BCD and Reg Recommendations??

[bbarnett51]

It doesn't matter. Get whatever your local shop services. All of the major brands are good. I personally like aqualung but would use many many different brands.

You might want to look into the Aqua Lung Titan regs. Proven design, reliable, great breathability, and serviced at most shops.oh and great price.

 

[Searcaigh]

I started diving with a back pack only, no BC whatsoever until I bought a second hand horse collar (bright orange Buddy by AP valves).

Used two Tusa BCDs for well over 1,000 dives, first one lasted about 700 dives the second was obviously not as well made and barely lasted 300 dives before I used parts off my first one to repair the new one (LP inflator). I now dive a Mares BCD, no idea what model and it's not important, it fits me and has pockets for stuff which is all I need in a BCD.

One thing nobody has mentioned, don't just try on a BCD and then choose the most comfortable, strap a tank on to it before trying it on whilst wearing a mask, and better if you can get in a pool too to get an idea of how it feels in the water.

Regs, well lots of choice on the market, I had a Mares MR12 Mk III that I used for more than 20 years before moving over to a Mares Abyss, no major issues with either. I have two other Mares regs, both Protons, one with a DIN first stage, and a ScubaPro reg that lives on my pony bottle. Whatever you choose, as long as you use it regularly and have it serviced annually there should be no issues.

 

[Splitlip]

To, surface flotation is a secondary design consideration. Performance at depth is more important. That said, I don't see any problems with my BP/W. I fill it up with enough air to get my head out of the water and I'm perfectly stable at the surface. The rumors of "face plant" just aren't true at all.

To, surface flotation is a secondary design consideration. Performance at depth is more important. That said, I don't see any problems with my BP/W. I fill it up with enough air to get my head out of the water and I'm perfectly stable at the surface. The rumors of "face plant" just aren't true at all.

I think you have both determined that minimalist = simplicity. I disagree. I think simple to use = simplicity. That's a huge difference. Sure a BP/W is "simpler" by that definition. Till you decide to dive the thing! I congratulate you upon your ability to put stuff together. I wish I shared that ability. As I thought I had made clear, I want the OP to hear from both sides of the fence. Shocking as this may come to you I personally find my weight integrated back inflate zeagle stiletto MUCH simpler to dive with. But that is just me (and perhaps after a trial run the OP may come to a similar conclusion. Fortunately the op now has some serious disagreements to ponder. Thanks for providing your point of view better than I ever could.

Wow. I don't know why you're on my case. Show me please where I said the OP should by a bpw.
i gave the same advise I give every new diver: rent, borrow or steal as many bc's as you can. I always say the bc should be the final purchase for a new diver because it is very personal.

But so the OP gets a fair comparison, I will share why I like a bpw.
My steel rig is 6 pounds negative. My stilleto was roughly 1pound positive. That equates to roughly 7 pounds of lead I don't need in the pockets (if I had any). I usually dive without any added weight as I use steel tanks.
My stilleto 7 pounds in the pockets weighed about 13 pounds. My steel rig weighs in at about 10.
my aluminum rig weighs the same as the stiletto (I weighed them both) yet it is 2 to 3 pounds negative. There again is 3 to 4 pounds of lead I don't need to carry.
With my bpw, I can adjust the location of d-rings where they suit me. With my stilleto, I could only efficiently use 1 d-ring and I had to add that one at that.

Most importantly for me is the fact that the distributes weight up high across my lungs and torso. It helps me maintain a nice horizontal position in the water. The stilleto weight pockets were too low for me. But that is just me and my physiology.

A properly sized wing won't trap air. There has been discussion about Rangers trapping air. I don't know if that is the case with my stilleto as I suspect it would have trapped air during my weight check and I would compensated for it with lead.

I am really curious as to what you found complicated about diving a bpw.

 

[chrpai]

I'm not sure why you quoted me because I'm not on you. I dive a BP/W.

 

[RonFrank]

I travel with a Zeagle Stiletto and that Back Inflate BC works well.

