Which BC should I get

[Dirtdevil]

Best advice someone gave me when I was in your shoes divewise: Figure out what you want to dive (wreck, sidemount, pure rec, etc), figure out what you want to carry (nothing other than regs and spg, lights out the wazoo, a set of doubles and 2 sidemounts, etc), try a whole bunch of different ones geared for that, then decide. Otherwise, you're gonna end up losing money buying and selling used gear.

I've got a , what I would say, a mental problem. I like doing everything! Lol. But I must say wrecks and caves have quite an appeal so far. I am in the process of getting certified and no I've not done them yet. Lol. I also would like an option of going single, double, or side mount depending on the suituation. Is there a rig that can accommodate to that? Would be nice if there was a 'one size fits all' kinda approach.


DD

 

[Dirtdevil]

Halcyon pops up because they were the first company that really popularized them. There's nothing particularly special about them.

If you want to minimize weight, get an Al or resin plate.

Yeah I guess your right!


DD

 

[jonnythan]

A single backplate and harness can do all that, but you will need a different wing for each.

The big advantage is that it's only the wing that changes. The rest of your gear config stays the same no matter what tanks you carry.

 

[Dirtdevil]

A single backplate and harness can do all that, but you will need a different wing for each.

The big advantage is that it's only the wing that changes. The rest of your gear config stays the same no matter what tanks you carry.

But that's still perfect! So all I really need to get is a good harness or something I'm comfortable with, set it up to me, never have to adjust everything all over again and swap wings when I need yes? I hope the wings are not pricy though.


DD

 

[danvolker]

A big issue for cold water diving, is choosing the right combination of gear.....While you might "get away" with a thick wet suit for Shallow dives, matched to a very heavy 120 or 130 cu foot tank and maybe even more weight....this is only "ok" for shallow.....not really OK...it just wont by itself be catastrophic. In deep water, the thick wetsuit loses bouyancy, and then the heavy tank is a real problem. This is why a dry suit is a much better solution for cold water diving, than is a thick wetsuit....that and the dry suit is much warmer

With the dry suit, you don't have the huge buoyancy shift that occurs with a thick wet suit as you go deeper, and all the major buoyancy and trim issues this will create for the diver. Also, a 30 pound wing is all the lift you would ever want for this...On the other hand, we hear about divers in cold water that don't want to spend the money on a dry suit, and who got some "deal" on a thick wetsuit. They typically are then talked into very heavy monster tanks like a 120 or 130, and then plenty of weight on their belt in addition....This diver is then even further screwed up, by being sold a huge monster wing or BC that could lift a sunken boat....they decide they need this if they get deep, and lose the buoyancy of the suit to depth, finding themselves horrendously overweighted. This results in a high drag, slow moving diver, that sucks a lot of air because of all the work they have to do moving the huge BC around. With all the weight imbalances, many divers like this find it almost impossible to swim horizontal ( slick way to move through the water), and end up swimming head up, feet down in more of a 45 degree angle--pushing a huge bow wave. They go even slower from this, and use up even more air with the extra work. Then they are talked into double 120's or double 130's, because they just don't get enough bottom time. Then they have to buy a doubles wing or BC, along with another regulator and the manifold for the 2 larger tanks they just bought. With all of this new kit on, they are even slower, working harder, and diving becomes less fun. Suddenly Golf looks like a fun pastime, and the dive gear is up for sale.
Dont go the thick wetsuit route and end up playing Golf......Buy the bp/wing with the 30 pound wing, a drysuit, and either an al 80 or a 100 cu foot single tank. We talk about diving here on scubaboard, not golf

 

[Dirtdevil]

Hahah!! Thanks Dan! For the laugh too! I don't think I'll be dive much in cold water and will probably rent stuff if I want to


DD

 

[TannerBrandon]

Go for Dive Rite. Its great for traveling

 

[RonFrank]

After zero dives you are now convinced you need a BP and that you are going to dive caves? Maybe you should get certified first to see if you like diving?

I would get a used Zeagle Ranger on the cheap (around $125-$250 used). If your still diving after 100 dives you will have a better idea of what you want. Halcyon is overpriced. I guess it costs big bucks to put a blue H on the harness!

There are a ton of BP/W manufactures so do more homework. Asking the BP/W Zealots on SB what is best is a predictable game. DiveRite, OxyCheq, OMS, DSS, ect. all makes good stuff but for Warm Water diving its hard to beat a Zeagle BC. I use Zeagle Stiletto for warm water, and a BP/W for cold water. The reason for the BP/W is 12lbs of weight on my back/off my belt. It has more to do with weight distribution than anything else. If you are diving warm water than a BP/W is pointless. Wearing a weight belt is a PITA (which is required with a BP/W). I like the back inflate Zeagle. They also do made in the USA regs.

 

[elan]

I dived different BCs with single tanks and I dive bp/w with doubles. Im not convinced that bp/w is the hammer for all nails. If I did single tank recreational dives in warm water I would not go with a bp/w but get a light backinflate. But Im very opionated as I dive bp/ w 95% of the time in cold water.
I would not look at cost saving factor due to modularity of the bp/w setup. Wings cost 2/3 of the setup and you will likely end up with 2 plates anyways.
At the end I think what bcd to dive largely depends on the conditions and it is not the most important thing at least in recreational diving imho. Your training and mindset are far more important.

 

[diversteve]

Some of us may be missing the point that the OP lives in Singapore...so some of the suggestions may mean buying gear from a U.S. mfr. with no presence there.

While a BP/W might be a good option, it will be helpful to find a local dealer who can set it up/support it when/after you get it. IDK which BP/W mfr's have an international presence but my guess would be Halcyon, OMS or ???

Or any other BC for that matter. Most larger scuba mfr's make a warm water travel BC also - some to look at:

Aqualung Zuma
Cressi Air Travel
ScubaPro Litehawk
Zeagle Express Tech or Wicked Lite

there's others also.

The Express Tech will also mount doubles (not as well as a hard backplate though) if that's a future consideration.