Posted by Jason on March 06, 2000 at 01:33:25:
In Reply to: well, i'm in the market for... posted by kelphead on March 04, 2000 at 20:38:34:
On drysuits - the trilam will be much cheaper than the crushed.
That alone may decide it. If you get a tight fit, or a custom,
the bagginess may not be terrible. I do like that it isn't too
constricting on land as I gear up. It certainly has more drag
than my custom wetsuit. Such is life. It does stay warm. In
any event, forget the neoprene drysuit. A good wetsuit would do
just as well.
BCs- the Ranger is a POS, esp at the common $600 price. It was
one of many candidates to replace my 5 yo Sonic 2 hardpack jacket
BC, and it failed miserably. I prefer hardpacks anyway, so the
floppy nature of the ranger ticked me off. And without a hard
handle, that thing is a pain to pick up when fully loaded with
lead. I am much happier with the fit on my bp anyhow.
The WI of the ranger is fine, imo. The cord threading is a pain,
but you rarely need to do that (twice if you do one test). I
don't like integration anyway, have decided I prefer a weight belt
unless it's just a few pounds.
There is no reason why the Ranger is more suitable for rec diving
than the halcyon. As for fit, the BP with the crotch strap (this
is not optional!) should be much better than the ranger with the
annoying chest strap unless the plate is too long for your back.
You did try it out in the water, right?
The one advantage of the Zeagle line is that all of the harness
parts can be custom sized. If you need that, the Concept or what
I believe is called the Niteridder are better and cheaper choices
than the Ranger.