jd950-
Is there a reason that you think a Zuma(or whatever jacket you choose) is a better choice or is your primary reason for posting to warn the OP about the zealots that want to push BP/W on every diver for every situation? I just don't see that happening. What is the downside to to the bp/w. I came up with one. I gave pros and cons to both. I only see you talking about the posters and not the gear.
Ray: I am answering your question in the spirit of discussion rather than argument and I hope that you and others take it that way. The downsides to the BPW that I see (and whether these are really downsides is hugely dependent on the individual diver's interests, skill, diving situations and personal choice) are these:
1. For a diver that needs several pounds of weight, part of the appeal of the BPW is the steel plate, with extra weights being placed strategically in some trim pockets if needed. If you fly to dive, taking a steel plate can be problematic and expensive. When I travel to dive I am usually right at the maximum weight allowance and a steel plate in my luggage would complicate that. And I have seen them denied as carry-on. You can add weight pockets to the waist, and use a lightweight plate, but then what is the point of the BPW? You could use the BPW with a weight belt, but I hate weight belts, so for me, a BPW does not improve weight distribution at all. Also, some people require more weight than a plate and some trim pockets provide, and there again, some compromise needs to rigged to accommodate that.
2. A BPW is promoted as being streamlined and simple without unnecessary things like pockets and padding. I use pockets, so I would have to add them. Some folks say no, just glue pockets to your wetsuit or wear neoprene shorts with pockets over your wetsuit. I dive warm water and sometimes in a wetsuit, sometimes in a shorty, sometimes in a rashguard and shorts. Gluing pockets on a wetsuit is not practical. I don't want to carry an extra pair of neoprene shorts and would not want to wear them anyway, so here, too, there is no benefit to me in a BPW.
3. I am not an expert in this stuff. I am just an average diver who dives in warm water. Nonetheless, I am passionate about diving and for one reason or another I have a few BCDs and have used others. I also have 3 immediate family members who dive and we all have our own gear and have for years. So besides the BCDs I have owned and used, I have first hand experience with several others. I have had some BCDs that didn't fit so well and wold shift around and ride up. They did compromise diving. But I have also found several that fit fine and do not require custom webbing or crotch straps to fit well and stay where they are supposed to. I have watched people chicken wing into and out of their BPW and seen them messing around getting their crotch strap hooked up and sometimes struggling to get the thing off. I am sure there are many who have no issue with this, but I can usually get my gear on or off more quickly and with less gymnastics than the people in BPWs and I can cinch a waistbelt or shoulder strap as tight as I want and still remove it quickly, something that is not easily done with most BPW setups...that is why, is it not, that most BPWs are worn with the shoulder straps somewhat loose...so you can get into and out of them without dislocating a shoulder? On a recent trip, one guy on the boat joked that he was always the last off and first back to the boat because he took longer to gear up than everyone else. His BPW and tank also did not fit right in the boat's tank holders, so his gear had to sit on the deck at his feet when we weren't in the water. That isn't a "defect" in the BPW, but was clearly a hassle. I don't know why it did not fit in the tank holder, so this may have been some really unique situation and I have never before seen a BPW cause that issue, so take that for whatever it is worth.
4. With a lot of Caribbean diving, the SOP is to swim up to the boat, doff and hand off your BCD and tank and then get on the boat. I have on more than a few occasions seen the BPW folks wait to do this last or go up a little early so they don't hold up the rest of us. Granted, that may just be a skill issue sometimes but I have seen more than a few threads here dealing with the difficulties in adjusting BPW webbing and how to deal with crotch strap comfort and accessibility.
5. I think the supposed benefits of the reliability and comfort continuous webbing is overstated. My son had a waist belt buckle break on a BCD, but that did not impair its use because the buckle was secondary to a velcro closure. Other than that I have never had problems with the straps and buckles on a BCD and appreciate the speed and ease with which I can doff / don and adjust the BCD. That doesn't happen with a BPW unless you add buckles and make straps quickly adjustable.
