Trans-pac... it doesn't even turn into a car...

[NewDaScuba13]

Why is the Trans-pac rated higher than a normal BC? There's like... nothing to it.

[woody]

Rated by who?
<DIV>Most Technical Divers end up in a Backplate and Wing combination. Some (including myself) tried the soft pack approach and went on to a Plate and wing.</DIV>
<DIV>Woody</DIV>

[ScubaSteve]

Woody, with you it's more like a wing and a prayer.

[NewDaScuba13]

I guess my more specific question is why would it be preferred if it's such a simple piece of equipment?

[Wolfie2012]

It's the K.I.S.S. concept. It seems to be getting more andmore popular.

[mike_s]

Originally Posted by NewDaScuba13

Why is the Trans-pac rated higher than a normal BC?

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I wouldn't say it's rated higher than a normal BC is... but most people who have been diving for a while seem to prefer the BP/W setup if they ever use one. So people like BP/W's pretty good and the Dive Rite is a good product and has effective distribution to many dive shops, thus it's popular.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>

There's like... nothing to it.

</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I know what you mean there. </DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I can't figure out why they are priced as high as they are. I mean $600 to $800 'list'for a transpac setup is a little outrageous considerig what a good campin backpack at REI costs. The camping backpack has 5 times the workmanship but is less than half the price. (However, a camping backpack failure doesn't typically cause drowning liability either.... to be fair).</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>I still can't figure out why any manufacturer's wing would cost $350 when all it really consists of is a rubber bladder, a stiched cover and an inflator hose.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>but anyway, we're not going to change that here....</DIV>

[Judestudio]

Originally Posted by mike_s

I still can't figure out why any manufacturer's wing would cost $350 when all it really consists of is a rubber bladder, a stiched cover and an inflator hose.

It's a supply and demand thing. You're paying for a specialized product and service. Do you really think petrol oil really worth that much? They charge us whatever and we still gotta pay for it, all that just made someone out there a very rich man (I'm talking about petrol oil). True its a bunch of rubber and inflator hose, but I've yet to see anyone trying to skimp and stitch their own [img]smileys/smiley22.gif[/img]

I used to like the Transpac, it looked as though a good transition from jacket BC to a BP/W, coz to be honest, the steel plate IS scary when I first know about the whole BP/W concept. It has its market. I am now using a BP/W with hog harness though [img]smileys/smiley2.gif[/img]

[CompuDude]

I think the wing thing is more an issue of economies of scale (or lack thereof). Sure, they could be made cheaper. But to make it cost effective, you need to make a LOT of them. So they're made in small lots, sometimes even right here in the U.S., and that costs more (per unit) than hiring a factory in China to crank out a few thousand.

[mike_s]

Originally Posted by CompuDude

I think the wing thing is more an issue of economies of scale (or lack thereof). Sure, they could be made cheaper. But to make it cost effective, you need to make a LOT of them. So they're made in small lots, sometimes even right here in the U.S., and that costs more (per unit) than hiring a factory in China to crank out a few thousand.

<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>The big question is "define made in the USA"</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>The final assembly/packaging might be in the USA, but chances are a lot of the parts are made overseas.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>For example. I think that Dive Rites regulators are made in the USA (final assembly), but the parts are made by Ocean Divers Supply in Tawain.</DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Now I could care less about this, but it's not 100% accurate to say "Made in the USA". HOwever they are not the only company to do this and this doesn't include just the scuba industry.</DIV>

[CompuDude]

Originally Posted by mike_s

<div> The big question is "deine made in the USA"</div>
<div></div>
<div>The final assembly/packaging might be in the USA, but chances are a lot of the parts are made overseas.</div>
<div></div>
<div>For example. I think that Dive Rites regulators are made in the USA (final assembly), but the parts are made by Ocean Divers Supply in Tawain.</div>
<div></div>
<div></div>
<div>Now I could care less about this, but it's not 100% accurate to say "Made in the USA". HOwever they are not the only company to do this and this doesn't include just the scuba industry.</div>

While I agree with you, the point is that final assembly, manufacture, or whatever, costs more when it's done here than when the whole thing is done overseas with no pretense to being made here. That includes the jobs of those doing that final assembly. And paying someone to put a "made in the usa" sticker on something costs more than having the factory in Koreo automatically stamp it.

Without a large enough order to justify tooling up a factory, it's going to cost more, plain and simple.