BC Type

[ruready7]

I have a back inflated BCD and if you are weighted correctly and do not inflate your BCD to extreme amounts but enough to get head out of water then the face forward is not an issue.

 

[Nemrod]

Aeris Caribe BCD reviews and discounts, Aeris

Oh good grief, 6 months to decide on a poodle jacket. Just buy this one and be done with it, about 115 dollars with your discount, non stupid weight integrated, bought my wife one as a back up to her other poodle jacket.

N, "N" 2 zen

 

[SkipperJohn]

Aeris Caribe BCD reviews and discounts, Aeris

Oh good grief, 6 months to decide on a poodle jacket. Just buy this one and be done with it, about 115 dollars with your discount, non stupid weight integrated, bought my wife one as a back up to her other poodle jacket.

N, "N" 2 zen

hahaha.. well, it has been close to 6 months but most of that was getting my other equipment. I have my computer, regulator, octo and assorted other toys. I've really only been shopping for my BC in earnest for a few weeks & will hold off until after the BTS show.
I'll be buying my BC from my LDS. He has put in some time with me and besides I want to ensure a proper fit.
With the information provided here I think I'll be going with the back inflate option. As always it's a good education reading all the responses.
My LDS likes Sherwood and Scubapro jackets. The guy who does all the repairs says the SP jackets last the longest in the pool with all the chlorine. So I'll probably be looking that way.

I gotta tell you, I find that little elevator knob on the new scubapro jackets intriguing.

 

[Nemrod]

hahaha.. well, it has been close to 6 months but most of that was getting my other equipment. I have my computer, regulator, octo and assorted other toys. I've really only been shopping for my BC in earnest for a few weeks & will hold off until after the BTS show.
I'll be buying my BC from my LDS. He has put in some time with me and besides I want to ensure a proper fit.
With the information provided here I think I'll be going with the back inflate option. As always it's a good education reading all the responses.
My LDS likes Sherwood and Scubapro jackets. The guy who does all the repairs says the SP jackets last the longest in the pool with all the chlorine. So I'll probably be looking that way.

I gotta tell you, I find that little elevator knob on the new scubapro jackets intriguing.

Don't take this the wrong way, blah, blah, blah and what "your" lds said, blah, blah, blah double blah. Did you buy an lds?

"lds proper fit" = whatever they have on the rack fits whatever shaped sucker walks in off the street, that is a "lds proper fit."

Good luck.

N, "N" 2 zen

 

[FritzCat66]

I gotta tell you, I find that little elevator knob on the new scubapro jackets intriguing.

ScubaPro is putting an "elevator" lever on their BC's now? I thought that was just a SeaQuest thing...

 

[Nemrod]

BC = Aeris Caribe BCD reviews and discounts, Aeris = 115 dollars

Fins = Oceanic Vector Fins reviews and discounts, Oceanic = 24 dollars

computer = Aeris XR1 Wrist Computer reviews and discounts, Aeris = $139

spg = Brass SPG reviews and discounts, Dive Rite = 57 dollars

mask = Mares X Vision Mask reviews and discounts, Mares = 60 dollars

What else can I help you with?

Oh, regulator, you missed out on the AL Titan LX for 160 dollars from LP but :

AquaLung Titan LX Regulator = 224 dollars on sale

You can handle the rest, oh, take all the over priced fluffy crap back to "your" lds.

N, "N" 2 cheap

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

"Forward Push" in any back inflate or BP&W is easy to avoid.

It's mostly a function of being properly weighted. Most divers are overweighted. The over weighted diver needs to inflate their BC more than a properly weighted diver.

The properly weighted diver needs only a "puff" of gas in their bc, and this small amount of gas is essentially behind the diver's shoulders. This cannot push the diver forward regardless of the type of tank used, or where your ballast is carried etc.

The over weighted diver needs to inflate their BC more fully and this "extra" gas ends up behind their back, sometimes all the way down to their waist. This can of course tip the diver forward.

