First BCD any Suggestions?

[stuartv]

Thanks for your insight! I think that the “small improvements” that you mentioned really depend on the person. I have tried on a BP/W by Halcyon and after 15 years of football my back was just not comfortable. I’ve had way too many injuries and 100s of hours of physical therapy. So comfort is my top priority and worth sacrificing for! I’m happy that you find joy in your BP/W, one of the most amazing things I find about this activity is there is so many great ways to enjoy it.

Gotcha. If comfort is your top priority, then the Hydros is a great choice.

Your OP said:

What’s really important to me is quality, longevity, and performance.

That is where the BP/W would be a potentially better choice. Quality in a BP/W really just comes down to what wing you put on it - and there are very good choices that are at least as high quality as the wing in a Hydros.

The BP/W wins hands down on longevity.

A BP/W with a well-chosen wing will also win easily on peformance. More streamlined in the water. More easily carry the things you need to carry. Allow you to use a scooter. Allow you to carry less lead. Allow you to carry your tank closer to your own body for further improvement in streamlining. You can even choose a wing that will dry as quickly as the Hydros.

But, yeah, if comfort is your top priority, then the Hydros is a better choice for you.

 

[ams511]

I have tried on a BP/W by Halcyon and after 15 years of football my back was just not comfortable.

If you tried it on in a dive shop then you may want to reconsider. When in the water you are not going to feel it, especially if you are wearing neoprene. Halcyon makes great gear, but they are wedded to the DIR philosophy and use a single continuous piece of webbing for the harness. They have their reasons for doing that, but for it to work properly it needs to be properly fitted. I had an Eclipse 30 system which I sold. There are other backplate/harness systems on the market that may be more comfortable given your physical constraints. For example you could try a Dive Rite transplate with padding or transpac system. That is an advantage of a BP/W system, you can build what you want to suit your needs.

 

[Mike (Annapolis MD)]

My two cents, I purchased a Zegal Stiletto in 2015 and traveled quite a bit with it. It came with extra padding for the back portion. I agree with the rent before you buy theory if you can find the right rental. If you can’t rent it go with your gut.

My last thought is most BCD’s can be modified and Zegal has not let me down with the little tweaks I made.

Good luck and stay safe.