Back Inflate BC vs. BP/W

[utdivermatt]

I know that many people here have both Back Inflate BC's and BP/W, and I know everyone with the wing setup will tell me to get it no matter what, but I was wondering what the main differences are in all reality? I am looking at a Seaquest Balance, and while I have yet to see a BP/W in person it seems pretty similar from what I hear. Is this wrong? Does it have many similar capabilites? Thanks again for the advice in advance.

 

[Don Burke]

I know that many people here have both Back Inflate BC's and BP/W, and I know everyone with the wing setup will tell me to get it no matter what, but I was wondering what the main differences are in all reality? I am looking at a Seaquest Balance, and while I have yet to see a BP/W in person it seems pretty similar from what I hear. Is this wrong?

To be precise, yes.

Does it have many similar capabilites?

They both inflate in the back and the back inflate may have the capablity to use doubled tanks.

Thanks again for the advice in advance.

One significant difference is the capability to mix and match parts. If you have two wings of different capabilities and two different backplates, that is four possible setups. Add another wing and it goes to six.
Some will put two wings on at once for redundancy. That brings the possible configuration count to twelve (in practice less since not all combinations work).

With a BP/W, replacing the harness is pretty simple and cheap. That may or may not be true of a back inflate.

 

[dherbman]

Trim, fit and clutter. I've got a Black Diamond, top of the line rear inflate BCD and will soon be transitioning back to BP/W for these reasons.

 

[M_Bipartitus]

I don't have much experience with the Balance, but the main advantage of BP/W over normal BC setups is simplicity, low risk of failure, and trim. The simplicity comes from having, in the extreme case, only one piece of webbing. The Balance likely has numerous parts sewn together and stuff hanging off. The low risk of failure comes from having only that one piece of webbing that is continuous. No seams to come undone, no plastic connectors to break. The trim element comes mostly from having a plate of metal on your back. Asside from extra pockets, This is best achieved by adding the metal plate and if your getting the plate anyway why not go BP/W?

That being said, keep in mind that if you are not doing tech diving, or not diving a lot, it is unlikely that these should be a big concern. For recreational diving most of these points are not a major concern. The issue of trim is the only item a recreational diver should need to consider and that is more dependent on you and your gear / body than the comments of others.

 

[midwestdvr]

I have both a BP/W and a back inflate.

My back inflate (BI) BC is a Sherwood freedom. I like and I very much prefered it over jacket style BC. Main advantage I found was that it didn't have any squeeze even when fully inflated. I had more of a tendency to stay horizontal during my dives. It does have a tendency to float you face down on top of the water but just lean back and that becomes a non-issue. With proper weight distribution on the BI, you can probably achieve reasonable trim but I never tried it. What I don't like about it is that it was bulky to pack. As I fly pretty much to places when I go diving, I found that to be a negative. Always hated packing the thing. Also, I hated it when it started to shift underwater.

I currently own a DSS single rig BP/W with a hog harness. You can get it with a pro-fit harness if you have some flexibiltiy issues. I love this thing. It is easier to achieve a horizontal position underwater which will probably become even better once I distribute some weight from my weight belt/harness. Once I had the straps adjusted right, this whole rig was like glued on your body underwater, practically no shifting. I like it's clean, uncluttered look (can be negated if you hang enough stuff from the d-rings). One thing I really like about the BP/W set-up is that it's modular. Should I decide to decide to move on to doubles, I only really need to get a new wing (at least) instead of buying a whole new BC (do they even have one for doubles?). Packing is a breeze (I've tried it too ). I'm pretty sure I'd love this setup even more as I get more dives in it. The possible negatives. It's a tad on the heavy side but lighter aluminum and plastic backplates are available. Getting in and out of the hog harness takes some getting used to.

Sorry this was long. Good luck with your selection.

 

[DivingCRNA]

This is always fun!

 

[The Chairman]

Hog rigs are never as comfortable as a back inflate BC. I have two types of back inflates (Zeagle Stilletto & Oceanic Chute II) and four BPs and wings, including DSS stainless Steel, DSS Kydex, FredT heavy long, Diverite something or other, along with DSS single wing, DSS Double wing, 2 OMS Double wing (55lb, & 100lb) and a Diverite wing.

I don't mind using a hog rig (especially with doubles), but my Stilletto or Chute are so much more comfy. I don't sacrifice any trim or stability when I use them either. Too often we miscontrue equipment configuration as a mark of a "great diver". The diver makes the gear work right, not the other way around.

