First Bcd Research

[Slym]

So I have been researching this last week of which bcd I will want when it comes time to buy one and I have narrowed my search down to three brands:

Halcyon- as the Halcyon Infinity is what I am using in my open water class
HOG- as they are a pretty budget price and have decent reviews
DSS- as they seem to have a great reputation and are within my budget

I am looking to get a BP/W and don't want anything to do with a jacket. If it helps I am 6'1" and around 160 pounds. Eventually down the road I want to dive wrecks, I am not interested in caves, and not too interested in dry suits either. That may change slightly as I am still learning how to dive. My budget is nothing really above $850 CAD. I really want a quality backplate/wings that can grow with me if I decide to go doubles or tech diving.

My LDS sells all three brands but really supports Halcyon; when I asked about the other two brands I felt kinda discouraged from them with the reasoning being: they don't come with the same setup as H comes with (pockets, integrated weights, ect) and the price all works out to be about the same after you make the add ons to the other brands, also they supported the quality of H which I know is like the quality of a Ferrari in the dive world.

One thing I don't like is the large hip pockets on H but I found out the Traveller has back weights which are appealing and since I dive with a long hose I can get a stick to hold the hose near my thigh.

All I am looking for is some experienced advice and hopefully a more unbiased review

 

[tursiops]

@tbone1004 is probably typing a long, detailed response right now.

You will not go wrong with any of the three, but you should note that you'll pay (a lot?) more to get that H, and if the accessories it comes with are not exactly the one's you'd prefer to have, then it is hardly a selling point. Me, I'd go with HOG or DSS and customize it to be exactly what I want. DSS will help you do that.

 

[JBFG]

I love my hog gear. You don't need pockets, padding or anything like that on your pbw.

Pockets for gear go on the exposure suit

Weight belt for weights, not on BPW

 

[decompression]

Those are all excellent and you can't go wrong with any of them.
I have all three....


...........waiting on tbones post for details.

 

[tbone1004]

Hey now.... touche though, he asked

I assume you're training with Dan's Dive Shop because that's the only shop I know of that trains in Halcyon gear in the Niagara region....

I'll keep this short. Halcyon is high quality but hellaciously overpriced for what they are. Don't buy the traveler if you're diving locally, you want the weight on your back not your hips.
HOG no longer represents a good value in backplates, so I'd go elsewhere. Doesn't make them bad, but for similar reasons to the Halcyon, they are priced wrong for what they are
DSS is best overall value, and you can put the weight plates on there if you need to. No need for pockets on the bc, it's a bad place for them put them on your suit, and no need for weight pouches imho, but if you do Dive Gear Express has them for quite cheap. Comes with the knife to tuck your long hose under

 

[Slym]

Yessir you are correct, I am diving with Dan's, very decent shop!

haha yea that's true, I'll stick to mini coopers. Also would I not be able to buy a SS backplate to mount on the traveller? And what is wrong with HOG now that makes them a poor choice? Is that just the backplate you are referring to or the whole system? The only thing that I worry about with the DSS is the stitched wing, if I damage the bladder I cannot repair or replace it myself, other than that though I love the look of it.

 

[JBFG]

You definitely want to go with a SS plate especially if you are going to dive locally.

A simple 1 piece harness is all you need.
I dive a 32 lbs wing and its plenty for Canada.

 

[tbone1004]

I don't like or recommend stacking backplates. It get's really interesting, especially with STA's. You have to get longer bolts, and it's just not worth it. The DSS kydex plate is much better than the Nylon version that Halcyon uses. If you choose the LCD series wings, they are not stitched shut.

HOG is just a poor choice because of how relatively expensive they are. When they first came out they were half the price of other rigs on the market. For an extra $50 you can go from HOG to Deep Sea Supply, get much nicer backplate, and the wing designs are better imho, especially since the DSS has the ability to remove the wing without removing the cam bands which makes storage and cleaning much easier. Halcyon has the STA which allows this as well, but isn't worth paying 50% more over the DSS rig.

 

[Slym]

I am not familiar with kydex, what is it, an alloy?

And certainly true, but the only thing I am concerned with is (if I understand it correctly) one cannot replace the bladder if it is damaged, you've got to replace the whole wing. Their quality is exceptional from what I have heard, but the maintenance in that aspect seems to be a little difficult. Fingers crossed one never damages the bladder, but accidents do happen.

 

[tbone1004]

kydex is a type of plastic, typically used to make gun holsters and what not. It is stronger and not water permeable. Yes the Halcyon plate will absorb water, and it takes a while for it to come out. It also degrades in chlorine and sunlight, so don't take it in the pool on a regular basis. Due to the strength issues it has to be made much thicker than the kydex plates, and that is why it weighs just as much as a stainless steel backplate... The DSS plate has a stainless steel spine and webbing attachment points though which means it can be used with doubles, which the traveler can't. One of the common complaints with aluminum and plastic plates is that the bolt holes round out. Well the bolts are stainless steel which is harder than plastic and aluminum, so of course they'll round out. The stainless spine of the kydex plate allows it to wear like a steel plate. It's also a LOT lighter than the traveler, the traveler weighs just as much as a standard backplate at 5.6lbs, which means it is a terrible compromise in a backplate. You remove almost all of the versatility, and you get no real advantages over something like a Transpac. It's just a poor series of compromises in the design.

The LCD series has a removable bladder, the Torus series does not. Due to the material quality that is used, the only time you would have to repair it is if you damaged it with a pinch flat, which is operator error, and the LCD will be less prone to that due to being a horseshoe design. My preferred singles rig is a stainless long backplate *6'3" but with short legs*, and the LCD30 for reference. The 30 is big enough for most dives *except 7mm farmer johns and big steel tanks*, and it is still sleek enough that if I'm in a drysuit and an AL80, or in the ocean without exposure protection and not using the wing, that it doesn't wrap around.

If you choose Halcyon, stay with stainless steel and avoid the traveler. It just isn't worth it. Also remember that while it has weight pockets, you still have to buy the lead, and lead isn't cheap. Save $100 sticker and get the DSS rig with an LCD30, and if you are needing ~14lbs of lead, I'd buy the weight plates that bolt on so you don't have to deal with a weight belt and you'll still be cheaper than the Traveler with a more versatile rig...