About to buy a jacket - advice needed.

[Dinomyte]

Hey fellow divers,

as I slowly get my equipment together, questions arise obviously. We are going to Japan this April and want to bring as much equipment as possible.
The thing is, the web spams me with the Scuba Pro Hydros Pro. And honestly, it looks very cool ( I know the optics are not really a thing to decide over haha )
but the features do not sound bad as well.
Being able to take the weight pockets off for traveling, high comfort etc.
On the Con side theres obviously the price and Im not super sure about the material since its some sort of rubber, I guess it may become brittle at some point? Also it is not that modular in terms of replacing damaged parts.
I read through mutliple threads. Either people hate or love it.

My girlfriend and I tried out wing jackets in a 10m pool and really loved it. We both have "just" 25 logged dives so yes, a Wing jacket is early but we dont want to get a regular jacket and then upgrade in a year or so.

What we definetly dont want in the next couple of years is technical diving. So we'd be fine with just one tank. The only thing we would do at some point is the AOWD but thats it in regards of depth.

Any feedback if you have a SP Hydros Pro or any other brands I should look into is more than welcome.

 

[David Novo]

We both have "just" 25 logged dives so yes, a Wing jacket is early but we dont want to get a regular jacket and then upgrade in a year or so.

What we definetly dont want in the next couple of years is technical diving. So we'd be fine with just one tank. The only thing we would do at some point is the AOWD but thats it in regards of depth.

It never is too early for a backplate wing setup. I changed at 50 dives and would rather have started with it. I do not tech dive.
Being based in Europe, I would look at Tecline single-tank wings and backplates.

 

[Zef]

We are a family of 4 who all started with jacket style BCDs but have all converted to backplate and wing style.

The hydros pro is is a decent piece of kit, but it is also an expensive piece of kit. If you do some research, you will find there are those that absolutely love it, those that hate it, and those that think it is meh.

The standard response on ScubaBoard for "Which BCD should one get?" seems to be "get a backplate and wing". While my family uses this style, in your case I don't make the recommendation for it from the typical standpoint; instead I offer the following advice:

If you start with a backplate and wing (look at packages from Dive Gear Express), you can purchase a setup less money than the Hydros Pro. If the backplate setup meets your expectations then you now have saved some money on gear, if it doesn't meet your expectations, you could reinvest in something different with a little more experience behind you, perhaps at that time the Hydros Pro still looks like a good candidate, or perhaps not. But if you start with the Hydros Pro, and it doesn't meet expectations, you will have spent a lot of money that you might not recoup, and still need to invest in something else.

Good luck with whatever you decide to purchase/dive.

-Z

 

[David Novo]

We are a family of 4 who all started with jacket style BCDs but have all converted to backplate and wing style.

The hydros pro is is a decent piece of kit, but it is also an expensive piece of kit. If you do some research, you will find there are those that absolutely love it, those that hate it, and those that think it is meh.

The standard response on ScubaBoard for "Which BCD should one get?" seems to be "get a backplate and wing". While my family uses this style, I don't make the recommendation for it from the typical standpoint; instead I offer the following advice:

If you start with a backplate and wing (look at packages from Dive Gear Express), you can purchase a setup less money than the Hydros Pro. If the backplate setup meets your expectations then you now have saved some money on gear, if it doesn't meet your expectations, you could reinvest in something different with a little more experience behind you, perhaps at that time the Hydros Pro still looks like a good candidate, or perhaps not. But if you start with the Hydros Pro, and it doesn't meet expectations, you will have spent a lot of money that you might not recoup, and still need to invest in something else.

Good luck with whatever you decide to purchase/dive.

-Z

Dive Gear Express is expensive for an European.

 

[lexvil]

Hydros pro is an excellent choice but it can be expensive, I have one and really like it but I mostly dive a backplate/wing in the local cold water.

 

[Dinomyte]

So here may come a very stupid question. Isnt the Hydros Pro also a backplate/wing? Thats at least what I googled and the Hydros came out. But I'll look into the other things. Thanks so far

 

[THPetya]

I was also a BCD diver in the beginning. My good buddy said once.....try my wing. Thats a whole new world. If you can or somebody can configure your setup that would be 100times better than a single bcd. I reccoment Halcyon or Tecline. You can buy setups for travel and they are very durable.
Wish you good dives have fun

 

[lexvil]

So here may come a very stupid question. Isnt the Hydros Pro also a backplate/wing? Thats at least what I googled and the Hydros came out. But I'll look into the other things. Thanks so far

It’s a back inflated b/c not a jacket b/c, this mostly means it will dive like a bp/w and while it’s “sort of” modular it isn’t, in practice, anything like a plate/wing that can be made up from many sources as opposed to proprietary parts. I think there is a close by company to you, tech line (?) that may help with understanding the difference.

 

[KenE]

I found the D rings on the Hydros to be relatively small, in cold water with bulky gloves you want a big target. I currently dive a jacket and switching to a bp/w for next upgrade. Looked at the hydros because a friend has one. Was not that impressed for the cost. The modular bp/w can be assembled for much less money and modified to fit the individual needs. Don't assume the bp/w is for technical divers. Many purely recreational divers use them for a reason. They are customizable to the diver without high expense. If you get a hydros you are stuck with SP pricing for all upgrades. With a bp/w there are many suppliers which helps keep the costs competitive.

 

[gmerick]

One factor for divers that are less comfortable in the water, or less experienced. A jacket style BCD with an air bladder that wraps around to the front is better at floating a diver head-up at the surface. A back inflate or wing tends to float face down, and requires some intentional effort to stay vertical or head-up when that is needed.