cstreu1026
Contributor
Anyone have an opinion on the Atmos XT BC? I tired one on at a local dive shop and I love the way it feels. Has anyone seen these online? They are few and far between on ebay and quite pricey at the LDS.
Aeris Atmos XT
- Thread starter cstreu1026
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I bought one from my LDS but it was a medium and it turned out to be too big, so I don't have that much experience with it. He didn't have any smalls in stock so I bought a different one instead. He had a closeout price of 275+tax on it which was a pretty good deal.
Now that I've had my Aeris XT BC for a couple of years, I thought I'd put up a "mini-review" of what I think of it.
PROS
- good lift (almost 50 pounds).
- interesting design: hybrid of back & side inflation.
- lots of ways to customize the fit.
- several dump valves for ease of purging.
- comfort. VERY comfortable BC in any orientation. When fully inflated on the surface it holds you securly, but not too tightly so you can't breathe.
- lots of D rings.
CONS
- although it does have a bit of wrap around like a jacket BC, it is predominantly a back inflation unit. Therefore it can tend to push you forward while inflated on the surface unless you compensate for it by leaning back a bit.
- the velcro holding the LPI hose is too low. It's a long hose & to dump it you really need to be able to get it up high. But you can't do that with where they have the velcro holder sitting. So I wind up dumping air either by pulling on the hose or using the dump valve on the right shoulder.
- pockets not big enough or enough of them. Since I dive with a steel HP tank if I was to use the intergrated weight pockets the whole assembled unit would be far to heavy to get up & on. So I went back to my wt belt. However, that still leaves the problem of there not being enough pockets & they are not large enough to put much in. I can barely get my backup UK SL4 light in one pocket.
There it is, in a nutshell! I'll leave you to decide whether or not you'd like to try this bc.
~SubMariner~
PROS
- good lift (almost 50 pounds).
- interesting design: hybrid of back & side inflation.
- lots of ways to customize the fit.
- several dump valves for ease of purging.
- comfort. VERY comfortable BC in any orientation. When fully inflated on the surface it holds you securly, but not too tightly so you can't breathe.
- lots of D rings.
CONS
- although it does have a bit of wrap around like a jacket BC, it is predominantly a back inflation unit. Therefore it can tend to push you forward while inflated on the surface unless you compensate for it by leaning back a bit.
- the velcro holding the LPI hose is too low. It's a long hose & to dump it you really need to be able to get it up high. But you can't do that with where they have the velcro holder sitting. So I wind up dumping air either by pulling on the hose or using the dump valve on the right shoulder.
- pockets not big enough or enough of them. Since I dive with a steel HP tank if I was to use the intergrated weight pockets the whole assembled unit would be far to heavy to get up & on. So I went back to my wt belt. However, that still leaves the problem of there not being enough pockets & they are not large enough to put much in. I can barely get my backup UK SL4 light in one pocket.
There it is, in a nutshell! I'll leave you to decide whether or not you'd like to try this bc.
~SubMariner~
I too dive in an xt I have found by putting a couple of pounds in the rear trim pockets it stops the face down position, overall a very comfortable BCD. I do not use the dump on the inflator hose I rather like the right shoulder dump. I just got an Oceanic chute 2 so am going to give it a try.
I was just flipping through my new divers direct catalog and since I'm kinda in the market for a new BC the Aeris Atmos XT caught my eye. It looks like a really simple but nice bc; simple weight intergration, back inflation, rear non ditchable weight pockets, decent ammount of lift at 30 lb etc. Has anyone had any good or bad experiences with this bc?
DC-Loudsound
Guest
Im interested in purchasing the Aeris Atmos XT BC. Id like to hear from divers that have some experience with this BC. Any comments, good or bad are more than welcome. Thanks in advance for your responses.
Dean
Dean
ScubaRon
Contributor
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I tried one on in a dive store and it felt good until I inflated it: the airbag is not 3 dimensional and actually pushed against my shoulderblades. It was very uncomfortable. Before buying one I recommend you try one on and inflate it (as you should any BC before buying).
Pros
- good lift (almost 50 pounds).
- interesting design: hybrid of back & side inflation.
