BCD recommendations please

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

Aqualung Zuma BCD, Under $500, rear inflation, integrated weight system, and perfect for traveling as it weights only 4.75 pounds!

The dive shop here in Winnipeg (Underworld Scuba and Sport 204-837-9047), has sold a number of these this fall. Nearly all to women because they like the way it feels.

I gave one a test ride in the pool, and it is very comfortable!
 
If you want a really well-performing system, tbone and decompression are right - BP&W is a great way to dive. Look at the number of dives they have when considering the value of their suggestions.

Sometimes, though, its less about performance and more about style, e.g., spoilers on 4-cyl cars. In that case most BCDs will function just fine. Or sometimes comfort and ease are paramount. Again, most BCDs will function just fine. BP&Ws are very comfortable if adjusted properly, but if not then they can be a pain as can any BDC.

Enjoy the diving.
 
I'm curious now, in the context of a Rec-only diver, why do people think a BP/W is preferable to a good quality back-inflate integrated BC, when you're talking about using a plastic/Kydex/Aluminum BP?

I use a steel BP and, in my mind, the main advantage is the weight of it. It takes weight off my belt or out of my trim pockets and distributes it pretty evenly around my back. That makes it easier to achieve good trim - or so it seems to me, anyway. It doesn't seem like it affects buoyancy - just trim. Proper buoyancy is having the right amount of weight and it doesn't matter what the weight is or how it's distributed, so I don't see an advantage to a BP/W for buoyancy - just trim. Is this correct?

So, if you use a BP/W setup that is just as light as an integrated BC, what is the real advantage to the BP/W? Again, this is for someone who is doing Rec diving only. There are obvious benefits for people who will be doing things like sometimes diving doubles or other Technical diving things. But, if a person is only going to do Rec dives while on warmwater vacations, is there really an advantage to a BP that is just as light as a good integrated BC?
 
There are many advantages of a backplate and weight is just one of them. Stability is another, the combination of a solid base and limited flex of 2" webbing provide a stable platform that will not flop around like many other bcds. Further, a one piece harness is lacking all the plastic quick releases that a) break and b) release. If a plastic buckle breaks on a regular bcd it's tough if not impossible to fix. On the continuous harness there is nothing to break and nothing to "release" unexpectedly. A big benefit is the crotch strap, some traditional bcds have them but few. The crotch strap keeps things in place and allows for further adjustment of the unit. The webbing allows infinite adjustment of D rings and accessories. I could go on but I think u get the idea.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You get a modular design so if the wing breaks you don't have to throw the whole thing away

It is also more versatile if you change your diving situations, go into doubles, or start carrying a deco/pony bottle

You get a crotch strap which is the single most important part of any harness. Many standard BC's don't have an option for mounting one

You get a better harness design overall

You get 2 cam bands, some BC's have option for 2 cam bands, but single cam bands are just not as stable

It retains resale value if you need to get out of the hobby

They last longer

They are generally built to a higher quality than normal BC's, especially the wing portion

keep going?
 
Zeagle express tech with zip touch pockets meets all your requirements
Add a couple of add-on pockets though...
You get a modular design so if the wing breaks you don't have to throw the whole thing away

It is also more versatile if you change your diving situations, go into doubles, or start carrying a deco/pony bottle

You get a crotch strap which is the single most important part of any harness. Many standard BC's don't have an option for mounting one

You get a better harness design overall

You get 2 cam bands, some BC's have option for 2 cam bands, but single cam bands are just not as stable

It retains resale value if you need to get out of the hobby

They last longer

They are generally built to a higher quality than normal BC's, especially the wing portion

keep going?
Except for the crotch strap - which I'd have to check on - that's the Express Tech. With one added bonus - it's a lot more comfortable. Added bonus for a female - no straps over the "girls"...

Let's be realistic - since the OP's wife specified a cummerbund, she's not going to like the hard straps on a BP/w much...
 
You get a crotch strap which is the single most important part of any harness. Many standard BC's don't have an option for mounting one

keep going?

I'll keep going for you!

With a properly adjusted BP&W the rig will not ride up (thanks to the crotch strap) which means on the surface you will be higher out of the water. When in the water the waist belt does little - your rig is held in place by the tension that is generated between your shoulder straps and crotch strap when you move your arms forward into the Superman flying position (as this elongates your torso, sort of).

I agree with you, diversteve. The OP is probably looking to get his wife something that is similar to what he dives. My post (above) was meant to indicate that while some are suggesting a BP&W-like setup, warm water rec divers don't need a BP&W. The potential failure points in a "jacket BC" exceed those of a BP&W setup but really, divers aren't dying in droves from failed buckles and accidentally-dropped easy to remove integrated weight systems.
 
or the Transpac, or the Travel/Voyagerpacs, or the Hunterpac, or a slew of others out there. One piece harnesses are quite comfortable for women, generally more so than they are for men.

I wouldn't say it's a lot more comfortable than a hard plate, especially if you are using exposure protection. With neoprene sleeves on the shoulder straps and a backpad, they are quite comfortable, and without the back pad, the tank makes the whole thing rigid anyway, so if you're comparing the harness, you can get Transplate, OMS comfort, and a slew of others that are the same as the ZET's harness, the tank makes the back rigid anyway, so the soft back is really moot.
 
There are many advantages of a backplate and weight is just one of them. Stability is another, the combination of a solid base and limited flex of 2" webbing provide a stable platform that will not flop around like many other bcds. Further, a one piece harness is lacking all the plastic quick releases that a) break and b) release. If a plastic buckle breaks on a regular bcd it's tough if not impossible to fix. On the continuous harness there is nothing to break and nothing to "release" unexpectedly. A big benefit is the crotch strap, some traditional bcds have them but few. The crotch strap keeps things in place and allows for further adjustment of the unit. The webbing allows infinite adjustment of D rings and accessories. I could go on but I think u get the idea.

