BC for the big man

[lovles2274]

I swear anytime someone asks a question about BCD's the BP/W group come out. For some of us new divers we still like the jacket style. I am 6'4" and weigh 280. I tried a SeaSoft Sea Lion size large and it was very very adjustable. I was actually on the small size for this model. I have switched to a Seaquest Pro QD size XXL and I absolutely love it. It fits like a glove and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Before all the BP/W guys attack me, I'm sure I will eventually go to that setup due to my plan to go tech and will need doubles. I just think for a lot of new divers BP/W is fairly intimidating. Customizing when you know what you need/want is awesome. Customizing when you have no clue what you need is much harder.

 

[gypsyjim]

I went from no BCD (1970's, early 80's), to several jacket BCD's (90's), to a back inflate Riptide a few years back. I liked the back inflate so much more than te jacket styles because of te stability in the water.
This summer I tried my first back plate/wing, and discovered the shift from a back inflate BCD to the Wing and plate was a super easy adjustment for me, and I ad even better control, while the wing and harness system allows me to adapt the harness and plate system to many different dive situations, and set ups. Were I to do it again, I would skip right over the last two or three BCD's and go right to the BP/W.

After all, speaking as one who trained long before any BCD was even thought of, a BP/W IS just another variation on the BCD idea, just going a few steps further, and cleaned up and streamlined more than the now "traditional" BCD.

 

[Chugwhump]

OK lemme pile on.
I will only say that if you can take a look at the Zeagle Ranger/Stiletto etc. family, you will see that you can adjust the cummerbun to a large, extra large, and jumbo setting.
It has a series of holes and fittings that allow you to slide/adjust the thing to different needs.
It is also a very well made BC.

Chug
Recent Ranger convert.

 

[gypsyjim]

I swear anytime someone asks a question about BCD's the BP/W group come out. For some of us new divers we still like the jacket style. I am 6'4" and weigh 280. I tried a SeaSoft Sea Lion size large and it was very very adjustable. I was actually on the small size for this model. I have switched to a Seaquest Pro QD size XXL and I absolutely love it. It fits like a glove and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Before all the BP/W guys attack me, I'm sure I will eventually go to that setup due to my plan to go tech and will need doubles. I just think for a lot of new divers BP/W is fairly intimidating. Customizing when you know what you need/want is awesome. Customizing when you have no clue what you need is much harder.

But customize you can.
Think of the savings if one base piece of gear could be adapted to many differing dives and skill levels, with little added expense.

Almost every one of us went through several BCD's trying to get just the right one, and then as our tastes and skills grew we "bought up".
That is a lot of $ over the years, speaking not only as one who has been there, but as a Dad who has two following their dad, with me footing the bill!

As I said in the post above, to me a wing is really just a new, and improved variation of the whole idea of a BCD. When what is now considered the "traditional" BCD first came along in the early 80's they were very intimidating too, and my first exposure to one nearly killed me, the whole concept was so new and foreign to me after years of diving without any such thing as an adjustable buoyancy system. :shocked2:

I have now seen new students started right out in the wing/plate system, and they have no more difficulty than any other OW students adjusting to their new buoyancy systems.

I truly believe the wing system is no more intimidating than any other system, if you are new to either. If is just different from what most of us first trained on. THAT, I think is its biggest stumbling block to a great many trained on older style gear.

 

[nwgarne]

I'm 6'7" and weigh about 320 and I use a bp/w. I like it bc I can adjust it from diving dry to diving wet and if/when my weight fluctuates. (about 20-30 lbs a year)

I used to use a zeagle 911 bc that was supposed to be able to handle doubles but it was horribly unstable when compared to a bp/w.

Good luck in your search.

 

[ranchonodinero]

Aeris 5 oceans. Travels well, and is comfy. Doesn't come with a cumber-bun but one can be added pretty easily. I'm 6'3" with size 54 chest. Since I'm growing down, I've added the cumber-bun.

 

[cmburch]

The BP gets some weight over the lung area, to help with trim and remove some weight from the belt. The BP/Wing is a BC. It is very low profile and streamline for hunting or picture taking.

Take a look at the Dive Rite site for videos and information.

http://www.diverite.com/

 

[ranchonodinero]

So none of you guys with the BPW setups recommended long or tall wings?. It would seem that unless the guy is built like a fireplug, that a big guy would also benefit from a longer wing and that too would help with trim? Despite how much I like my 5 oceans (XXL version), I've thought about getting a backplate and wing-long version.

 

[divad]

So none of you guys with the BPW setups recommended long or tall wings?. .

Not longer or taller than your tank/tanks.

 

[rivers]

As someone who switched from a jacket style to a bp/w just over a year into my diving career, I have to say a bp/w is far superior. Although I am on the opposite end of the spectrum size-wise than the OP, I find a bp/w much more comfortable and easily adjustable. It doesn't matter what type of exposure suit I am wearing, I can fit the bp/w to it. It was also very easy to configure (I bought both last year's model of a Hollis Elite harness for dirt cheap and a single piece of webbing for a hog harness. go with the hog harness) and set up. It's also easy to make changes on. And I find it far more comfortable than a jacket-style BC, both on the surface (never once face-planted in the water), and at depth.