- lots of ways to customize the fit.
- several dump valves for ease of purging.
- comfort. VERY comfortable BC in any orientation. When fully inflated on the surface it holds you securly, but not too tightly so you can't breathe.
Cons
- although it does have a bit of wrap around like a jacket BC, it is predominantly a back inflation unit. Therefore it can tend to push you forward while inflated on the surface unless you compensate for it by leaning back a bit.
- the velcro holding the hose is too low. It's a long hose & to dump it you really need to be able to get it up high. But you can't do that with where they have the velcro holder sitting. So I wind up dumping air either by pulling on the hose or using the dump valve on the right shoulder.
- pockets not big enough or enough of them. Since I dive with a steel HP tank if I was to use the intergrated weight pockets the whole assembled unit would be far to heavy to get up & on. So I went back to my wt belt. However, that still leaves the problem of there not being enough pockets & they are not large enough to put much in. I can barely get my backup UK SL4 light in one pocket!
Just my $0.02s worth,
- good lift (almost 50 pounds).
- interesting design: hybrid of back & side inflation.
- lots of ways to customize the fit.
- several dump valves for ease of purging.
- comfort. VERY comfortable BC in any orientation. When fully inflated on the surface it holds you securly, but not too tightly so you can't breathe.
Cons
- although it does have a bit of wrap around like a jacket BC, it is predominantly a back inflation unit. Therefore it can tend to push you forward while inflated on the surface unless you compensate for it by leaning back a bit.
- the velcro holding the hose is too low. It's a long hose & to dump it you really need to be able to get it up high. But you can't do that with where they have the velcro holder sitting. So I wind up dumping air either by pulling on the hose or using the dump valve on the right shoulder.
- pockets not big enough or enough of them. Since I dive with a steel HP tank if I was to use the intergrated weight pockets the whole assembled unit would be far to heavy to get up & on. So I went back to my wt belt. However, that still leaves the problem of there not being enough pockets & they are not large enough to put much in. I can barely get my backup UK SL4 light in one pocket!
Just my $0.02s worth,
I agree with a lot of what SubMariner writes. I do like mine. As I seldom use pockets that is not an issue for me. The trim and balance is good, the comfort and adjustability also good.
The down side is make sure you are getting the NEW version! You can tell the old version as it had velcro wt. pockets. The problem with the older style is that the tank support cracks. This is the only thing that the camband goes through. After lots of problems Aeris changed the design and also added a weight pocket clip. I had a tank nearly break free after a backroll entry from a high sided boat. Aeris did replace the BC (before new style), but I since replaced the tank support with a metal STA and dual cambands.
____________
D.C.C.
The down side is make sure you are getting the NEW version! You can tell the old version as it had velcro wt. pockets. The problem with the older style is that the tank support cracks. This is the only thing that the camband goes through. After lots of problems Aeris changed the design and also added a weight pocket clip. I had a tank nearly break free after a backroll entry from a high sided boat. Aeris did replace the BC (before new style), but I since replaced the tank support with a metal STA and dual cambands.
____________
D.C.C.
I've only got a handfull of dives in it... but I like the way it feels... very comfortable... Probably true you get more squeeze if you totaly inflate it vs. say my ranger... but who totally inflates their bc??
As far as the pockets... I really don't use pockets that much, and actually, the attached pocket is probably easier to use than most other BCs because it doesn't get squeezed closed by the inflation of the BC. Some BC's, you put something in the pocket, inflate the BC all the way, and you can't get it out... The add on style of this pocket removes that problem.
The other thing is Aeris is top notch customer service... We've sold a bunch of these - with no problems - but as BuoyantC pointed out - they do take care of problems if one occurs. We've gotten great service from them with other items...
As far as the pockets... I really don't use pockets that much, and actually, the attached pocket is probably easier to use than most other BCs because it doesn't get squeezed closed by the inflation of the BC. Some BC's, you put something in the pocket, inflate the BC all the way, and you can't get it out... The add on style of this pocket removes that problem.
The other thing is Aeris is top notch customer service... We've sold a bunch of these - with no problems - but as BuoyantC pointed out - they do take care of problems if one occurs. We've gotten great service from them with other items...
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