BC Descisions

[ScottyK]

KD- Never used/needed a crotch strap with the BC snugged up on me. We have some huge boulder fields up here that have me turning sideways and upside down all the time, so you'd need to really be doing something extreme to need one.

My older Chute had the plastic pin system to hold the weights in, which is the main reason I went for the new model. To be fair, I never had a problem with the pins, but they made me a little nervous. The new system is a serious improvement that was better than anything else I looked at.

I dive a 7mm wet suit, but did use my Chute for a drysuit class once. For me there wasn't much of a issue with the extra weight. The BC performed well, but I'm not really a Drysuit diver, so I don't want to say 100% that it will be fine (I expect it will be though).

 

[kd5izq]

Thanks for the extra detail ScottyK. I've seen the pin system your talking about, and compared to JUST the velcor of alot of the brands I think the pins were a pretty good idea, but the new clips and velcro I have a hard time seeing them improve on. What do you think about those "2 pocket" weight pockets? Have you tried weight in different areas to see how they affect you? By the time I got it trimmed out to let me float at the surface with no effort (which will be kind of important after November what with going into Divemaster and spending all that time at the surface waiting to go down with students) I had the whole ten pounds I dive with in the back pockets, which I know is not the prime way to do it since you have no way to dump those weights. How do you compensate for the whole "face forward" thing?

 

[ScottyK]

I trim out well with half of the weight in the back pockets, and half in the dump pockets. That also allows me to float head up (the trick is to just inflate enough to get your head out of the water, don't overinflate).

Try that and see if the compromise works for you as well. If not,you might need to keep an extra couple of 2lb weights handy to throw in the trim pockets when you are teaching. Then you can just pull them out when pleasure diving.

 

[kd5izq]

Cool, thanks for the advise. If you should ever get down Arkansas' way let me know, maybe I can get a few of us together and we can go to Lake Ouachita. As lake diving goes its supposed to be one of the best in the nation.

 

[CrazeeDude]

Hi guys!

I just got my Chute III but I've only gotten to use it in the pool once (No chance to go diving this season *sigh*) Anyway, does anyone encountered any problems with it?

I've heard of people saying that the tank band is not good = tank slips, and the usual Oceanic BC complain of the inflator hose cracking too often. Has anyone encountered any of these?

Cheers!