BP/W pocket quandary for women

[danvolker]

How is a BP/W a single piece of equipment? Esp if you want weight integration and pockets?

My single tank rig is a bp/and a 18 pound lift wing....it stays together exactly like a Scubapro Stab jacket..... I don't disassemble it after dives, and I have used it heavily since 1997.
It is still like new in quality.

I don't need a weightbelt when wearing a 3 mil full wetsuit, even if I don't use a can light...sometimes I don't bother with one at the BHB marine park....So I have a reg....with 2 hoses....you have a reg with two hoses.... I have my Halcyon set up in one piece, you have your jacket in one piece....You probably need a weight belt or integrated weights.... I am fortunate that I don't need these...but, my rig is so balanced, that even with buoyancy shift from the wetsuit at a depth of 160 feet, I could easily swim to the surface without adding even a puff of air to the wing....using the al 80 tank....If I want higher volume tanks, it would be either a low pressure tank that is not heavy --like the low pressure 120 I used to use....or double 80s ( which are almost neutral by feel).....the wing is there for "perfection" in neutral buoyancy, not for any need to use it as an elevator ...and the bp/wing is so slick, that IF you ever need to fight a current, it is a wonderful solution to not having to work so hard.

 

[Nwcid]

Oh oh oh, I know, I know! *raises hand* *waves hand*

Because! Most BP/W divers started out with a regular BCD and then switched to a BP/W. Why? Because they could get some benefits from a BP/W. Makes sense.

But hardly anyone starts out diving a BP/W. So you see hardly anyone making the switch from BP/W to regular BCD. Also makes sense.

I can tell you that if I had started out with a BP/W and then discovered regular BCDs, I would almost certainly have made the switch. Having a single piece of equipment rather than all the loose parts is just so much more convenient.


How is a BP/W a single piece of equipment? Esp if you want weight integration and pockets?

Yes it makes sense that there are benefits to BP/W, it makes perfect sense.

The same way a jacket is not a single piece of equipment, neither is a BP/W. Both are made of several parts that are held together in some manner. You don't take apart a BP/W down to individual parts every time you use it any more then you would a jacket. The difference is with a BP/W YOU (not the manufacture wants) set it up the way YOU want and then leave it that way. The "loose parts" is a weak argument since that is one of the reasons people go to BP/W. Less loose parts, less things dangling, less parts that are not needed, less failure points (plastic buckles, zippers, ect). It is simpler, KISS. Not much to break on a "seatbelt", metal plate, metal buckle, and some metal D-rings. IF by some chance you do manage to break something or you want to change you set up you dont have to buy a whole new jacket.

Then add the fact that IF you use a SS plate that is less lead you have to carry because it is 6lbs negative. When I am diving freshwater in my 7mm wetsuit I dont need any extra weight. Even if you do need to carry weight it is much less overall since you are not trying to make up for a jacket that is positive.

I am happy that you are happy with your jacket and that is the nice thing about choices we can all do what we want. It is very obvious a BP/W is NOT right for you. Just dont spread bad info about other products.

 

[dfx]

Yes it makes sense that there are benefits to BP/W, it makes perfect sense.

The same way a jacket is not a single piece of equipment, neither is a BP/W. Both are made of several parts that are held together in some manner. You don't take apart a BP/W down to individual parts every time you use it any more then you would a jacket. The difference is with a BP/W YOU (not the manufacture wants) set it up the way YOU want and then leave it that way. The "loose parts" is a weak argument since that is one of the reasons people go to BP/W. Less loose parts, less things dangling, less parts that are not needed, less failure points (plastic buckles, zippers, ect). It is simpler, KISS. Not much to break on a "seatbelt", metal plate, metal buckle, and some metal D-rings. IF by some chance you do manage to break something or you want to change you set up you dont have to buy a whole new jacket.

Let's see. First you need a backplate. What kind? Steel, aluminum, plastic? Then you need the wing. How big? Does it fit the backplate? Then a harness. How do I put that together? Then a weight system, can I do that with this combo or do I have to use a weight belt (oh dear god)? Oh, do I need a single tank adapter with that?? Pockets, now it gets tricky (the very reason for this thread)... Can I attach some or should I put them on a separate belt (oh god, that again) or something else completely?

That's what I meant with loose parts. And I have seen BP/W rigs come half apart after a dive. I'm sure there's ways to keep it together better, but then that's just one more thing you have to worry about.

Or you can get a jacket BCD and you're done!

---------- Post added August 9th, 2013 at 02:43 PM ----------

I am happy that you are happy with your jacket and that is the nice thing about choices we can all do what we want. It is very obvious a BP/W is NOT right for you.

That's actually my whole point. Not everyone is better off with them.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Let's see. First you need a backplate. What kind? Steel, aluminum, plastic? Then you need the wing. How big? Does it fit the backplate? Then a harness. How do I put that together? Then a weight system, can I do that with this combo or do I have to use a weight belt (oh dear god)? Oh, do I need a single tank adapter with that?? Pockets, now it gets tricky (the very reason for this thread)... Can I attach some or should I put them on a separate belt (oh god, that again) or something else completely?

