I finally hit 500 hours of bottom time this year, and it made me rethink my whole gear setup.

3 comments

3 Comments

Hitting that kind of milestone really changes your view. My backplate and wing felt bulky after 400 hours, so I switched to a simpler soft backplate. It cut down on drag and made long dives way less tiring. Little things like moving my pressure gauge to a shorter hose also made a huge difference. You just start wanting everything simpler and closer to your body.

lucasgarcia6d agoTop Commenter

Interesting! When you made that switch, did you find the soft backplate gave up any stability or control? I'm wondering if it feels different when you're carrying a stage bottle or heavier gear. That streamlined setup sounds perfect until you add more stuff.

wyatt10729d ago

That move to a soft backplate is a great example. It's funny how gear that felt perfect at two hundred hours becomes a real drag at four hundred. Trimming hose lengths and tucking things in tight makes you feel more like part of the water. You end up chasing that feeling where nothing pulls or catches, just smooth movement.