About to buy a jacket - advice needed.
- Thread starter Dinomyte
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And almost universally, letting just a little gas out of the wing or back inflate BCD cleans that up as well. At the surface, you rarely need to inflate to the point of forcing gas out the dump valve.
Thats exactly the reason why I tried out a wing last weekend. I heard of that but couldnt really estimate how it really feels. I didnt have any problems with being pushed faceing forward in the water again. I really needed to stay super still to see the effect lol I just keep my legs angled like if I was sitting on a chair and nothing happens. :-D but you guys definetly convinced me going towards something like TechLine.
Just need to get into all the smaller things now. Whats the difference between for example the asymmetrical and symmetrical wing? I mean is obvious but whats the advantage of each one?
The different styles of backplates I can research on my own.
The less gas in your wing, the less the shape matters. The less extra weight you're carrying, the less gas in your wing. I'm not a big fan of using wing shape to try to fix trim underwater, as the amount of gas in your wing will vary, and if the wing shape forces more of it front or back, you'll start getting wierd changes in trim throughout the dive.
That said, a traditional donut shaped 30lb wing (sorry about the freedom units) will do the trick for just about any single tank configuration, whether you're wearing a rash guard in the tropics or a drysuit in a cold freshwater lake.
You're probably seeing those "peanut" shaped tecline wings and wondering whether that's a pro or con? I've never dove one, but my gut says you wouldn't be able to tell the difference one way or another between one of those and one of their traditionally shaped donut wings. Its tough to market a gas bag, so companies do what they can to try to differentiate, even if at the end of the day its just a bag of gas with an inflator and a dump valve.
Pretty much a backplate is a backplate other than material and weight. Many of the brands of backplate are literally the exact same size shape and weight. There can be some little differences, like whether the backplate and wing were designed for a single tank adapter or if there are cam band slots in the wing and either ridges in the plate or rods in the wing to keep it a little more steady and the tank and wing just use cam bands. Maybe do a little reading "single tank adapters" if you want to dig into some specifics. With or without is definitely a personal preference thing. Cheaper backplates can have some edges on the harness slots, and rip up the harness a little quicker. Better built (more expesive) backplates will have nice rounded edges machined into the slots, which I can certainly appreciate.
Some backplates, like an xdeep zen for instance, can a bit different from the norm, like configured for a Y shaped crotch strap rather than the single strap up the middle. Again, unless you're getting into very specific technical standardized team diving, another one of those personal preference things with no wrong answers.
The weight of the plate isn't quite as cut and dry of a decision as you might expect. Yes, in general terms, you wear a heavier plate when you're wearing heavier exposure protection (Drysuit or 7mm) so you have to add less lead, and you would use a lighter plate when you're using less exposure protection (rashguard or 3mm) so you're not overweighted.
When people say travel plate, it could actually mean one of two things:
1) Weight restrictions and convience - make this gear as light as possible to carry when I'm not actually diving, keeping under a airline weight restriction - this is pretty typical, as any dive boat or resort is going to have lead for you
2) Diving a warm saltwater reef on vacation when you're diving freshwater back home - a heavier stainless backplate might just mean you can avoid wearing a weightbelt on vacation, thats not so bad either if the extra 6 pounds isn't a deal breaker (saltwater makes you more bouyant than freshwater, requiring added weight for any given exposure and gear configuration)
landphil
Registered
The hydros pro is a really nice BC, but very expensive. I dove one from the first year they were introduced to about a year ago, when I started diving a backplate/wing. I had to switch cause I finally moved from a 9mm wetsuit to a drysuit and couldn’t get a weight distribution on the hydros that didn’t have my fins dragging on the bottom.
Some pros of the hydros- it is pretty durable (outside of the 1st gen shoulder straps that all got replaced under warranty). It gets pretty compact for travel, while still working as your daily driver BC. The monoprene is comfy and keeps everything from shifting around. It dives like every other back inflate.