That's what I meant with loose parts. And I have seen BP/W rigs come half apart after a dive. I'm sure there's ways to keep it together better, but then that's just one more thing you have to worry about.

Or you can get a jacket BCD and you're done!

---------- Post added August 9th, 2013 at 02:43 PM ----------


That's actually my whole point. Not everyone is better off with them.

You ever notice how people buy cars. There seem to be 2 groups.

Some drive to their nearest dealer and purchase whatever they offer in a pretty color. Sometimes they get lucky, mostly they get screwed, even if they don't realize it. The car will probably get them from point A to point B but they don't enjoy using it as much. Its simply the means to the ends.

Others research all their options, look at reliability of the brand and model, how it fits their needs now and in the future. The test drive a dozen cars. They spend hours on the internet finding the best price and the best options. They tend to enjoy driving, the actual act of driving, not just getting from point a to b. The small yet significant enhancements from making informed decisions rather than blindly accepting a one size fits all solution make driving fun. I think diving is the same, if your gear matches your needs its easier and more fun.

 

[-hh]

Here is the other kicker on BP/W vs Jacket. How come you see lots of people move to BP/W but very few move back to Jacket?????????????? It think there was a whole thread/poll on that one a while back.

I am not saying anyone should use one or the other because of how I dive or what I like. But funny how people seem to have some strong ideas about why one is better then another but have only tried one or the other.

After using a Wing for roughly a decade, I went back to a Jacket last year.

Yes, such people exist.

Using a Wing was fine for some things, but it was a mistake: I don't dive local coldwaters much, let alone in a drysuit and/or with twins and it didn't suit my warm water travel-centric UW Photo needs, especially for the safety contingency of long surface floats (eg drift dive chase boat problems).

Insofar as why we don't hear much of this, there's several factors:

Because of the high rates of drop-outs, most divers probably never buy more than two sets of gear during their entire dive career, which means that they're more likely to drop out than continue (and potentially switch back).

Add to this the Placebo Effect stuff and they'll claim a positive change because they have to rationalize their purchase.

Finally, since people are very reluctant to admit mistakes, so even if they recognize it as a mistake and do switch back, they will then be very reluctant to drawing any attention to it...


-hh

 

[TSandM]

DougK, let me see if I can answer some of your questions.

Backplate setups, by their nature, allow a lot of customizing. You can choose the material of the plate and the size and shape of the wing, so that you can suit the kind of diving you do. For warm water diving with minimal exposure protection, you may be able to use a stainless plate and a small wing and carry no weights at all -- but some people aren't comfortable with not having any ditchable weight, so instead you can use an aluminum or Kydex plate and wear a four pound weight belt, or weight harness, or put ditchable pockets from Halcyon or Zeagle or the like on your waist belt.

It is quite commonly stated that backplate will push you forward in the water on the surface. In fact, ALL back-inflate BCs can do this, IF the bladder is fully inflated, the bladder rides up on the diver's back, and the weights are all in the front of the BC or diver. A properly weighted diver wearing a properly adjusted harness with crotch strap, and not having all his lead on the front side of his body, will not have a problem with this. (BTW, I have seen our JACKET BCs push divers forward, when they were poorly adjusted and rode up too high on the diver.)

To the OP: I use X-shorts. They're not exactly tailored, so for women, we just need to buy a size large enough to go around our butts. When I don't have, or don't choose to use the shorts, I clip my SMB and spool either to my butt d-ring or my left hip d-ring, depending on my mood. You do not notice things that are clipped to your butt while you are swimming, unless they are very negative. The only important thing is that you not get on the boat and sit on the gear, because you can break the spools that way. There really isn't enough neoprene in the shorts to affect your weighting, but they do add just a little bit of warmth.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I haven't used my BP/W now for like 2 yrs. Bought a used SP Classic jacket and it is comfortable and easy to get in and out of and it is rugged. No crappy plastic zippers on the shell necessary to contain the bladder.

 

[NAM001]

get a but plate and you will have all sorts of space to hang stuff. Dive Rite Nomad Buttplate and Bungees discounts on sale Dive Rite there is this one and they have one that is more rectangular that triangular. you can also put a pocket on the waist belt.

 

[BluewaterSail]

The Scubapro shorts are made of a number of stretchy materials that don't add a lot of bouyancy. The parts that are neoprene are 1.0 mil. The pockets are on the smallish side, but also made of stretchy material, so you can jam more than you would think into them. On the left I have a spool and SMB, on the right a spare mask and wetnotes.

At the waist is a string with a stopper that you pull to get a snug fit. This string, along with the stretchiness, makes fitting to a figure with larger hips and smaller waist than would be common for males possible.

I'm female, and I have found that these shorts, while not designed for the female curves, provide for my pocket needs quite adequately when in a wetsuit, or just rash guard. In the winter I dive a drysuit which of course has nice big pockets.

The one thing about the scubapro shorts is that the bungee in the pockets to clip things to is too short and also too thin. I replaced mine, and since then I have seen others who have done the same.

 

[kathydee]

Hi,

I've done the last 900+ dives in a BP/W. I'm 5'4" and a woman . When diving wet, I wear shorts which can easily be worn over any wetsuit. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.

I loved my back inflate bcd but listed it on the classified after my first day in a bp/w & have never looked back .