Buying new BCD - advice appreciated

[peterak]

I recently attended a dive club meeting where the local Scubapro rep demonstrated the Hydros Pro. Very nice BCD! Our local dive shop owner, our dive club president, and a number of dive shop staff own and swear by the Hydros Pro. However...

It is really heavy! I immediately noticed this when I lifted one in the dive shop several months ago. Scubapro says it weighs 11.4 pounds in contrast to my Scubapro Litehawk,which weighs less than 6 pounds. Many mainstream BCDs come in around 8 to 9 pounds. Yeah, you may save a couple of pounds of lead, but you have to carry several pounds more weight around in your suitcase.

I recently chose the Litehawk at $420 over the Hydros Pro at >$800 (both without Air2), and I'm glad I did. The Litehawk is very comfortable and easy to use and so light! I usually carry 14 pounds of weight, 4 in the back pockets and 10 around the waist. If you wanted to carry more weight than this in the Litehawk you might need to buy some larger waist pockets. There are other similar "travel" back inflate BCDs such as the Oceanic Biolite and Aqualung Zuma which get good reviews.

 

[stuartv]

I recently attended a dive club meeting where the local Scubapro rep demonstrated the Hydros Pro. Very nice BCD! Our local dive shop owner, our dive club president, and a number of dive shop staff own and swear by the Hydros Pro. However...

It is really heavy! I immediately noticed this when I lifted one in the dive shop several months ago. Scubapro says it weighs 11.4 pounds in contrast to my Scubapro Litehawk,which weighs less than 6 pounds. Many mainstream BCDs come in around 8 to 9 pounds. Yeah, you may save a couple of pounds of lead, but you have to carry several pounds more weight around in your suitcase.

I recently chose the Litehawk at $420 over the Hydros Pro at >$800 (both without Air2), and I'm glad I did. The Litehawk is very comfortable and easy to use and so light! I usually carry 14 pounds of weight, 4 in the back pockets and 10 around the waist. If you wanted to carry more weight than this in the Litehawk you might need to buy some larger waist pockets. There are other similar "travel" back inflate BCDs such as the Oceanic Biolite and Aqualung Zuma which get good reviews.

My Hydros is a Men's size Large.

With the waist weight pocket belt, it weighs 9.0 #.
With the travel waist belt, it weighs 6.8 #.

According to my digital luggage scale.

For warm water diving, I would not take, nor have any reason to take, the Hydros waist belt with the weight pockets. The trim weight pockets on the back would hold all the weight I would need. In warm water config, I have no need for ditchable weight. With a steel tank, in fresh water and a full 3/2mm suit, I don't need any weight at all.

Where are you getting the 6 # number from for your Litehawk? I'm not trying to say it's wrong. Just curious if you actually weighed yours with a scale calibrated for that weight range.

Also, that 14 # of lead you need with a Litehawk might be a bit less with the Hydros, which is neutral. I should actually check it. It might even be just a little negative.

 

[peterak]

My Hydros is a Men's size Large.

With the waist weight pocket belt, it weighs 9.0 #.
With the travel waist belt, it weighs 6.8 #.

According to my digital luggage scale.

For warm water diving, I would not take, nor have any reason to take, the Hydros waist belt with the weight pockets. The trim weight pockets on the back would hold all the weight I would need. In warm water config, I have no need for ditchable weight. With a steel tank, in fresh water and a full 3/2mm suit, I don't need any weight at all.

Where are you getting the 6 # number from for your Litehawk? I'm not trying to say it's wrong. Just curious if you actually weighed yours with a scale calibrated for that weight range.

Also, that 14 # of lead you need with a Litehawk might be a bit less with the Hydros, which is neutral. I should actually check it. It might even be just a little negative.

