Buying a BCD " I wish I did this or that..."

[Wantonmien]

When buying your first BCD and after you got a few dives with it is there anything you wish you knew prior to buying it? Is there some feature/accessory you wish you got when ordered it in the first place?


After a lot of backpedaling and whatever else I can use as a reason I finally decided I am going to buy my first BCD this year.

I'm going to be diving in haigs quarry the 21st of Aug with a bp/w and a back inflate so I get to test the different styles.

The thing sure after reading all the posts from now till the cows come home, is there any feature I should consider more then others or something I should really considering spending the extra money on?

Ghost,

If you do buy a normal BCD, chances are you'll look at those with intergrated weights systems (ie: built in pockets) - and personally I'd say avoid them, as some manufacturers designs 'weight' pockets at the front can unclip and drop out far too easily (with the weights). Also when your weights are integrated it means when when you take your BCD off and carry it anywhere, chances are are you'll also have the weights in it instead of around the waist.

I also wish I'd thought about overall 'weight' of the BCD (without weights in it) - as if travelling a lot I'm forever trying to avoid airline excess baggage charges and on a couple of occasions have forgetten to remove a kg or two from the BCD pockets before travelling.

Cheers and safe diving,

 

[The_Ghost]

well I will get to see just how good this bp/w design really is in a few more days.

With bp/w and it's accessories, do most of you guys mix and match or get everything from the same manufacture? For example, if you wanted shoulder pads and you owned a zeagle bcd, would you get shoulder pads from zeagle or some off brand kind?


@Wantonmien

Yea once I figure out what style I like, I figured the weights would give me something to think about. Since some people mention about getting a heavier bp so they don't have to wear so much lead.

 

[DrunkenParrot]

well I will get to see just how good this bp/w design really is in a few more days.

With bp/w and it's accessories, do most of you guys mix and match or get everything from the same manufacture? For example, if you wanted shoulder pads and you owned a zeagle bcd, would you get shoulder pads from zeagle or some off brand kind?.

Ok shoulder pads are for football players and 1980's womens dresses....

Unless you are hiking over 100 yards to your dive site then they are not needed. I mix my brands because i feel that I cant get everything I want from one company.
I use diverite, oxycheq, HOG, Hammerhead, and DSS....all have great products and I pick what I like. The best advice I can give you is KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID...That is what my dive master told me. I tend to over think things as it sounds like you are doing. You might want to check out hogarthian section on this forum and search on the internet to do some research, IT will open your eyes on diving. You dont want to look like a human magnet that walk through a dive shop and everything stuck to you. I dont have any experience with Zeagle, There isnt a dealer around me, and never seen their products in person.

Since some people mention about getting a heavier bp so they don't have to wear so much lead.

It all depends what kind of diving you do, I use a stainless plate for diving locally here and use an aluminum plate for travel when I fly, but when I drive I use my stainless plate just to keep 5lbs off my belt. My suggestion is to check out the Ultimate wing lift calculator to see and play with the numbers to get the idea on backplate weight and wing lift calculations. It also has room for lights and tanks. I know this is alot to give you at once but it is needed to decide on you purchase. I wish I have had someone to tell me these things before I got into diving and buying my first setup, but I had a LDS owner that saw dollar signs in his head and made a killing on me and my wife. I looked like the guy that walked through the dive shop and everything stuck to me. take you time and think out what you want and dont be afraid to ask questions, that is what everyone is here for.

 

[dkktsunami]

I wish I had known what a BP/W was before I bought my first BCD.

Seriously.

Switched after 10 dives, and took a bath selling my BCD here on ScubaBoard.

I was less intelligent than RJP .....went from jacket bc to back inflate to wing/plate with comfort harness and, finally, wing/ ss plate/ hog harness. Talk about blowing money - I paid for being stubborn.

 

[FritzCat66]

Surprise, surprise; a post asking what people wished about getting a BC and all the BP/W users jump in and say "none - get a BP/W".

