New kit: Taking the plunge *snigger*

[Ropeman]

HAs anyone any comments; adverse or otherwise on the following kit?

I was thinking that some of the gear will be with me a long time so buy the good stuff and some of it is sort of consumable so is the area to save a few quid.

Apeks DST with XTX 50 and XTX 20 Octopus
Typhoon Elevator BCD
Typhoon Pro Sport Drysuit
Optimo 100g undersuit
Mares Avanti Quattro fins
Suunto Vyper 2
300bar 12 litre tank

Hood, gloves, mask, snorkel, knife, torches.

Any major omissions?

[Captain Deco]

Any omissions?

WATER!!!

Looks cool....go diving!!!!

Kit is all personal choice - you'll get a million opinions here.

(Now go and buy a twinset, massive torch and a 300m reel with 12 DSMb's)

[Tricky]

I'd say don't bother with a 300 bar tank. I dived 300 12s for a couple of years and, while I was generally happy with them, you don't really get that much benefit from them (i.e. you think you're getting a lot more gas, but you're not). You'd be better of either getting a 232 15l or a 232 12 and working on your SAC.

[tom]

I wouldn't bother with the 300 bar tank, assuming this is your first set of kit: it will cost more, and you may have problems getting decent 300 bar fills. I'd just buy a bog-standard 12 or 15.

I'd try to make sure your drysuit has leg pockets, or at the very least that your BC has large and easily accessible pockets.

Get a cheap pair of shears (e.g. trauma shears, sold as 'tuff cut' scissors in Maplins, DIY shops etc).

Think about a small slate or set of wetnotes.

You'll also need a good reel and DSMB. Lots of threads on here with debate about relative merits of different types.

A 100g undersuit may not be enough for year-round UK diving, depending on your cold tolerance. You may end up adding a layer of thermals as well. alternatively, go for a thicker undersuit.

[wilbo]

Originally Posted by Ropeman

HAs anyone any comments; adverse or otherwise on the following kit?

I was thinking that some of the gear will be with me a long time so buy the good stuff and some of it is sort of consumable so is the area to save a few quid.

Apeks DST with XTX 50 and XTX 20 Octopus - yep - good regs. I would go for the DS4 though rather than the DST. The turrent is a moving part - therefore more susceptable to issues (*very* *very* small risk). If your hose routing won't allow - then go for DST.
Typhoon Elevator BCD - don't know
Typhoon Pro Sport Drysuit - don't know
Optimo 100g undersuit - don't know
Mares Avanti Quattro fins - yep - good trustworthy fin. buy spare fin straps..
Suunto Vyper 2 - yep good comp.
300bar 12 litre tank - why 300 bar? 232 should be enough for single tank diving.. you won't find that many places who pump to 300 bar - especially at weekends. 232 better suited to nitrox diving(because of gas laws). 300bar is useful as a gas bank if you are away from a compressor.

Hood, gloves, mask, snorkel, knife, torches.

Any major omissions?

comments above.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Ropeman

HAs anyone any comments; adverse or otherwise on the following kit?

I was thinking that some of the gear will be with me a long time so buy the good stuff and some of it is sort of consumable so is the area to save a few quid.

Apeks DST with XTX 50 and XTX 20 Octopus
Typhoon Elevator BCD
Typhoon Pro Sport Drysuit
Optimo 100g undersuit
Mares Avanti Quattro fins
Suunto Vyper 2
300bar 12 litre tank

Hood, gloves, mask, snorkel, knife, torches.

Any major omissions?

MASK - would be inclined to buy something which fitted was what i wanted rather than being an area to skimp on an uncomfortable mask will spoil a lot of dives

300bar cylinder - are helpful I suppose however find out where you'll get it filled not everywhere fills to 300bar so you may just end up with a heavy expensive 232bar cylinder, also buy a single 12 and you can buy another later to make a twin if you go that way,

BCD - i bought a BCD which now i regret if i had my time again i'd buy a plate/straps/wing - if your looking to progress further many get into twins and you'd already be there 2nd hand BCD's are worth bugger all so you'd sell at a loss

Optimo 100g undersuit - i don't struggle with the cold [and have neo dry suit] buy my buddies with TRI are all dripping on about Exortherm [spoiling] at the moment.

Dave

[ardhill]

Originally Posted by scubajay

(Now go and buy a twinset, massive torch and a 300m reel with 12 DSMb's)

Now you are just being silly Jay. You know he only needs 3 DSMBs to start with

OK as other have said, I would change the 300bar to a 15L 232 bar tank and change the 100g undersuit to 200g. I don't know the dry suit or BCD, but as long as they do the job and you are happy with them.

[Garf]

not being particularly serious here, but does anyone else find the concept of a BCD entitled "the elevator" disturbing

[tom]

Originally Posted by Dave_S

BCD - i bought a BCD which now i regret if i had my time again i'd buy a plate/straps/wing - if your looking to progress further many get into twins and you'd already be there 2nd hand BCD's are worth bugger all so you'd sell at a loss

It's his first set of kit so let's not start talking about wings and twinsets etc yet (and nobody mention big torches). That could be years away if ever.

The BCD he's looking at is a cheap one (£150ish I think) so IMHO it's a decent investment. If he wants to change later he could resell for a reasonable amount, or keep as holiday gear or whatever.

IIRC I bought a cheap BC (about £120) when I started out, I used it for 50 odd dives then sold it for about £80 and bought a wing. No regrets about doing it that way at all.

[Dave_S]

Originally Posted by Garf

not being particularly serious here, but does anyone else find the concept of a BCD entitled "the elevator" disturbing

Garf,
you obviously don't have young children,

if you had then you would most likely have read "Charlie and the great glass elevator" [sequel to the Chocolate Factory] and would know from the great and good "Willy wonker" that an Elevator doesn't have to just go up, it can go down and of course sideways.

Dave
"well read by 8 year old standards"