Interesting and good to know. The weight I quoted for both was directly from the Scubapro web site (which is currently down for maintenance or I'd post a link). I guess they were wrong. I have not weighed the Litehawk, but lifting them: my size M/L Litehawk < my wife's size S Ladyhawk < size M Hydros Pro. By a considerable (but obviously unquantified) margin. But yes, I agree that the ability to shed a few pounds from the Hydros for travel is a good feature, although for trim reasons I'm not sure I'd want to carry all my weight on my back.

I bet the Hydros pro is indeed a bit negative; the Litehawk is very, very close to neutral though.

I'm not at all averse to the Hydros Pro. As I said above, it's a great BCD. Just wanted to share my subjective experience (along with the apparently wrong Scubapro specs). I guess my preference for the Litehawk is a reflection of my bias toward "less is more." I know that I smile a little every time I pick it up.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

I travel with a Agir SS BP with STA and a singeltank wing, i do not rely know what the weight is, heavy yes, but i have no problem to get under the 23kg max.

Last time i had 4kg of led in my divebag, together with my BP/W, my fins, full wetsuite, mask, gloves e.t.c and also a backpack with all my clothes for land use, total weight <21kg

In my carryon i keep my regulators, DC and cameras, so if i need to put them in the checkedin i need to ditch the lead. ;-)

My point is, that if you not are the kind of person who brings lots and lots of non-diving clothes and stuff, if you are not going hiking, the weight of your BCD is not that important, its not a big difference if it weights 2kg or 6kg. or even 8kg.

I see only the need for a lightweight travel-BCD when you like to do alot of other things than diving, so you need to pack alot of other stuff, or when you need to carry your luggage longer way.

 

[peterak]

Also, gotta love the backability of the Hydros Pro. The local rep showed up with an entire warm water setup packed into the little backpack that I believe is included with the BCD. He opened it up and pulled out regulator (no need for octo as he had the Air2), 3mm full wetsuit, mask, and BCD—it was like the clowns piling out of the car at the circus. A pair of Scubaro Go fins (which are not at all bad) was strapped to the outside of the pack. Pretty slick!

That said,I like my Litehawk and my extra $400 in pocket.

 

[scholliosis]

I travel with a Halcyon Infinity Carbon BP/W - there are two wing nuts to unscrew to remove the backplate from the wing and tank adapter. This allows me to put my tank weight in my carry on and save lots of weight in the checked bag. Also allows for ease of packing when the BC is disassembled (and easily re-assembled). Its pricey but I highly recommend it if you have the resources.

 

[stuartv]

Interesting and good to know. The weight I quoted for both was directly from the Scubapro web site (which is currently down for maintenance or I'd post a link).

I believe you. But, I wouldn't be surprised if that is the weight of the whole package you get, which includes both waist belts, the backpack, and the LPI hose. Dumb, but they wouldn't be the first manufacturer to do stuff like that. I.e. too busy to have someone sitting around weighing every product, so they just have a computer program that adds up all the weights of all the components that go into the package and then list that as the product weight.

 

[stuartv]

That said,I like my Litehawk and my extra $400 in pocket.

Roger that! Fo' sho'!

If I had to just go out and buy a new BCD, at full price, I'm pretty sure the $299 BP/W package from DGX would be on order LOOONG before a Hydros at $889. They Hydros is nicer (to me, of course). But, not $600 nicer! To me. "Worth it" is up to every individual and their own wallet. And I'm cheap.

 

[woodcarver]

The AL Outlaw is another, significantly less expensive, and lightweight option. No pockets, but has web loops for attachment points. Modular system that can be fitted well. I think they say 27 possible configurations.
Simple takedown with no tools. Medium is under 5 pounds

 

[Doctorfish]

I have a Diverite BP/Wing setup and eventually got fed up with the weight and bulk. I bought a Scubapro Lighthawk last year and could't be happier with it for recreational and travel. Very light weight, comfortable, folds up for travel and does everything I need for tropical diving and underwater photography. I have only used the Lighthawk for about 50 dives so far so cannot comment on long term durability yet.