A properly adjusted crotch strap also helps. With a crotch strap when the "rig" rises so does the diver. This again reduces how much the diver needs to inflate their wing to get comfortable.

Without a crotch strap it's common for the BC to "crawl up" the diver, leaving the diver low in the water. The common reaction is for the diver to add more gas to their BC, making the problem worse.

A properly weighted diver, using a properly adjusted BP&W will have no problem with "forward push".

Here's my vote for this post being a sticky all to itself. Great explanation! If my story matters any, I have zero experience with back-inflate BCDs but have some dives with a standard wrap-around, more with a Transpac, and have just switched to a steel BP. My (small) experience so far agrees with Tobin's explanation. You don't need much air and you aren't pushed forward at all.

But if you want the full 'luxe treatment, fully inflate the air cell and lean back. It turns into a raft and you lie on top of it, lazily finning your way back to the boat, enjoying the sunshine. Hopefully this works as well for you on a back-inflate BCD as it does on a wing+harness.

 

[Nemrod]

ScubaPro is putting an "elevator" lever on their BC's now? I thought that was just a SeaQuest thing...

Nope, Mares, Dacor, ScubaPro, Aqua Lung and it is spreading like wildfire.

My wife has one on her poodle jacket number 2. It is actually pretty neat though I suspect it will break or malfunction but that is OK because she has me and I have a big knife and I will just cut the thing N2 a dozen pieces. Push the up button and it goes up, push the down button and it goes down. Beats me, I bought it with a split seam for 12 dollars brand new, repaired the seam, no big loss when it goes TU.

Alternate fin selection, if it ain't a Jet, it ain't nothing = 69 dollars:

http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/SCPF...eld=Relevance&DescSort=0&Description=on&Hit=1

Now, there ya go, six months of dilly dallying and if you order those items above I have listed today you will be ready to dive this weekend with money left over to buy tank clackers and retractors and octopus holders from "your" lds.

N

 

[siikik]

In my early days of diving I had a jacket style BC... mostly because that's about all there was. As a newbie and not all that informed about weighting, it made sense as well. I especially liked the fact that I could get nearly half my body out of the water by inflating it fully... yes, it was a little hard to breathe, but it helped with finding the boat (or vise versa) which was comforting. Back then, the fad was weight integrated BCs so nearly everyone had a weight belt... as for trim... what's that?

Recently, I went to a back inflate and while I'm still getting used to it, I can definitely say it's far better than my first BC. Yes, proper weighting is key, as I don't have any trouble on the surface. Also, if you add a few puffs of air and lean back, you can have a nice relaxing time floating atop your BC... this worked pretty good even in 4-6' swells for me. (although I'd rather not been there in the first place.)

The wife has one of those new fancy hybrid types of BCs... the Oceanic Hera. From what I can tell, it's attempting to grab the best of both worlds by offering a sort of double bladder in the back (more air stays in the back portion,) yet still have the wrap around bladder of a jacket. If she fully inflates it, of course it will get tight, but it doesn't get tight until almost full. Again, proper weighting is the key so you don't have to use that much air to remain on the surface.

She is still working on trim while I didn't seem to have much trouble. But I think it's more BC style rather than experience. As mentioned previously, a crotch strap would be nice... and is the only thing I feel I'm lacking. But only one dive so far on my BC would a crotch strap been absolutely beneficial... but I can see where it would be a necessity, such as photography.

Also keep in mind comfort... it doesn't matter how good it is for someone else, if it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work. First you need something that fits well, then you need to be/get familiar with it... know where everything is and be able to find it in the dark right away.




Ken

 

[knotical]

A minority opinion: - it doesn't matter all that much. With proper weight distribution, a decent diver should be able to perform well with any of the three configurations. I regularly switch between back inflate for travel and jacket for classes. No problem.

Personally, I don't use BPW because I find it difficult to get the center of gravity close to my center of buoyancy, and because they're a bit . . . well, fussy. But as even a moderate scan of this board shows, there are folks who love them.

The best advice has already been given: - try them all and see what you prefer.