I use Zeagle regs as well. They are one of the only regs Made in the USA in Zephyrhills, FL. Zeagle has gone up in price but you can still buy a quality Zeagle reg for under $400.

This looks like a bargain!

Zeagle Flathead VI Scuba Regulator 1st and 2nd stage high performance excellent | eBay

Used is the way I often go as there are lots of folks who buy new, use it on a vacation, and take up a new hobby next year....

Good Luck!

 

[Splitlip]

I'm not sure why you quoted me because I'm not on you. I dive a BP/W.

Farsidefan quoted you. I agree that it is Kind of odd that your quote came up with my reply to his post.

He was on you and me both I guess.

 

[elan]

Someone mentioned Aqualung Zuma. One of the guys in my class had it and I really liked it. Its a nicely made back inflate with minimum padding and material. It is also light. I would definitely consider if I was buying one for travelling to warm diving destinations. Back plate is nice and modular but to be honest id you dive in a coldish water localy it does not really matter because if you want to ideally adapt it to the warm conditions you need to switch yhe backplate and the wing as the backplate willbe too heavy to transport and the wing a bit big. Which leaves you only the harness which cost pennies so you get two and essencially you end up with two setups.
I thunk it is worth having a BC like Zuma for travelling to warm reef diving and have a BP locally.

 

[farsidefan1]

My apologies if either of you felt I was "On you". Even now as I go back and read my posts I don't see how I came across as being aggressive. I simply disagreed and represented what a number of divers feel. I did feel you entirely missed my point of simple = ease of use, not fewer moving parts but this place would be boring and little would be learned if we all agreed on everything. As to my explanation of why I didn't take to the BP/W - I honestly don't think I can clarify beyond admitting my non tech limitations. This is my failing, not yours. It does however represent others who are not nor enjoy building it ourselves. I can't translate from paper 3 dimensions into the real world. Blue prints seem to fall out of my head as soon as I looked away in the shop class I joked about (well, actually I was dead serious . I took an aptitude test and when I went in for the results the tester said that if he tripled my spacial perception score I would still fall under the baseline for being retarded, sigh. The most feared words in the English language are "some assembly required" I have been going on 3-4 trips a yr for several years. All of the trips are to warm tropical resorts. IF I were a BP/W user I would have to relearn how to put it together every trip. As I said, my experience is my own - and given a multitude of conversations with others - not an exclusive experience. Hopefully the OP will now experiment and determine what works best for him/her. Sorry for all the details but I felt bad that I had come across as being "after you". Perhaps some of my latent bitterness about the topic seaped out. Happy diving.

 

[elan]

@farsidef1
Kind of agree with you, If I had your style of diving I would not bother with BP/W either. Light small bc or a horsecollar is all I would get just to satisfy the boat crew
I almost never inflate the BC on warm water dives.
Having said that I only dive a Bp/w locally

 

[drrich2]

It does however represent others who are not nor enjoy building it ourselves.

I think of it as whether or not a given product offers a good 'off the rack' simplicity of use (taking the term from off the rack suits, where there's no custom tailoring or selection of parts - you just buy the thing and put it on. Bam! You're done).

Most rec. divers train with jacket style BCD's, so for them, you pick up a BCD, hook up your reg. & low-pressure inflator and the first stage to the tank & turn the tank valve on, and done.

Most people with jacket BCD's wouldn't even conceive of the possibility of putting a different air bladder inside the thing, having to deal with a choice of integrated weight options and placements, etc...

I know some people like plenty of options. Some of us are not just intimidated but outright overwhelmed by too much 'choice' (paralyzed in ignorance and indecision), and strongly prefer off the rack products that just work as is. It's not right for everyone, but it's right for a lot of people, and often 'it' seems to be a jacket BCD (whether rear inflate or not).

Are many BP/W wing systems sold as 'complete as is' off the rack systems where you just buy the thing, hook up the tank straps, tank, reg. to tank & low pressure inflator to whatever, stuff your weights in the integrated pockets & go jump in the ocean?

Richard.