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I recently was given a TransPac as an engagement gift. I am excited to use it for open water teaching using single steel tanks. I was wondering if anyone out there uses a TransPac with backmounted doubles? If so, how well does it work? Any tips? Thanks and Safe Diving
I tried it without much success back when I was an uneducated dabbler in "the art".
When I showed up for Intro Cave, Ralph looked at my 3 years after Cavern gear configuration with a critical eye and had me get in the water with my double LP 85's rigged to my Trans-pac and showed me how unneccesary and awkward it all was.
Under the topic "this is why you take the training and stop trying to figure this stuff out on your own" I was shown the light and am sold on simple yet functional gear configs.
IMH (very humble) O, Depending on the size of the doubles you would probably be better off removing the Rec-wing and using it with a standard harness and aluminum backplate.
The Trans-pac is great in it's intended purpose and I hear it's great for sidemount but I found it to be not the best choice for "ME" and diving doubles.
I still use my slightly stripped down Trans-pac for single tank lobstering and reef cleanups.
That's my nickel :-)
convert it to a sidemount rig, and there you go.
It's a universal truth, not just in diving, but something designed to do multiple things is rarely the best method of doing any of them (i.e. it will work, but you probably won't stay happy with it for long).
tri this http://diveriteexpress.com/bcs/transpac.shtml
you might need to get the Mounting Plates.
I dive a transpac with doubles all the time and have had no problems. I have only tried a backplate once or twice so I can't really compare. Although it might not be "ideal" I love that I can go from a single tank to doubles and hopefully sidemount shortly all with one harness. I have had no trouble with stability in the water and it makes the walk to the water a LOT better than having webbing digging into your shoulders. It is a little positive so keep that in mind, doesn't bother me, I'm already very negative with doubles on even in a drysuit and an empty AL80. I'd say, pick up some of the stabilizing plates and give it a try, can't hurt.
I wore a transpac in the ocean with double HP 120s for 2 years, and had no problems with the transpac either. I really liked it, and still do. I went with the backplate once I started diving a drysuit. I need the additional ballast afforded in the plate. I have converted everything to plate/harness, so as to keep everything somewhat standardized no matter what exposure protection I have on.
I guess it is all relative to what kind of diving you plan on doing, and where you plan on doing that diving.
I dive it with Double 100's. Figured 120's were a little much for my 158lb frame :)
Don't have a lot of time on it yet, but doing 4 days at Orange Grove / Pea this Sat-Wed's.
Mainly got it to do Sidemount, but have not done the sidemount yet. Even though I have all the stuff -- nomad butt-plate / etc etc.
TJ's been telling me "Real Divers don't do doubles with a softplate" :
"Use Steel boy, Use Steel"
Tommy //
Here's a pic of me fooling around with those doubles 100's with the transpac.
Notice the Nomad Butt-plate just waiting for the sidemounts :)
I dove a Transpac with double 95s in the caves. It worked ok, but always had a bit of wiggle to the tanks. When I went to a backplate it was much more stable. I still use a transpac with a single HP 120 in the ocean, it's great for that.
I bought my Transpac (not Transpac II) before cave training and did my cavern/intro in it with single Al80. I bought the stabilizer plates and LP85s. I couldn't believe how comfortable it was, but didn't realize how much wiggle it had until my wife gave me a plate and simple harness for Christmas. Changing back and forth from single to doubles was also more of a pain than I realized once I was able to just grab the plate & doubles or the Transpac for singles. I still have the Transpac and bought smaller straps for it and have my 12 year old daughter using it for now. I'm going to get a STA for the plate for diving with her, and eventually get the sidemount conversion for me. For now I'm using the plate for doubles, it's so simple that in the water I don't even know it's there.