Is the BP/W really the best BCD for recreational divers?

[Lorenzoid]

Yes. See above, and the previous 1000 threads that cover this. While you might not agree with all of these points as benefits, they certainly have been made in this forum! . . . .

It feels like I've read all 1000 threads. Having tried out a borrowed BP/W as I mentioned above and not had the most pleasing initial experience, and as I am about to finally pull the trigger on my first BP/W purchase after much research and discussion both here and offline, I have an uneasy feeling that switching to a standard BP/W will have the same sort of impact on my warm-water recreational diving experience as my neighbor switching to a fixie bike has had on his tooling around town. Just not entirely sure what it's going to do for me, other than satisfy the requirements for the Fundies class I've signed up for. In any event, I'm charging ahead. We will see. Until such time as I become a true convert, provocative threads like this are still going to attract my interest.

 

[rhwestfall]

If you want to float around on the surface in a vertical position, with your head high out of the water, buy a jacket bc.......

For just about everything else, a BP/W (in my opinion) excels in performance to a jacket in regard to scuba activities.

I'm saying this as a convert to a BP/W who does (for now) all single tank diving. It is, however, not going to fix poor skills.

(I'm in a class right now for doubles after 3 years of diving singles with the BP/W and diving for more than 25 years..)

 

[rx7diver]

It feels like I've read all 1000 threads. Having tried out a borrowed BP/W as I mentioned above and not had the most pleasing initial experience, and as I am about to finally pull the trigger on my first BP/W purchase after much research and discussion both here and offline, I have an uneasy feeling ...

Lorenzoid,

A few years ago, anticipating teaching my three young children scuba, I went looking for a new US Divers plastic backpack. I was told that these are no longer being manufactured, so I stepped into my local "Play It Again Sports" store and purchased a used SeaTec (or something like this) plastic backpack with single-piece harness--for $5 iirc. I've spent a week over each of the past three summers teaching my daughters scuba using this SeaTec backpack (with an Al 63 or an Al 80) in a backyard swimming pool. (No exposure wear other than swimsuits.) The combination of plastic backpack, single-piece harness (with no crotch strap), and Al cylinder is so comfortable and so intuitive, that I would be surprised if anyone would have difficulty with it.

Your profile shows that you are a warm water diver, which suggests to me that even if you will be wearing a wing, you will be diving with it virtually empty--if you're wearing a "reasonable" cylinder, that is. If the BP/W your'e considering purchasing does not feel as comfortable and intuitive as a plastic backpack and single-piece harness, then maybe something is wrong with your choice. May I suggest you try a Freedom Plate, instead of a conventional doubles-type BP? I think you'll be surprised at how comfortable and intuitive it is (with a wet suit)--comparable to a plastic backpack! No reason at all to have an "uneasy feeling"!

Safe Diving,

Ronald

 

[Lorenzoid]

Lorenzoid, . . . May I suggest you try a Freedom Plate, instead of a conventional doubles-type BP? I think you'll be surprised at how comfortable and intuitive it is (with a wet suit)--comparable to the plastic backpack!. . . .

In addition to the 1000 threads debating BP/W vs jacket BCs, I've read the Freedom Plate threads with interest. It may be a future purchase. But for now, I'm getting a very standard BP/W rig as a baseline.

 

[Michael Guerrero]

BP/Ws tend to naturally put you in good trim (horizontal) when compared to jacket BCs especially and back-inflate BCs sometimes when considering weighting (over the lungs & CoG). They are also very modular when deciding how many and what types of rings you want.

No clue what a fixie bike is and way too lazy to look it up something I care so little about. If it's a good thing, then I would agree with you. If it's a bad thing, then I would not. If you take a bunch of crap with you, you'll need to find a new place to put it. You can get pockets that fit on the waist strap, or strap around your legs and clip to the waist strap. But you're pretty streamlined in a BP/W.

Lastly for me, you also have more weighting options than a typical BC.