Chute III

[mxracer19]

has anyone tried the oceanic chute 3 yet? im seriously considering that as it feels very rugged and fits me nicely.

thanks
-Matt

 

[crab]

I had a Chute II for a few years and thought is was generally OK. The Chute III is really the same BC, just renamed for marketing purposes. My main gripe with the Chute II was that it was really too bulky and ill-designed to function effectively for what it appears to be designed for-- namely demanding dive conditions. It features enormous pockets that work great for creating drag in the water and is festooned with vast quantities of fixed D-rings that are largely ill-placed and for the most part ended up going unused. Most critical though, was that although the BC was relatively confortable to carry around heavy tank/equipment loads on the surface, it was generally unstable (tank shift and riding up) in the water.

Of course all of this is just my opinion. You may dive it and find that it is the best thing since sliced bread. What are you replacing to get this BC? I'm assuming that it will be your first since you are a new diver. What other BC's have you tried? See if you can't try out some other setups in the water before parting with such a large chunck of cash.

 

[mxracer19]

thanks for the info. I was origionally thinking of the zeagle scout, but the weight system on that with all those cords running through and whatnot...my lds told me theyre not the best because of the weights but im sure there are enough zeagle users on this board to bring up other opinions. I liked the scout because it looked lightweight, and Im not going to be needing much flotation with a single AL80 in florida. iv also come across the scout for 225, vs the 365 pricetag on the chute III...however this is an investment, so money isnt THAT big of a deal to me. I considered a bp/w setup but just cant justify spending 400 for a piece of steel, 2 inch webbing and a bladder...if i were to dive that setup i would design my own. the chute III did seem to be a bit draggish. basically id like a pocket for my diveslate and tables should that lovely wristmount computer crap out, and another pocket for a small light to use occasionally. Ill probobly end up buying the scout unless someone on this board has bad experiances with something on it.

thanks again
-Matt

 

[ScottZeagle]

Matt,

I used a Scout BC as my "main" BC for 5 years (until we came out with the Stiletto) and found it to be lightweight, easy to use, and a great warm water BC. It only has rear weight pockets, but in the summer I only use about 6-8 lbs of lead, so that isn't a big factor for me. If it has one drawback, it would be a lack of pockets - however you can add accessory pockets very easily.

The Scout BC isn't for everyone, but if your main diving is warm water with little weight required, it is a great BC, imho...

Good luck, whatever you choose!!!

Scott

 

[Mitchell]

I have a chute 3 and have used it for 3 years. I like it. Seems solid. My only gripe recently is that I can't reach the pockets and the weights pockets are kinda of bulky. I am changing over to a backplate and wing before the season starts. I thought the same thing that for the price it was good. My other gripe is that if anything goes wrong with my bc I wouldn't be able to fix or change. So again, I am changing my whole attitude towards equipment.

 

[jayrobb]

I have a chute 3 and have used it for 3 years. I like it. Seems solid. My only gripe recently is that I can't reach the pockets and the weights pockets are kinda of bulky. I am changing over to a backplate and wing before the season starts. I thought the same thing that for the price it was good. My other gripe is that if anything goes wrong with my bc I wouldn't be able to fix or change. So again, I am changing my whole attitude towards equipment.

changing your attitude huh...only took 97 questions asked 8,379 times each!!!

just kidding my friend

 

[Mitchell]

I believe it was 104 questions askes and rising and 8,546 times each...toooocheee

 

[SHARKBAIT94]

Im still new to the whole dive scene and i use a chute III and i love it fits me like a glove and has everything i need right where i like it. Yes the weight pockets could be a little slimmer i'll guess but very easy to ditch if need be and they would just ditch them selfs.
just my two cents

 

[jayrobb]

I believe it was 104 questions askes and rising and 8,546 times each...toooocheee

same thing...six of one, half a dozen of another. wait, sounds like the way you buy something...six of one (question), half a dozen of another (question)

 

[BIGSAGE136]

I have had the Chute III for approximately 80 dives now, and it still looks and feels brand new. It dives excellent. Its very comfortable, BUT.......drum roll please...It does not pack well. It is bulky. Period. No other way to put it.

Diving it is like diving in an easy chair. You will like this BC. If you are planning on doing a lot of travel however you may want to try something a bit more portable.