I use a few different cylinders, ranging from AL80 to HP and LP 100 and 120s. But I don't dive doubles or sidemount. I don't wear drysuits, semi-dry sutis, 7mm suits, etc. One benefit of the BPW is being able to change wings. I never change wings, so that is of no value to me. I do find most BCDs have far more lift than needed and I would like the option of a smaller wing, and see that as a benefit of the BPW, but that is becoming more common with BCDs now as well.
Lastly, the BPW seems to appeal most to people who enjoy setting up their BPW almost as a separate hobby. Stability adapters, this backplate or that, which cinch works best, what width crotch strap is best, how best to attach that. Which brand webbing is stiffer or softer, etc. People talk about sewing things together, custom making bits and pieces, what specific kind of stainless works best for bolts and screws, whose backplates have the cleanest welds, where the mounting slots are located and how big are they, etc., etc. That just isn't my thing. On the other hand, I do look for and value a BCD that has no or very little inherent buoyancy and think it is important to get a BCD that keeps the cylinder well anchored to the harness, and I value well-placed D rings. I feel many integrated weight systems are overly bulky and question the wisdom of some of the methods used to secure the weight pockets. BPWs don't have those issues.
I also accept that at least some BPW components are made by smaller businesses that may care more about their products and offer better quality than the mass produced stuff. I do value that and frankly find the most appealing thing about a BPW would be the ability to build a higher quality BCD. I can actually see where I might eventually do just that. But I doubt it would dive any better than what I have now.
In summary,
and for me, and the diving I do, the BPW offers no benefits that I can find, and several negatives. Those negatives can be overcome with accessories that make the BPW more like a BCD, or with practice and effort, and careful choice of the right parts, but then, what is the point? The reverse of the question I was asked is this...If I have a back-inflate BC that fits me well, is comfortable and allows me to have good trim, packs well, is easy and quick to put on and take off, offers the pockets and attachment points I want, and for which I can use the free lead I get at dive destinations...what would I gain from a BPW? If I were convinced that a BPW would offer benefits for the diving I do, and that outweigh the negatives, I would start using one. Why wouldn't I?
As an aside...I noticed that recently Halcyon is offering "improved" BPW stuff, to include quick adjustment shoulder straps, padded shoulder straps and a padded backplate. At the same time, some BCD companies are beginning to offer BCs that look more like BPWs, with padding removed, modular parts and wing, pocket and attachment options.
There was a time when I was a lot heavier than I am now and it was harder to get a BCD to fit right and I did considered a BPW because I figured could make it fit better. I also know and dive with people who have BPWs and are completely happy with them. There is nothing wrong with a BPW if it suits you. But it is not universally the best choice in my opinion, and worry that sometimes people come to Scubaboard for advice, are pushed to the BPW and find it a bad choice for them. That is a lot of money and a lot of work to end up with something you hate, and I am saddened to think people might lose their interest in diving because it isn't fun for them. For many people there is simply no ability to try out a BPW, or even look at one, before making a buying decision.
I don't care what dive gear other people enjoy and I like seeing different setups and talking about them with people, but I think it can be unfair to people looking for advice when many BPW enthusiasts recommend a BPW to everyone for every diving situation and don't mention any of the potential downsides or complications. THAT is my issue, not some inherent dislike of a BPW or the people who prefer them. I admit that I feel there are significant benefits to a back inflate over a wrap around BC, and haven't used one of those BCs since my dive certification, but once you are at back inflate, the differences are mostly in the harness design and that is pretty personal. Frankly, I am sure most of us could do fine with pretty much any buoyancy device that was available.
So, I have a question...why do BPW fans insist on calling back-inflate BCDs "jackets." How is a Stiletto or Hydros Pro or Outlaw or Biolite or Dimension any more a jacket than a BPW?
