy everything all at once. For the price of a transpac, you can get a very nice BP/W setup. And if you feel adventurous, you can buy the pieces & put it together yourself.

I have the following
Hammerhead SS BP $85
Oxycheq Mach 5 Wing $257.50 (After 10%) Discount
Diverite SS Cam Straps 2 for $67.50 (After 10%) Discount
Diverite Deluxe Harness $51.30 (After 10%) Discount
Oxycheq STA $53.96 (After 10%) Discount (I actually have the DiveRite STA for about the same money)


All for $ 515.26

You could save some money by substituting the older 30# signature wing. I'm not sure of the cost, but ST has them. That's the wing they are offering in the special.

You could also get the plastic Tank Straps.

And of course if you shop E-Bay, you might save some more. But I would buy the wing from ST. Everything else should be ok used.

[skdvr]

I agree with what everyone else has said about the BP/W. Buy what you need for singles then as you get into doubles all you need to swap out is the wing. That is what I did with mine. I bought the whole singles set up over the course of about 2 months. Just recently I put together a doubles setup. I got the wing used. Second 1st stage used. Twin 120's used. Still not a cheap venture to get into doubles but you can do it slowly...

Phil

[chris in the socal]

I was wondering if you really think that the dive rite harness is really comfortable. For me I thought something padded that is why I chose the transpack.

[MSilvia]

I don't think the webbing harness is uncomfortable, so for me, it isn't an issue. I used a transpac II for years, and it was comfortable, but it also was more buoyant and took longer to dry because of it. Unless you're accustomed to 3 foot deep goose down beds and cashmere slippers, you might agree that practical functionality sometimes outweighs additional comfort.

After a while I even got the stabilizer plates so I could use it with aluminium doubles. It worked, and I was pretty happy with it for the most part, even if the doubles do tend to flop around a bit. When I started diving dry, I didn't like the way the chest strap interfered with my inflator valve, and since there wasn't any way to move it, I removed it.

One day, I got a great deal on a backplate, and since several of my buddies were raving about them, I figured I'd get it and use the RecWing I had on my Transpac II with it. I used the buckle and D-rings from it too, since I figured I could get some regular webbing cheap for the one-piece harness people were talking about and try that out. I wasn't using the chest strap anyhow and I figured that if I liked it, it would save me having to spend the money on a padded harness. If I hated it, It hardly cost anything for the materials anyhow, and I could still get the harness later.

When I tried it out, I was very pleased. The "Hogarthian Harness" was very comfortable, and it was great having the weight of the plate, since I didn't need the weight pockets anymore. The tanks were extremely stable too, which felt really good. Unfortunately, the RecWing got sandwiched between the plate and tanks in a way that made them trim out poorly. I was head-down any time I stopped moving. I tried a friend's wing, and immediately discovered that that solved the problem. I got better results with a doubles wing, and ended up getting a deal on a used Halcyon single tank wing a few weeks later.

I sold the TransPac and RecWing online shortly thereafter. If I had it to do over, I would have gotten a backplate and singles wing with a continuous webbing harness from the start. I haven't had any concerns for my comfort with it, even when I'm just diving a 1.5 mm skin, and I find it's easier to adjust to more sizes, is easier to maintain, performs better, is more reliable, and more versatile. I've used the same BC on single tank reef dives and on deep mixed-gas deco dives in choppy near-freezing water, and it's been great for both.

I don't see any reason to think I won't be diving the same bp/w BC until my days are through, although I might replace the harness or wing bladder from time to time.. From your first post I'm guessing that might appeal to you.

[chris in the socal]

I really love all the imput. I just dont know what I am really looking for. I want something that is comfotable but will be able to do what I want later.