Considering Back Inflate

[kneptoon]

I moved over to BI a couple of years ago. The fit is great and it feels more streamlined. But I don't understand this business of how much more the BI assures good horizontal profile as opposed to a jacket. How much air do you actually add to the BC at depth. This is as an argument for BI over a jacket is moot. There are two negatives with the BI from my experience. As a rescue diver you cannot float high enough at surface to administer mouth to mouth resuscitation. Yes sometimes it helps to float like a cork. The other issue are pockets. BI are pretty sparse with pockets. Jackets have big deep pockets. Take an inventory of things you want to carry. Will the pockets hold it all? Or is everything festooned off D rings, adding to drags & snags. I am not passionate about either. When I went to buy my BI the local LDS suggested a Backplate w/wings, the issue was pockets and integrated weights. But really the pockets. It seems to be an ongoing issue as I read threads on SB regarding storage and BPW. The simplicity of the BPW is much appreciated but compromised with what to do with all the stuff we carry. Good luck, I see I haven't made up my mind yet.

 

[Mako Mark]

once you go back, you will never go........ er, never mind, you know what I mean..

 

[Stu S.]

How much air do you actually add to the BC at depth.

At depth, a diver may have a little air in the BC. A correct diver, anyhow. This small amount of air will accumulate at the upper back portion of the BC. Wing, back inflate, and jacket all do this about he same. The shape of the air container only becomes significant when it is filled, and that's on the surface.

 

[bowlofpetunias]

:blinking:Love my Ladyhawk BI:kiss2: Hated the Oceanic Jacket. I felt squeezed around the chest on the surface. I did heaps of dives in it and felt like I my diaphram was too squeezed to take a decent breath when inflated on the surface. Never got over that feeling. In spite of my normally frugal nature I bought a new BI BC when the original wasn't broke Now I have it as a spare.

Pros gets rid of the chest squeeze. Easy to lay on your back and fin out (we do a lot of shore dives). Easy to pack for travel. I find it easy to maintain horizontal at surface. I have steel tanks when we dive at home but on dive trips using aluminium tanks and lycra have not felt pushed forward in the water. I have no trouble hanging upsidedown laying on my back to get shots above me and rolling back to face down.

Cons as stated pocket space. The roll down pocket is useless! I have bought a DiveRite Mask Pocket that slips on my cummerbun and is perfect to stow my camera for entry exit.
Something that hasn't been mentioned: I find it harder to get the air out of the LadyHawk when I descent. I normally dive in a Sharkskin through the summer and only carry 4 lbs in the trim pockets so normally only need to use air in my lungs for bouyancy adjustments during the dive so this is slightly annoying.

Summary..... you couldn't pay me to go back to a Vest Stye BC. It is an individual thing. I was lucky the LDS has a pool and let me try it there. I wish I hadn't wasted my money on the jacket and delayed correcting the error. I love my LadyHawk!:blinking:

 

[MThomaMT]

I, too, am considering a BI BC. After reading everyone's posts, I'm considering it even more!
Has anyone dove with a Zeagle Zena? I've read reviews and everyone seems to love it, but I need more confirmation before I go out and spend a fortune. Does it have a good integrated weight system? Does it fit well when drysuit diving? Will it fit over a DUI and a 7mm john and jacket?
I'm 5'6", 125 with a short torso and I guess you could say "blessed" in the chest (not trying to brag...no, really, I'm not). What sizing would work for me?
Do the ladies out there have some recommedations?
Thanks for the info!!

 

[potato cod]

I, too, am considering a BI BC. After reading everyone's posts, I'm considering it even more!
Has anyone dove with a Zeagle Zena? I've read reviews and everyone seems to love it, but I need more confirmation before I go out and spend a fortune. Does it have a good integrated weight system? Does it fit well when drysuit diving? Will it fit over a DUI and a 7mm john and jacket?
I'm 5'6", 125 with a short torso and I guess you could say "blessed" in the chest (not trying to brag...no, really, I'm not). What sizing would work for me?
Do the ladies out there have some recommedations?
Thanks for the info!!

I haven't dove the Zena, but I know a lot of ladies here love theirs. I mostly do warm water diving, but I'm located by lots of cooler water and because I wanted the ability to dive dry eventually, my LDS steered me away from the Zena and towards the Zeagle LaZer. They suggested this model because the corset-type front of the Zena can apparently get in the way of the front air valve on dry suits. The Lazer is designed for both travel and temperate diving and has a more traditional fit compared to the Zena. On the LaZer, the sternum strap has two different loops so you can move it up or down to get it out of the way of "the girls."

So far, I love this bc! I've had it in the pool, and can't wait to get it into the ocean next month. It's BI and I find it so easy to keep horizontal and no chest squeeze. It also has two zippered pockets, which seemed to be lacking in many other BI models. I like a little storage space for my light, signal mirror, etc.

Both the Zena and Lazer have integrated weights (zippered pockets and trim pockets) that hold up to 50 pounds of weight (30 ripcord pockets, 20 rear trim pockets)--although I can't imaging diving with that much! The ripcord is a one-handed release for both pockets, so that is nice.

The modular fit system means that your dive shop or Scuba Toys
or wherever you buy from will be able to fit you personally.

Good luck and happy shopping!

 

[SynCitizen]

Anyone have the womens bc by mares allikai....thinking of getting that one...just wish it came in pink ...that soft blue is not my color...but love the mares products ...have their pink mask, snorkle and fins...they just need a pink accent bc...i may have to get the pearl but not sure i will like that one

Same BC but in all black is the Icon. I really like mine so far.

Dive_Chica, have you checked out LVDivers.com? We're a small but growing group in Vegas. If you'd like to meet up for one of our dives your welcome to check out my Mares Icon BC.

 

[4sak3n]

At depth, a diver may have a little air in the BC. A correct diver, anyhow. This small amount of air will accumulate at the upper back portion of the BC. Wing, back inflate, and jacket all do this about he same. The shape of the air container only becomes significant when it is filled, and that's on the surface.

So divers who dive in thick wetsuits (2 piece, 14mm across the chest etc) aren't correct divers then?

Or divers who dive with large cylinders with LOTS of gas in them?

I agree with you that ideally you want as little gas in your BC as possible and that even with large amounts of gas in your BC they still perform very similarly underwater ... but don't make broad, sweeping generalisations. Sometimes gas in your BC is unavoidable.

I also think the whole "better trim underwater" thing comes from people talking about bp/w setups with their extra ballast over the lungs rather than where the air goes. But then again, most back inflate BCs have trim pockets on the back which approximate this behaviour as well.

 

[Nismo]

I learned on back inflate and I own one. I find it to be more comfortable than the jacket rented on my first dive trip. Not over inflating and putting a few pounds in each rear trim pouch will prevent you from being pushed face down. On my recent trip to Curacao, I could get into all sorts of positions to take pictures, no problems. Not really any different than what I could do in the jacket rental.

 

[potato cod]

I also think the whole "better trim underwater" thing comes from people talking about bp/w setups with their extra ballast over the lungs rather than where the air goes. But then again, most back inflate BCs have trim pockets on the back which approximate this behaviour as well.

Yup, this is what I was refering to in my earlier post. My back inflate BC has releasable rear trim pockets and I put half of my weight in them. Makes a HUGE difference in my trim. There may be some jackets with rear trim pockets, but I never encountered one while I was renting.