Well, just to give a different perspective, some of us have tried both and really like BCs. The BP/W folks often make fun of our vests and pockets, but then you'll see them having to do silly things like gluing pockets onto their wetsuit legs or wearing little pocket trouser shorts just to get some pockets back, or having so many little things hanging from clips and D-rings because they don't have pockets that they look like an accessory rack at the dive shop. But they're not used to us BCers poking fun back, so they usually get all riled up and huffy about it.

It's actually rather humorous and ironic, but I digress.

Anyway, if you're still interested in a vest-style BC, here are some things to consider:

• Lynne had some good advice in that you should probably look for something that has a stiff back rather than just fabric
• She also makes a very important point that it should have trim weight pockets up high in the back
• Of course, check for sizing and fit - pay attention to whether the top back chafes your neck and ensure it has enough girth to accommodate you in a thick wetsuit, but not too much or it will shift around underwater
• Inflate it all the way and see if it squeezes you: the better ones won't (mine kind of opens outward)
• If you're considering getting an Air2/Airsource/AltAir combo inflator/regulator, make sure the one you want will fit the BC - not all of them fit each other, or they may need an adaptor
• Speaking of that, make sure you can easily open that top left inflator attachment so you can get a hose in there to clean out the inside of the bladder easily
• As for the pockets themselves, make sure you can operate the zipper with one hand; I've also found that getting larger zip-pulls attached to the zipper can make them easier to open & close underwater
• Make sure there's a sewn-in clip or D-ring inside the pocket to attach things to, because you don't want everything coming out of that pocket all at once
• Some people complain about jackets shifting around too much on them - this is often easily fixed with the addition of a crotch strap, so see if you can easily add one on
• Most will have custom weight pockets; get an extra pair of them so that if you have to ditch them on vacation, you will have another set handy in your gear bag, since they're not standard but unique to each manufacturer
• Make sure it has D-rings where you want them: Practically all BC's will have a couple D-rings going up the shoulder; some also have a ring or two on the lower edge that can be useful, as well as a butt ring (although that can be added via a crotch strap as mentioned before)
• The ones with preset grommets for a knife mount usually have a limited number of knives that fit, so don't make that a factor - any knife should fit on the waistband where it's out of the way
• Finally, don't hesitate to ask the shop to customize your BC; the better ones will and still support the sale - I had mine add a couple grommets, for example

It sounds like you're still trying out various styles; that's the best way to go before you buy. Just be aware that BP/Ws aren't the only option for some "serious" diving; lots of us are served well by our vest-style BCs and love them just as much as they love their BP/Ws.

 

[The_Ghost]

I figured it would turn into a bp/w fest, but was in dreamland and hoping it wouldn't. The jacket styles, that I have only dived with so far have served me and thats all I know.

Once I use a bp/w I'll post my findings. Maybe I will end up not likeing it haha.

 

[No1UKnow]

Thanks. Useful suggestions. Love your blog too )

 

[BDSC]

I figured it would turn into a bp/w fest, but was in dreamland and hoping it wouldn't. The jacket styles, that I have only dived with so far have served me and thats all I know.

Once I use a bp/w I'll post my findings. Maybe I will end up not likeing it haha.

The best advice is probably what others have said. Try as many as you feel necessary and decide what type is going to work best for your style of diving. If you think you will be diving doubles most of the time, then a BP/W may in fact be the best choice. However, if that's not the case, then any style will do just fine. I have dove a jacket, back inflate, and BP/W and overall found the jacket to be superior for my style of diving which is mostly in the Caribbean or off the coast of NC.

And don't get caught up in all the talk about how the more "serious" diver goes for a BP/W. Take a trip to the Caribbean sometime and see how many DM's who dive every day and do this for a living are diving a BP/W. I've never seen it in 19 years of diving and most of them have skills far superior to any other divers I've been around.

 

[rongoodman]

My first BC was a Halcyon plate and wing, so I never dealt with BC issues outside of OW class. My only regret was that the retailer sent a 40# wing instead of the 30# that I asked for, and I decided to keep it. I eventually ended up selling it and bought the 30# version I had asked for in the first place.