Travel BCs budget $450

[halocline]

Is a bp/w setting usually require lesser lift capacity? 30lb will be a suitable choice?
- Another question about lift capacity, will water temp affect the need of lift capacity? (I mainly dive in hot/warm water, in 3mm wetsuit) ....
- back pad necessary? will metal back plate be uncomfortable?

Sorry for so many questions. (Clearly I am now turning my head to bp/w)

Sometimes a BP/W does require a little bit less lift because there is less inherent compressible buoyancy than with a typical padded jacket BC. So you need less compensation due to buoyancy loss at depth. But not much; in general many warm water divers dive with much more lift than they actually need.

Cold water means thicker wetsuit, which means more compressible material that loses buoyancy as depth increases. As such, you need more weight to get down, then more lift to compensate for the greater amount of lost buoyancy due to wetsuit compression.

Don't forget, every diver (except sidemount divers) already has a big metal cylinder on their back, the tank. Because the point of contact with the diver's back is only a thin line down the middle, there is very little stability, and when the tank does press against your back, it does so in an uncomfortable manner. The rigid plate spreads out the point of contact over a large portion of your back; this radically increases the stability and any pressure from the tank is spread out evenly. This is far more comfortable, to me anyhow, than the tank being fastened to the diver with soft material.

I realize a portion of scubaboard users get tired of hearing about the wonders of the BP/W and the horrors of the jacket BC. But, this is one of the few areas of scuba gear where it really makes a difference in diving enjoyment, and the general dive gear/recreational instruction industry has it dead wrong. A lot of scuba gear sales are based on hype and gimmickry. For example, regulators haven't really improved in decades despite multiple claims of new and improved wizardry.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

So now I got a few ideas:

- Nearly no doubt BP/W > jacket bc
- Less is more, dive lite dive right
- All metal back plate/ harness are durable and the only part may need replacement is the wing, servicing is not a big concern unless there is a manufacturing problem, right?

Few more questions
- Lift capacity does confuse me, as a newb, it seems to me bigger lift power is safer, which is probably not true.
but how can I know there is enough lifting power? My instructor told me a bc usually has ~30lb lift, but I see some guys using bp/w prefer ~18 lb.
Is a bp/w setting usually require lesser lift capacity? 30lb will be a suitable choice?
- Another question about lift capacity, will water temp affect the need of lift capacity? (I mainly dive in hot/warm water, in 3mm wetsuit)
- weight pocket necessary? or I can simply use a weight belt?
- back pad necessary? will metal back plate be uncomfortable?
- Every metal plate are nearly function the same, so what I consider is only the length (probably a shorter one for my wife)? What about soft plate?

Sorry for so many questions. (Clearly I am now turning my head to bp/w)

What are your goals long term? While I agree with what Victor said, but would like to add that if you start diving with twins (water temp doesn't matter), you need a bigger wing. Remember when it comes to weighting and lift of your BCD, the idea is to ensure that you can reach the surface. You don't want to shoot up like a missile being fired from a submarine.

 

[LUBOLD8431]

Besides looking at both weight and how small the BC packs down to, another (and maybe more important) consideration is the lift capacity of the BC. Looking at the Scubapro Litehawk it has a 56 lb lift capacity which is ridiculously large for tropical diving. The Zuma has a more realistic but still large capacity of 34 lb lift. Usually the more lift capacity a BC has the harder it is to vent.

The New Litehawk has 31 lbs of lift. Its a good option, and one I would consider.

 

[diversteve]

weight pocket necessary? or I can simply use a weight belt?

One thing you're sort of missing is that with a steel plate in warm water with a lightweight suit you may not need any additional weight. Part of the reason conventional BC's require weight belts/pockets is that you have to overcome the inherent buoyancy of the BC itself - that can be as much as 5-6 lbs. positive or more depending on the amount of material, foam padding, plastic etc. I would bet guess BC cummerbunds are about a lb. positive just by themselves.

Add in the full tank weight (which changes over the dive) on a steel plate with no padding and you may need no extra weight. One of the BP mfr's also sells a plate cover - it's just a thin fabric cover - for more comfort. I believe it could be DiveRite. If your plate is one that requires use of a STA - single tank adapter - sometimes there are different weight options for those also. Not all systems do need one. Halcyon for example sells a weighted 6lb. STA - the weight is removable. With it you might find that you could use an AL plate instead. However you're not going to touch "H" gear for $450 - more like double.

For reference, a standard Zeagle Steel Plate weighs 5lbs. - used since it was easy to find the weight online - I don't recommend them as I believe their wing mounting is proprietary. Not all wings work with all plates but a lot of them do.

 

[ronscuba]

So now I got a few ideas:

- Nearly no doubt BP/W > jacket bc
- Less is more, dive lite dive right
- All metal back plate/ harness are durable and the only part may need replacement is the wing, servicing is not a big concern unless there is a manufacturing problem, right?

