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DiverDownD3
Contributor
Not sure how you can condemn equipment if you've never tried it.
I've dove jackets previously and I currently have a BP/W. In all reality no matter what anyone says on here you should go with what you find comfortable. For me, I found the BP/W A LOT more comfortable, but that's my opinion. If you go BP/W, you aren't going to look like an arese on a recreational dive boat as was previously stated. My diving is strictly off recreational dive boats and I would ventrue to say that 80% of the divers have a BP/W configuration on those boats.
I think you may want to try a jacket, a black inflate jacket, and a BP/W before you make your purchase to see what you like best. Good luck!
I've dove jackets previously and I currently have a BP/W. In all reality no matter what anyone says on here you should go with what you find comfortable. For me, I found the BP/W A LOT more comfortable, but that's my opinion. If you go BP/W, you aren't going to look like an arese on a recreational dive boat as was previously stated. My diving is strictly off recreational dive boats and I would ventrue to say that 80% of the divers have a BP/W configuration on those boats.
I think you may want to try a jacket, a black inflate jacket, and a BP/W before you make your purchase to see what you like best. Good luck!
JBFG
Contributor
Totally agree! You are in the best place to try all 3 systems. You should take the time and not regret it. Maybe you will like the Focus, perhaps the Civic, or you will settle for the Cadillac. You won't know unless you try them.
I preferred the Cadillac (BP/W) and went with it. IT was actually cheaper than the other 2 that I was eyeing.
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It's not. But that's not the point either...
Your issue is that you don't understand that the OP's criteria for "better" is different than yours. His involves pockets, integrated weight systems, comfort at the expense of optimal weighting. Most people seem to be that way oddly?
Yours involves optimal performance at the expense of some of those things. Which works for you but not for the other 98% of us who are recreational divers. Speaking for myself it's a trade-off I'm willing to make but then I'm the Lexus guy not Chevy also. Both get you there, one makes the trip a little nicer.
It's not even about optimal - it's about what he wanted. Opinions on one of his four choices. Not badgering until you beat him into submission about getting a BP/W. You have made at least 1/2 dozen posts in this thread in spite of the OP having posted at least 3 times that he's not interested in a BP/W. Including his original post. Why couldn't you just read it and move on to a post more receptive to your ideas?
Another thing I'd wish you'd stop is the constant use of Jacket to describe everything you've dismissed as inferior. You are well aware that Jacket bcd's and Back-Inflate models are very different and have very different characteristics. Taken in context it cheapens any argument you do make.
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back inflates don't solve any of my issues with the traditional stab jackets, hence my main issue with them. Note that my first post said that I don't like any of them, and if he is adamant about not going to a backplate, then he should get the hunterpac as it is cheaper and better than any of the ones he listed, so I did in fact offer up a back inflate bcd instead of a backplate in my first post. I'd also argue that I'm not sacrificing comfort, integrated weights, or pockets since they can all be added.
While not cheap, the Dive Rite weight pockets are actually super nice and they come in 4lb, 16lb, and 32lb sizes. Adds between $50-$125 to the cost of the rigs, but they are nice because you can mount them vertical or horizontal which is super convenient. Comfort is solved with any of the pads available on the market, and I already showed some different pocket options, which I genuinely believe are easier to access than ones on your waist. The thigh pockets are super nice because they have the line inside of them that everything clips to so you don't lose it when you open the pockets, and whether they are glued to your suit, part of the neoprene shorts, or the Dive Rite thigh pockets, they're all much easier to get around than the waist mounted ones which I always felt were awkward. Think of it like trying to access a fanny pack vs your pants pockets...
While not cheap, the Dive Rite weight pockets are actually super nice and they come in 4lb, 16lb, and 32lb sizes. Adds between $50-$125 to the cost of the rigs, but they are nice because you can mount them vertical or horizontal which is super convenient. Comfort is solved with any of the pads available on the market, and I already showed some different pocket options, which I genuinely believe are easier to access than ones on your waist. The thigh pockets are super nice because they have the line inside of them that everything clips to so you don't lose it when you open the pockets, and whether they are glued to your suit, part of the neoprene shorts, or the Dive Rite thigh pockets, they're all much easier to get around than the waist mounted ones which I always felt were awkward. Think of it like trying to access a fanny pack vs your pants pockets...
