BCD or BP&W first BC help

[SlvrDragon50]

I don't know anything about Red Hat, but you can't go wrong with Dive Rite. The EXP wings look pretty nice. As long as you don't buy the Rec Wing!!!

And keep in mind you can always drill more holes into your plate I don't really know how many of them you will actually need. I just bought some random plate from my shop and I only use two holes to mount an SMB.

 

[victorzamora]

good storage options and multiple D rings would be a better
course of action.

Will probably stick with the Apeks plate since...it has more holes.

It seems like you're under the impression that more is always better. How much do you plan on carrying? Even on full cave dives with reels, spools, a primary, multiple lights,and more crap than I ever thought was possible, I don't ever need more than a few d-rings and I never really use my pockets. I don't mean this in an accusatory manner, I'm honestly asking. How much do you plan on carrying with you on these dives? Of those items, where are other divers carrying those items?

Also, if you are diving primarily "at home".....would getting 8-10lbs off of your weight belt help? Would it be enough for you to "give up" pockets?

 

[RJP]

I suggest you do what I did...

1.) Buy a traditional jacket style as your FIRST BCD purchase.
2.) Sell it on eBay for about half what you paid for it.
3.) Buy a BP/W as your LAST BCD purchase.

...or you can just jump right to step #3.

 

[BoltSnap]

Gee, I should have known that way back then. I have been diving since 1973 and I have always been happy with the variety of jacket BC's I have used over the years. I have been using a Scubapro Classic BC for the last 15 years without any issues at all. I would use a back inflate BC (SP's Seahawk or Apeks Black Ice) when I switch to a drysuit but only then, the rest of the time I am all OK with a jacket style. (I am talking from a recreational diver point of view here).

I am scared to use a BP/W BC now since it will be my "last" BC.

 

[Pullmyfinger]

It's a good thing you started a new thread on this topic, it's been at least several minutes since the last one and I was getting nervous that we wouldn't be able to argue about it any more.

---------- Post added January 1st, 2014 at 11:24 AM ----------

Buy the one with the most d-rings on it.

 

[ESharp]

How about the Dive Rite Voyagerpac it seems to get the best of both worlds?

 

[victorzamora]

How about the Dive Rite Voyagerpac it seems to get the [-]best[/-] worst of both worlds?

I fixed it for you.

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

 

[52brandon]

Hi Guys

I am looking at acquiring my own BC and am torn between the jacket style (back inflated) and a fully fledged BP&W setup.
Right now I am diving in cold water with a drysuit which is my primary buoyancy control method and have previously been
using a Cressi sport and Northern diver BCD mostly for storage and surface floatation. So when I got the opportunity to try out
a wing setup in the pool I was surprised at how much more room I had up front when compared with the jackets which lead me
to consider this a potential option. In addition the concept of upgrading and modifying the gear as I go also was quite appealing.

However considering I am still finishing my OW certification with 14 dives completed, all on single 12l and 15l SS tanks part of me
thinks that keeping things simple and getting a good quality jacket with good storage options and multiple D rings would be a better
course of action.

Most of the folks I have been diving with use a BP&W setup but they are on doubles so not really sure its worth it only to dive singles.
My Budget for the gear is around £300.

The jacket BCD I was considering is the Scubapro Seahawk
Scubapro Seahawk. Bcd-jackets Jackets, Scubastore.com, buy, offers, dive.

+good pockets
+quick tank change out (less gaffing about)
+enough lift for an 18l tank

The Wing Setup I was planning on building consisted of a Red Hat Maximus 30lb Wing, Apeks SS Backplate and Diverite basic
harness (still need to source STA and tank bands)

+no clutter
+room to expand
+perhaps more comfortable if fitted correctly

How do you guys reckon I should proceed with this any advice or critisism is welcomed.
Thanks in advance.

E

that's an oxymoron IMO. I don't think it can get any simpler than a BP&W setup. You build it with everything you want and nothing you don't. As a gun guy, I would compare the BP&W to an AR15. There's 100 brands, most parts are interchangeable, they're incredibly simple to build/service, you can build a simple rig that does exactly what you need and nothing else, and you can build something crazy wth a million do-dads that you want rather than need, you can make one for pretty much any and every application, then you can have one that can swap out parts with the push of a few pins that can totally change applications. It's all you really need

 

[BoltSnap]

BP&W to an AR15.

What's an AR15?

 

[victorzamora]

What's an AR15?

It's like the BP&W of rifles!!

Here's a link that'll explain it to you.