Few more questions
- Lift capacity does confuse me, as a newb, it seems to me bigger lift power is safer, which is probably not true.
but how can I know there is enough lifting power? My instructor told me a bc usually has ~30lb lift, but I see some guys using bp/w prefer ~18 lb.
Is a bp/w setting usually require lesser lift capacity? 30lb will be a suitable choice?
- Another question about lift capacity, will water temp affect the need of lift capacity? (I mainly dive in hot/warm water, in 3mm wetsuit)
- weight pocket necessary? or I can simply use a weight belt?
- back pad necessary? will metal back plate be uncomfortable?
- Every metal plate are nearly function the same, so what I consider is only the length (probably a shorter one for my wife)? What about soft plate?

Sorry for so many questions. (Clearly I am now turning my head to bp/w)

YCC,

I know some have suggested buying from dive shops here in the US, but I wonder if they are factoring in the shipping costs.

Did a quick search for dive equipment shops in Hong Kong. Marina Dive and Diving Express list many BP/W and BCD manufacturers. Might be a good idea to make a visit. Bring your wife. She might choose a different setup from you.

 

[triode12]

I have the Aeris Jetpack. It is a nice concept, but I will tell you what I really dislike about it. The back of it is not stiff, so when your tank starts to empty, the bottom of your tank will start to lift up. I do not know if since Aeries is merged into Oceanic if they've fixed that problem. I would not recommend that BCD for that reason alone as it is really annoying and do you want to be distracted by your gear when you dive?

What I use for travel is the Xdeep Ghost (xDEEP - The GHOST - Lightweight single tank BCD; Traveler scuba jacket; diving equipment - though that is not the harness that I have for it). Yes, it is BP/W. I would recommend finding a shop with a pool that will let you try any of the BCD's you are interested in. That's how I picked this up as my travel BCD (from Bellevue Divers). The Ghost was my first BP/W and I've never felt more stable in the water. Super easy to adjust. While it is a harness, it has various clips, so it isn't all that much different from a jacket BCD in my opinion.

What am I going to do with the Aeris? Try to modify it to have a backup BCD or to provide to friends when diving in the Hood Canal in summer (when the surface temperature reaches the mid 70's). Selling it just doesn't seem worth it, as I don't expect to get much from it.

For my cold water setup, I have picked up the Xdeep Zeos, that I may take on my next dive trip, as I may be diving twins, but that is the only reason. I'll probably though swap out the BP from my Ghost for the sake of weight (and I'd be diving in my dry suit).

Hope this helps in some way to making the right decision for you.

There was another post somewhere else on scubaboard where an Oceanic dealer (who has dived with both versions of the jetpack) said that Oceanic have fixed the tank lifting issue with the Jetpack on the latest Oceanic branded version.

 

[ycc]

YCC,

I know some have suggested buying from dive shops here in the US, but I wonder if they are factoring in the shipping costs.

Did a quick search for dive equipment shops in Hong Kong. Marina Dive and Diving Express list many BP/W and BCD manufacturers. Might be a good idea to make a visit. Bring your wife. She might choose a different setup from you.

Ron, ya shipping cost is a factor, but still, a much better deal than buying locally.
(you can't imagine how amazed i was when I first go eBay)
I visited DE but not much appreciate with their sales
will go MD and hope that's better.

 

[victorzamora]

What are your goals long term? While I agree with what Victor said, but would like to add that if you start diving with twins (water temp doesn't matter), you need a bigger wing. Remember when it comes to weighting and lift of your BCD, the idea is to ensure that you can reach the surface. You don't want to shoot up like a missile being fired from a submarine.

I forgot to mention this, too. Do NOT buy a doubles wing for single tank diving. Don't buy a wing "that can do both." Buy a dedicated singles wing, and if you find yourself wanting to dive doubles (like Tech diving or Cave diving in the future)....but yourself a new wing. Once you get there, one wing won't be expensive.

One thing you're sort of missing is that with a steel plate in warm water with a lightweight suit you may not need any additional weight. Part of the reason conventional BC's require weight belts/pockets is that you have to overcome the inherent buoyancy of the BC itself - that can be as much as 5-6 lbs. positive or more depending on the amount of material, foam padding, plastic etc. I would bet guess BC cummerbunds are about a lb. positive just by themselves.

This is a good option. With a steel backplate, you might not need ANY weight in warm water. But, it's more weight in your bags. Some care, some don't. This is a very good point.

 

[olphart]

I was very happy with my Cressi Air Travel...$314 closeout price at LP. Very light, very packable. Their newer version is $439.

 

[ams511]

The New Litehawk has 31 lbs of lift. Its a good option, and one I would consider.

Frank, I recommend you contact whoever does Leisure Pro's website because the lift figures I quoted for the Litehawk were from that website.

---------- Post added April 30th, 2015 at 11:01 AM ----------

Ron, ya shipping cost is a factor, but still, a much better deal than buying locally.
(you can't imagine how amazed i was when I first go eBay)
I visited DE but not much appreciate with their sales
will go MD and hope that's better.

Some US stores will ship internationally for free depending on the size of the order. Of course you would need to pay any local taxes or duties. Even if you purchase from the US or Europe, I would recommend purchasing a wing or BC that has local dealers there. If you need some type of service it is better to have someone local. For example if you purchase a DSS Torus wing and it gets punctured then you would need to send the wing to DSS for a bladder replacement because the outer shell is sewn shut.