Belzelbub
Contributor
Nothing at all wrong with trying something out, but there's a lot of options out there, and for the most part, none of them are wrong. May not be what I would choose, but if it's not for me, who am I to say what's right for the other person. Bottom line is that some don't want anything to do with a BP/W. Some on this board don't seem to get that (rcanchicou, I'm not referring to you in this case, as you seem to be pretty reasonable).
As for me, I've got nothing against BP/W. I seriously considered one when I bought my Stiletto. I got a great deal on the Stiletto, so the cost difference was not all that great between similar BP/W. Plus, the Stiletto was designed for the type of diving I do. D rings are in the right place for me, and the BC fit me like a glove. So it was a no-brainer. I also happened to particularly like a few of the features.
Use the tool that you find right for the type of diving you do. For some that's a BP/W. For others, it's a back-inflate or jacket BC.
I think that one of the reasons that this board exists is so that more experienced divers can share their insights with less experienced divers. If the point was for the OP to just chose from the BCDs that he had selected initially, then he could just go to Amazon, and check the reviews and the ratings. Not sure why it is surprising or notable that BPWs were brought up - if you ask the same people the same question again and again, why would you expect different answers?
The reason that these threads ALWAYS go this way, is that most new divers either have never heard of a BPW or have dismissed them ahead of time because of the mistaken impression that they are a "tech" thing. So people who have used them and found them to be superior (in their opinions), feel the need to provide that advice. I don't think that anyone here has any monetary interest in what the OP buys, people are genuinely trying to help. Despite the fact that lots of people in these threads recommend test diving several jacket BCs and a BPW, very few new divers have that opportunity.
Personally, I can't see ANY advantage of a jacket BC over a BP/W in terms of features, performance, comfort, durability or price. Unless I was stocking a rental fleet, I wouldn't buy a jacket for myself. Now that's my opinion and it's worth what you paid for it.
Remember that this is a discussion, not a legal deposition. Getting upset because people don't answer the OP strictly according to his or her initial question seems to miss the whole point of scubaboard.
The reason that these threads ALWAYS go this way, is that most new divers either have never heard of a BPW or have dismissed them ahead of time because of the mistaken impression that they are a "tech" thing. So people who have used them and found them to be superior (in their opinions), feel the need to provide that advice. I don't think that anyone here has any monetary interest in what the OP buys, people are genuinely trying to help. Despite the fact that lots of people in these threads recommend test diving several jacket BCs and a BPW, very few new divers have that opportunity.
Personally, I can't see ANY advantage of a jacket BC over a BP/W in terms of features, performance, comfort, durability or price. Unless I was stocking a rental fleet, I wouldn't buy a jacket for myself. Now that's my opinion and it's worth what you paid for it.
Remember that this is a discussion, not a legal deposition. Getting upset because people don't answer the OP strictly according to his or her initial question seems to miss the whole point of scubaboard.
OP
KawabungaDude
Registered
For the record my LDSs all said BP&W are more for tech divers.
I'm sure they did...
JBFG
Contributor
I never heard of BPW until I got on SB. after that i for sure though it was Tech only, that's what my LDS at that time told me. I was pretty skeptic about getting into that.
what truly sold me what the fact that I could save my hips a whooping 10 Lbs of weight just by having BPW. Originally i though that the metal plate would not feel comfortable.
To me, going BPW as my 1st gear purchase was the best decision I made. Weight saving and cost wise, I couldn't beat it. It also took me about 30 min to set it up, thanx to SB. the harness is genious and you don't even feel the crotch strap at all.
Bottom line, don't say no until you have tried it.
what truly sold me what the fact that I could save my hips a whooping 10 Lbs of weight just by having BPW. Originally i though that the metal plate would not feel comfortable.
To me, going BPW as my 1st gear purchase was the best decision I made. Weight saving and cost wise, I couldn't beat it. It also took me about 30 min to set it up, thanx to SB. the harness is genious and you don't even feel the crotch strap at all.
Bottom line, don't say no until you have tried it.
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