Some cons- expensive (but they do keep pretty good resale value), the D-rings are tiny, and for some reason they tend to be way too high on the women’s version. Also, the pockets scubapro sells for the hydros are all useless junk. They are too small and nearly impossible to close with gloves on. I wish I had more hate for the hydros; since I don’t dive it anymore. But it’s not scubapro’s fault that I’m leg-heavy and dive a drysuit that doesn’t get much air in the legs.
A backplate & wing will definitely be a better value. And if you’re a cold water diver, it should dive better than the hydros. The main trade off is that BPW setups are more like a DIY kit, where you need to move parts around until everything fits and all of the rings end up where you can reach them. You don’t just throw it on and tighten the straps. The modularity and adjustability can all be a bit daunting if you don’t have some experienced help or the appetite to mess with it until it’s dialed in.
You definitely save a bunch of money going with a backplate & wing over a hydros- and since they are both back inflate wings, they’ll dive pretty similarly. Ignoring price (nobody in the US would ever buy scubapro if it was only about the cost), if you’re going to be diving cold water, go with a BPW- it’s tons easier to trim yourself out with backplate weight instead of pocket weight., but also figure out who’s going to help you set it up. If you’re only going to do tropical dives and never want to mess with your gear, the hydros is a great choice.
Some pros of the hydros- it is pretty durable (outside of the 1st gen shoulder straps that all got replaced under warranty). It gets pretty compact for travel, while still working as your daily driver BC. The monoprene is comfy and keeps everything from shifting around. It dives like every other back inflate.
Some cons- expensive (but they do keep pretty good resale value), the D-rings are tiny, and for some reason they tend to be way too high on the women’s version. Also, the pockets scubapro sells for the hydros are all useless junk. They are too small and nearly impossible to close with gloves on. I wish I had more hate for the hydros; since I don’t dive it anymore. But it’s not scubapro’s fault that I’m leg-heavy and dive a drysuit that doesn’t get much air in the legs.
A backplate & wing will definitely be a better value. And if you’re a cold water diver, it should dive better than the hydros. The main trade off is that BPW setups are more like a DIY kit, where you need to move parts around until everything fits and all of the rings end up where you can reach them. You don’t just throw it on and tighten the straps. The modularity and adjustability can all be a bit daunting if you don’t have some experienced help or the appetite to mess with it until it’s dialed in.
You definitely save a bunch of money going with a backplate & wing over a hydros- and since they are both back inflate wings, they’ll dive pretty similarly. Ignoring price (nobody in the US would ever buy scubapro if it was only about the cost), if you’re going to be diving cold water, go with a BPW- it’s tons easier to trim yourself out with backplate weight instead of pocket weight., but also figure out who’s going to help you set it up. If you’re only going to do tropical dives and never want to mess with your gear, the hydros is a great choice.
It feels like I really have more questions now with my thread haha
Are there any other brands beside xDeep or TechLine? I mean, probably but since I only read about these 2, I should stay with these 2.
Now.. Single or Dual Bladder? How much Volume? This might be a question where more info about myself is necessary.
So, we ( my girlfriend and I ) will probably dive more in other countries. We have been on Mallorca numerous times and Japan in 4 months as said. Here in Germany those lakes dont really appeal us tbh. Mostly for courses
Are there any other brands beside xDeep or TechLine? I mean, probably but since I only read about these 2, I should stay with these 2.
Now.. Single or Dual Bladder? How much Volume? This might be a question where more info about myself is necessary.
So, we ( my girlfriend and I ) will probably dive more in other countries. We have been on Mallorca numerous times and Japan in 4 months as said. Here in Germany those lakes dont really appeal us tbh. Mostly for courses
Gandalf-the-Diver
Contributor
I have only used 1 BCD my entire diving life, and that is a Hydros Pro. I did my OW using it and am so glad I chose that as my BCD. To make it more palatable though, I bought a used one, so much cheaper than new. I actually purchased, the owner of my chosen LDS own personal BCD. That was 4.5 yrs ago, and I now have over 400 dives on it. Love it, however I would recommend using soft lead, not hard, in the weight pockets. Not going to be diving with doubles, the Hydros will probably be the only BCD I ever buy. 100% of my diving is in temperate waters, drysuit only.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.
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