Hmmmm....

I've been using backpacks and motorcycle gear for many years that have those same kind of quick release plastic buckles. And in a lot harsher environments than floating around in the water (I.e. Rec diving). Breaking or releasing accidentally have been negligible concerns. I could definitely see how you could break one while, say, on a boat, by accidentally setting a tank down on one or something like that. But, that still doesn't seem to be a major concern. And it's not a concern for happening during a dive (i.e. not really a safety concern).

Plus, the ones I have actually looked at, if they broke, a trip to REI for a new buckle and a visit to someone with a sewing machine would have it fixed, quick and easy. Though, obviously, not ideal if it happens during a dive trip. OTOH, for most Rec divers, that would just mean renting a BC for the remainder, right? $5/day or so?

My examination of my BP/W rig leads me to suspect that the waist buckle could come undone much more easily than a typical Velcro and plastic quick release buckle arrangement on a "normal" integrated BC. I mean, it wouldn't take much at all for something to catch the end of the belt that goes through the buckle and pull it in such a way that it comes out of the keeper that holds the loose end and also flips the buckle open. And once the buckle is open, the belt and crotch strap are free to all come right apart. Maybe I just have mine rigged wrong... ?

As for stability, I can easily see how a BC could be designed to not hold the tank in a solid, stable way, but can't a good quality (design) integrated BC (which I stipulated earlier) hold a tank with just as much stability as a plastic or Kydex hybrid back plate?

As for the crotch strap, well, maybe I have that rigged wrong, too. But, from what I read, it's not supposed to be pulled up tight into the crotch. This says it should be "fairly loose" and that it should be an inch longer than what it takes to reach the waist strap:

http://dir-diver.com/en/equipment/backplate_adjustment.html

I have mine adjusted like this. I've done 6 dives with it and I've never noticed that it has pulled the slack out of the crotch strap (i.e. pulled it tight against the waist belt). So, it seems like it's kind of a safety feature, I guess, but normally never doing anything - at least for my limited use of it so far. I don't have a huge belly, but I do have enough of one that, when I did all my training in an integrated BC, I was always pretty confident that there was no way it would ride up on me. But, I could see someone with no belly, or a woman with "womanly" hips and a flat stomach having trouble with a rig sliding up if it didn't have a crotch strap. So, not that it's useless, but is it really a "big benefit"? And for everyone? Or useless for some and a big benefit for others, mostly depending on personal body build?


Anyway, please don't take any of this the wrong way. I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm just trying to sort out what things are really true advantages of a BP/W (specifically, one that weighs the same as an integrated BC) versus what things are just the "fluff" that many BP/W admirers throw out there as advantages that don't really hold up to be true advantages when considered thoroughly.

I definitely DO like how easy it is to add D rings and keepers to my BPW rig anywhere I want (though I haven't actually added any yet, but I do have some to go on when I decide what exactly I want to use them for).

OTOH, I DON'T like how much harder it is to adjust the fit of my BP/W versus the integrated BCs I have used. Not that it's that difficult, but it definitely is not AS easy an integrated BC. For example, I cannot adjust the shoulder straps without taking the whole thing off. Mine's a Deep Sea Supply - maybe others are different.

And I don't like how my shoulder straps come over my shoulders and almost immediately wrap around and under my arms. I don't have any dive lights yet, but I'm looking at them. If I get some and wanted to put a backup light on one of the shoulder straps, it would end up being just below my armpit and I'm not convinced I could get at it easily with either hand. I am seriously considering getting some of those funky 5-sided "D" rings to modify the shoulder straps with and add a sternum strap. And this didn't seem like it would be an issue on the integrated BCs I've used. Heck, the shoulder strap D rings are so far "outboard" on my body that even they are a bit difficult to reach in order for me to snap anything onto using the hand on the same side - and it doesn't matter what height I put them at. They are positioned as shown on the DIR site. My physique is just such that my shoulders slope down from my neck to the actual joint, so shoulder straps end up way out on either side. The sternum strap deal would probably help with that, too.

---------- Post added December 30th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ----------

When in the water the waist belt does little - your rig is held in place by the tension that is generated between your shoulder straps and crotch strap when you move your arms forward into the Superman flying position (as this elongates your torso, sort of).

So far, when I've dived with mine, I generally hook my thumbs into my waist belt to keep my hands out of the way. Am I supposed to keep them out in front of me?

And anyway, the waist belt (and shoulder straps) seems to be what keeps me and the rig together, whether I'm horizontal or horizontal but facing up (as when I was laying on the bottom and watching my g/f and our DM descend) or any other position. I would not think that proper adjustment would require my arms to be extended (i.e. Superman) in order for my rig to be firmly and stably mounted on my back. I would expect it to be stable and stay in place no matter what I'm doing with my arms or legs. Am I not doing something right?
 
Add a couple of add-on pockets though...
Except for the crotch strap - which I'd have to check on - that's the Express Tech. With one added bonus - it's a lot more comfortable. Added bonus for a female - no straps over the "girls"...

Let's be realistic - since the OP's wife specified a cummerbund, she's not going to like the hard straps on a BP/w much...
You can put a crotch strap on the Express Tech, I have one on mine. Zeagle sells it for like $12 or something. You can use any kind you want though as long as it uses 2" webbing.
 

Back
Top Bottom