 

[ShakaZulu]

Not true, the BP forces you into horizontal trip.........ok, except if you dive doubles, little more interesting in the beginning.

BP is especially comfy when you're in the water, and when on land, because of the weight distribution, much easier on your body. You only have 10lbs on the weight belt, nice.

 

[radinator]

I know that many people here have both Back Inflate BC's and BP/W, and I know everyone with the wing setup will tell me to get it no matter what, but I was wondering what the main differences are in all reality? I am looking at a Seaquest Balance, and while I have yet to see a BP/W in person it seems pretty similar from what I hear. Is this wrong? Does it have many similar capabilites? Thanks again for the advice in advance.

I own the Balance, and two backplates (SS and AL). Let me tell you my story and opinions.

I started with a jacket. Didn't like the squeeze, didn't like all that stuff on my chest, and I didn't like the way it 'rode up' on the surface. I wore my weights on a belt, which pulled me down. Buoyancy was on the jacket, floating it up. You get the picture.

So in 2001 I bought myself a Christmas present - a Seaquest Balance. No squeeze, and less 'stuff' up front. I felt less claustrophobic wearing it, and since it was weight integrated, the weights were on the BC, so it had less tendacy to ride up on the surface. While people kept telling me it would make me float face down on the surface, I found that this isn't true unless you inflate it all the way so the bladder is bulging. In normal use it didn't do that.

Also, I could FINALLY lost the weight belt. I hated the weight belt.

Another seeming benefit was the soft material and padding on the shoulders around the neck area - very comfortable to wear with no wetsuit in warm water.

However, there were things about it. The weight pockets on the same rig as the tank made that puppy HEAVY. The built-in D-rings were only where they were - you couldn't adjust it. Also, there was no way to convert to doubles, if I ever wanted to do that. And while it 'rode up' less than the jacket, it still rode up.

Also, with an aluminum tank, as the tank got empty it wanted to buoy up. Since most of the tank was 'below' the strap, there was a weird twisting motion where the bottom of the tank would want to head to the surface. This was minor, but I did notice it.

In early 2005 I started hearing about BP/W. After reading about them and the benefits of a hogarthian harness, as well as having a chance to talking to Tobin of Deep Sea Supply, I took the plunge and ordered one. It wasn't really a plunge, because I considered it a long time before doing it.

My first dive with the BP I was hooked. I went back to a belt with the BP. Not everyone does this since you can get weight pockets to put on the BP straps, but in my experience the belt wasn't as bad. You see, since the SS plate was heavy, and I didn't have all that foam and padding, my belt went from 18 pounds down to 8. An 8 pound belt was nothing, and my 'belt hate' went away.

With the BP, I have almost nothing up front. I like that.

Having the weight of the plate up higher, over my lungs kept my trim more horizontal.

With the hog harness, the straps and locations of the D-rings was almost infinitly adjustable. I could put them anywhere I wanted. The result of this was a much better more secure fit. When this was combined with the crotch strap, my rig doesn't move at all. The BP and tank feel like part of me, not like some loose-fitting suit jacket I borrowed from my uncle. On the surface, nothing rides up. It's perfectly secure.

Don't get me wrong, I can get a good fit and less wobble from the Balance, but it has to be tight around the belly for that to happen, and I feel it. That same tightness isn't needed for the BP because the crotch strap helps out.

I like that the BP is a modular setup, so if I have to replace a part it i just that part that gets replaced. Also, I am familiar with every detail of the setup and can adjust it.
If I go to warm water, I could (but don't have to) use a smaller wing, since I will have a thinner wetsuit and won't need the lift. Smaller wing means less material and less drag (depending on design, of course).

I've also used the BP with hog harness without a wetsuit in the Florida Keys for some 'shirtless' diving, and found it was not as comfortable as the Balance out of the water with the weight of the tank (no padding on the straps), but in the water it was perfectly comfortable against my bare back and sholders.

All told, the Balance is a good BC as BCs go. I still have mine, and since I'm taking an instructors course where lots of quick-releases and rig remove/replace is necessary for some drills, I'm now using it for the course.

But in using it, I am reminded why I replaced it. I much prefer to dive my BP/W when I'm actually diving.

Ray

 

[TSandM]

Little to add to the above analyses except that, if you are a size of person who is difficult to fit (I'm very small) the infinite adjustability of a harness is a nice thing.

I second the stability and comfort of the BP/W setup as well.