Good BCD under £300

[duppy_conquerer]

The other thing is that the Elite has the quick release buckles, which some people like for donning and doffing, but which I find totally unnecessary

I find getting Jacket BCDs on difficult without undoing the buckles on the straps, although harness look much easier to slip into..

I've heard that some dive stores allow you to test out equipment in a pool (although haven't yet found one that does). If that's thats the case I'll have to try with and without the buckles and see..
Also If I were to go for buckles I don't see why I couldn't just cut of the excess D-Rings

BTW, I've been offered a dive rite aluminium backplate for £46, half the price they cost in stores here. As I travel a lot I had been thinking aluminium would be better than steel - so is the offer a no brainer?

Thanks so much for all you help!

D

 

[doctormike]

I find getting Jacket BCDs on difficult without undoing the buckles on the straps, although harness look much easier to slip into..

That's unusual, but I guess it would depend on what your shoulder mobility is and whether or not you were using a jacket that fit well...

BTW, I've been offered a dive rite aluminium backplate for £46, half the price they cost in stores here. As I travel a lot I had been thinking aluminium would be better than steel - so is the offer a no brainer?

Personal preference and depends on your weighting requirements.

I myself travel with a steel backplate. Yes, it is an extra six pounds in my luggage, but I think that six pounds distributes very nicely, especially as compared to a weight belt (which I don't like). If I'm diving somewhere warm with a 3 mm shortie and an aluminum 80 (i.e. the Caribbean), it's nice to need very little added trim weight. If I was skinnier, I probably wouldn't need any at all! So if you dive with an aluminum backplate, it is likely that you will need to put those extra pounds back on your rig somehow... and if you dive at home in a dry suit, you are probably going to use a steel backplate as well (again, depends on a lot of things like your undergarments, your tanks, your personal buoyancy, etc..).

Mike

 

[duppy_conquerer]

Weight belts aren't really an issue for me as I generally need to put very little on them - Also I was under the impression that it was good to have some of the weight somewhere easily ditchable?

Also, on a side note It just occurred to me that when I was doing the rescue course one of the exercises involved towing & performing rescue breaths on an unconscious diver whilst taking off there gear in the water. Taking the BCD off the diver was pretty easy - but I did it by undoing the
strap buckles. Would having a harness without buckles not make a situation like this more awkward?

 

[doctormike]

Weight belts aren't really an issue for me as I generally need to put very little on them - Also I was under the impression that it was good to have some of the weight somewhere easily ditchable?

Controversial, and many threads about that here. Ditching weight is mainly a surface thing, and more of an issue when you need a lot of weight (say, with a heavy exposure suit and an aluminum tank).

Also, on a side note It just occurred to me that when I was doing the rescue course one of the exercises involved towing & performing rescue breaths on an unconscious diver whilst taking off there gear in the water. Taking the BCD off the diver was pretty easy - but I did it by undoing the
strap buckles. Would having a harness without buckles not make a situation like this more awkward?

I don't think that you need to have quick releases in the shoulder straps to release someone from a BCD - not really as hard as it might seem at first.

 

[duppy_conquerer]

Okay, I think you've got me convinced on the single harness

Just been looking at wings and was thinking maybe the dive rite travel wing as I use minimal weight, but for something to be used in cold water aswell might I be better off with something with a little more lift? I also saw a hollis S38 which wasn't much pricier

 

[doctormike]

Okay, I think you've got me convinced on the single harness

Just been looking at wings and was thinking maybe the dive rite travel wing as I use minimal weight, but for something to be used in cold water aswell might I be better off with something with a little more lift? I also saw a hollis S38 which wasn't much pricier

Yeah, that's the advantage of a modular system like a BP/W... you can customize it from dive to dive. I have a singles wing and a doubles wing.

 

[duppy_conquerer]

so would you suggest getting separate wings for warm and cold water?

 

[doctormike]

so would you suggest getting separate wings for warm and cold water?

Generally, you select the wing based on the size of your tanks (doubles vs. singles) and the amount of lift you need (based on your exposure suit and your overall buoyancy). Of course, this will vary as your gear varies. I'm not an expert on this, but you might want to contact either Tobin (DSS) or the people at Dive Gear Express, if your local dive shop doesn't carry BP/Ws..

Mike

 

[ams511]

The wing should have enough lift to float the rig with a full tank without the diver and compensate for the change in buoyancy of the diver at depth. Usually a wing with a 30 lb lift should be enough for cold water and is manageable for warm water. Google "balanced rig" and you will find articles and videos describing the concept.

---------- Post added November 9th, 2013 at 08:03 PM ----------

I don't think that you need to have quick releases in the shoulder straps to release someone from a BCD - not really as hard as it might seem at first.

You need to be able to get their arms through the straps. This is often easier said than done because many people (newbies) have their harness adjusted too tightly.If you really need to get the harness off in a hurry you can always cut it off. This would ruin a BC but on a BP/W the person would just need to spend $10 on new webbing.

---------- Post added November 9th, 2013 at 08:18 PM ----------

Okay, I think you've got me convinced on the single harness

Harnesses come in many types and prices. For example you can buy a basic 1 piece HOG harness for $32 or a "Deluxe Harness with QR for $40. Then you get into the more expensive type harnesses like the Dive Rite Transplate which cost $120, the main difference over the deluxe is the padding and extra D rings. Lastly you have a Transpac type harness which is over $300 and can be used with or without a plate. IMHO, they are not worth the cost. People popo padding, but it may be beneficial if you have a long walk from where you kit up to the entry point. Underwater the padding is useless.

My recommendation would be to purchase a the deluxe harness with QR (if you think you would like it) and some extra webbing and if the deluxe harness does not work out you can restring the plate with the extra webbing and reuse the triglides and D-rings. You would only loose $10-$15 dollars doing so.

I know you are in the UK and the prices are different but you can get an idea of the different pricing levels.

 

[duppy_conquerer]

Ok, went for the dive rite deluxe harness, and went for an aluminium backplate.

The wing should have enough lift to float the rig with a full tank without the diver and compensate for the change in buoyancy of the diver at depth.

Been googling balanced rig, and I get the weighting part, but why does a rig need more lift to float in cold water?

Anyway, decided to go for just a warm water, single tank wing, so should 25lbs lift be okay ?