First BCD: an embarras du choix

[snowman40]

Hi all!

I recently got into scuba diving, and am currently working on getting my CMAS 1* certificate. So, a scuba virgin, if you want.

But, I fell in love, and it actually became my favourite hobby quite fast. So I'm dedicated to really get into it and get the best out of it.

I'm looking to buy my very first BCD. I've dived a few times with a jacket-style BCD, and a few times with a wing-style BCD. I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or not, but with a jacket-style BCD I just keep rolling from side to side when flutter kicking, whereas I feel very stable with a wing-style BCD.

I've read some articles, forum posts etc. and understand that indeed, wings tend to keep you in a more stable, horizontal trim if correctly weighted and ... well, trimmed.

So, the first question is: should I indeed buy a wing-style BCD, even if it is my first BCD? For the record, I'm looking for a single-tank BCD.

Then comes the question which one. As I mentioned in the title, this is a real embarras du choix (overchoice). I have a few wing-style BCD's that appeal to me:

• Scubapro Hydros Pro
• Oceanic Excursion
• Apeks Exotec
• XDEEP Zen
• XDEEP Zeos
• OMS Comfort III Signature Performance

I've been through lots of threads, reviews and YouTube videos on these BCDs, but they don't seem to solve my embarras du choix. They all seem appropriate, but that doesn't help me. Even the direct comparison of the Zen and Zeos on XDEEP's website doesn't help me to choose between either of the two.

How would I know which BCD I would feel most comfortable with? Ordering all of them is not much of an option, and trying them out regularly offends return policies Does someone have experience with one or more of these BCDs? Which factors would determine which BCD would be more or less appropriate for me? Assume that budget doesn't take part in the decision-making (well, upper limit is €1,000).

For the record, dives will mostly be in Belgian waters, mostly fresh, non-salty, and will, hopefully, gradually be deeper and deeper, depending on progress.

Thanks all!

Calatinus

Lots of people rave about wings, I've got one for twinset diving, but still dive in a jacket style BCD when on a single - I like having pockets!

I don't find much difference personally, but if you prefer the feeling of a wing, just buy a wing!

M

 

[Wibble]

With just a brief internet search it looks like nonweighted STAs weigh around 2.2 pounds and then there are weighted STAs that weigh 5 pounds or more.

If you are strictly using the BPW for cold water and need the weight or are switching from a single wing to a doubles wing occasionally they make sense.

My contention is that 90% of divers do not fall into either of these categories.

For this 90% of divers buying a wing without stabilization bars makes no sense.

As ever, there's more than one way of doing something. You've a preference for one way, I've a preference for another.

We're both right.

 

[Brett Hatch]

I dive my OMS 32lb wing in all water temps. I have found that it is plenty of lift for my 8mm wetsuit, which is gonna be roughly as much neoprene as a 7mm + 3mm vest. However I do agree that if you're diving in water that cold, a drysuit may be on your horizon. Take the $500 you are saving yourself by getting a regular BPW, and put it toward a drysuit. SeaSkins can be had for around $1000, and they are made to order from scratch (so the fit is great!).

I agree that for the wings in this thread, an STA is not required. I dived my OMS wing that way for something like 100-150 dives. And after awhile, I got sick of the soft stabilizers, and coughed up the $50 for an STA, which I now greatly prefer. It can be skipped if you want to save $50, but IMHO it is worth the cost.

As for the shoulder straps. I did a dive trip to Mexico last year, where the ocean water temp was in 29C/85F range. I did 2-4 dives per day for several days in just a T-shirt and swimming trunks. It did not bother my shoulder one bit, with just the plain 2" nylon straps. But, if you think you'll be more comfortable in a pool with the straps, you can certainly try it. They probably just run, what, $20 or so?

 

[Calatinus]

Okay, thanks everyone for the elaborations! Got some really useful insights. I'll start with trying out 'basic' few-to-no-fuss BP/Ws from Tecline and XDeep, and see where we're going from there. To be continued ...

 

[Wibble]

Small note. Backplates are cheap second hand and don’t break. A one piece harness — even Halcyon— is cheap. Wings are half price second hand if you can find them.

 

[Calatinus]

Perhaps a stupid question I can't seem to solve using Google: which part of the wing is the stabilisation bar? I reckon it stabilises the tank onto the wing ... but I don't see which part is actually the stabilisation bar. Can someone maybe point it on a picture and indicate how it is used?

 

[Zef]

Not all wings have tank stabilisation. The wing below is made by Apeks. Some wings have longer sections of stabilizers. In my opinion they are nice to have but not particularly necessary. My wife and I use Dive Rite Voyager wings which do not have stabilizers and we do not use STAs either. We use 2 cam straps each to secure our tanks to our back plates and have never had any issues with tanks rolling.

Here are the stablizers on a Tecline wing:

-Z

 

[Calatinus]

Not all wings have tank stabilisation. The wing below is made by Apeks. Some wings have longer sections of stabilizers. In my opinion they are nice to have but not particularly necessary. My wife and I use Dive Rite Voyager wings which do not have stabilizers and we do not use STAs either. We use 2 cam straps each to secure our tanks to our back plates and have never had any issues with tanks rolling.

View attachment 773786

Here are the stablizers on a Tecline wing:
View attachment 773787

-Z

Ahh ... Clarity! Merci!

 

[MidOH]

I often use DGX bolts on my wings, which lessens the effect from the stabilizers. Wobble is still less than an STA. Kind of a non issue. We arent paint shakers.

 

[lowwall]

Here's a close-up of the upper part of a wing with stabilizers. The stabilizers are the little fabric covered rods between the cam band slots. They help center the tank and lock everything into place securely when the cam bands are tightened. The wing is attached to its plate via the cam bands. You can see the upper band threaded through its slots.

That upper grommet plus a matching one on the bottom is for bolting the wing to the plate. This is completely optional, it is equally stable either way when cinched down on a tank. Bolting it makes it a little easier to handle, but harder to take apart for travel, cleaning or swapping wings.

A bit more on the use of STAs. STAs are metal brackets that bolt to the plate and contain slots for the cam bands. The wing fits between the plate and the STA. You had to use an STA on many early wings because they either lacked the slots for the cam bands or had large open areas that didn't positively locate the wing and tank. Here's some examples:

Also some early, specialized, or oddball plates don't have the necessary slots for the bands and thus require an STA. Here's an example:

But modern wings and most plates don't need an STA. The only reasons to use one are 1) you have multiple plates or wings and you'd rather unbolt and rebolt an STA than unthread and rethread a pair of cam bands or 2) you want to add weight to your rig.

The disadvantages are that it moves the tank farther from your back which makes you a little more tippy when you lean side to side and it's extra work to clean your rig after a dive.