I've had a hard time understanding this blacklash we'be been seeing here on SB towards bp/w systems, and those who like them. I think there is a lot of confusion, especially from people who really like their traditional BC, and have never dove a bp/w, and are annoyed at the "upstarts" preaching something different from what has worked really well for them, for years.
A bp/w is just a BC. It's not something fundamentally different. It just uses some different materials.
Take the ScubaPro Classic BC... something I'd guess over half of us were wearing when first certified. And let's take a "generic" bp/w. Let's break them down.
1) The ScubaPro has a "vest" shape with a waist strap and holes to put your arms through. The bp/w has straps like a backpack that you put your arms through, and a strap like a seatbelt (also just like your weight belt) that goes around your waist. Slightly different, but essentially, they operate the same way. If you can put on a shirt, you can put on either.
2) The Scubapro BC has a strap/cam band that slides over the tank. So does the bp/w. Some have one band, some have two, but they all do the same thing. So that's pretty much the same.
3) The ScubaPro has a corrugated hose with a dump and a fill button, for dumping and adding air. So does the bp/w. So that's actually 100% identical.
4) The scubaPro BC gets air put directly into the vest fabric-y part to make you float. Newer, rear inflate BCs have the "air balloon part" on the back, instead of the vest part, but otherwise do the same thing. Guess what? So does a bp/w. It has an "air balloon" part on the back that they call a "wing". Sounds technical, right? It's not. It's a bag that holds air. It gets bigger and makes you float when you press the fill button. So that's pretty much the same.
5) Some newer BCs (not the ScubaPro classic, but let's diverge for a moment) have weight integration: pockets that hold the weights instead of wearing a weight belt. You can get those for bp/w's too. So that's pretty much the same.
That's it. They're the same darn thing, in use. So why all the frustration?
A well-cared for BC will last a long time. So will a well-cared for bp/w. You can kill either in short order if you don't care for it at all.
The biggest difference is the weight that is inherent to the plate in a bp/w. It adds (roughly) 6 pounds of steel on your back, so you can take some weight off your weight belt (or out of your weight pockets). It's also less floaty than a regular BC, because there is less fabric and plastic, so there's another couple pounds off. The placement of the weight of the steel plate helps with trim, but that's a more advanced topic. Also, if you decide you want to do some technical diving, or doubles, it's a lot easier with a bp/w. If you don't, that's ok, too.
For now, all you need to know is this: There are three kinds of of BCs: Vest style, Back Inflate, and bp/w. That all work the same way once they're on your back. They all make you float. They all have the same controls. They all get put on roughly the same way: like a backpack or vest. So from a newbie's perspective, they will all work in the exact same manner, so if you want to try one out, have at!
Can't we all just get along?
