Jacket style BC w/ weight pockets that's light weight?

[glocklt4]

I currently have an Oceanic (model escapes me right now) that I like a lot, however it's just pretty heavy for traveling. My wife and I are going on a month long trip to Asia/Aus and doing about 8 days of diving. We really like to have our own equipment with us. Her Zeagle Zena is really light and compact (back inflate), but mine is bulky and weighs down our scuba bag. For a long trip like this where we're only diving 25% of the time it'd be nice to not be lugging around a heavy scuba bag the whole time .

So any recommendations around the $300-350 mark?

Requirements:

Jacket Style
Dumpable weights
Two nice pockets on the front (not for weights)
2-3 Stainless D's (could live without though i guess)
Light weight (doesn't need to be SUPER lightweight, but 2-3lb lighter than what i have now)

One's I have seen that might meet this but are higher priced than I'd like:

Oceanic Probe Lx ($450 though...)
Sherwood Magnum ($410....)
Cressie Sub Aquaride ($400...)

Does Zeagle not make jacket style??

I may need to just bite the bullet and go for a slightly more expensive one possibly. I intend to dive at least a few times a year the next few years.

Thanks!

 

[Jorgy]

Based on your criteria the Aqualung Zuma would be my choice.......

ScubaLab: BCs - Aqua Lung Zuma | Scuba Diving

But it has plastic D-Rings and is back inflate.....

M

 

[glocklt4]

Based on your criteria the Aqualung Zuma would be my choice.......

ScubaLab: BCs - Aqua Lung Zuma | Scuba Diving

But it has plastic D-Rings and is back inflate.....

M

I think I could live with the plastic D's since it does reduce weight, but I'm pretty partial to jacket style just for personal preference. Thanks for the recommendation though and i'll consider it if I end up going with a back inflate .

 

[divin'dog]

Try the Aeris EX1000. I bought one but have not been in the water with it yet so can't talk about it's in-water character. I ordered it because it had everything I wanted in a BCD including 2 voluminous pockets, light-weight (6+lbs), hard-pack tank holder, rear trim weight pockets, tank hanger, etc. It is well-made (better than I thought after reading about it) and has integrated weight pockets. I originally had a ScubaPro Glide Plus but it was too heavy and bulky, not my style. I wanted something more minimal and this fits the bill just right.

I'm a jacket guy and after diving one for 20+ yrs, I've never had a problem with buoyancy and trim or feeling squeezed. I'm probably in the minority though.

Aeris EX 100 Jacket Style BCD with QLR Weight Pockets, Black
Sale price is $213 with shipping included... but you have to call. To me, a great value.

 

[jnorris]

On this subject, anybody have any experience with the Cressi Travelite? I've been thinking about this BC but can't find any real hands-on reports on it.

 

[glocklt4]

Try the Aeris EX1000. I bought one but have not been in the water with it yet so can't talk about it's in-water character. I ordered it because it had everything I wanted in a BCD including 2 voluminous pockets, light-weight (6+lbs), hard-pack tank holder, rear trim weight pockets, tank hanger, etc. It is well-made (better than I thought after reading about it) and has integrated weight pockets. I originally had a ScubaPro Glide Plus but it was too heavy and bulky, not my style. I wanted something more minimal and this fits the bill just right.

I'm a jacket guy and after diving one for 20+ yrs, I've never had a problem with buoyancy and trim or feeling squeezed. I'm probably in the minority though.

Aeris EX 100 Jacket Style BCD with QLR Weight Pockets, Black
Sale price is $213 with shipping included... but you have to call. To me, a great value.

Thanks for the suggestion. So they have it on sale only if you call?

 

[glocklt4]

On this subject, anybody have any experience with the Cressi Travelite? I've been thinking about this BC but can't find any real hands-on reports on it.

That looks like a pretty nice BC. I'm might have to see if Scuba Toys has one to check out. I'm in Dallas so they are local for me.

 

[divin'dog]

Thanks for the suggestion. So they have it on sale only if you call?

If you click on the link, it will take you to the EX100 page. Look closely where it says you can trade in any old BC to get the discount...
"Send in your old BCD, any age any model from any manufacturer, Get the Aeris EX 100 BCD for a special Trade in price, call us at 800.637.6880."http://www.leisurepro.com/Downloads/aertradein.html

I ordered mine and was told with a "wink" that I could order the BC and send in my trade later... but the person I spoke with wasn't really expecting me to send anything in. Discount price is $198 or $199 then add shipping even though it says free. Discounted items do not ship for free as I found out. LeisurePro was very good to deal with and the item came NEXT day!

Only negatives on this BC is that the tank strap is really stiff (brand new). I'm replacing it with a ScubaPro tank strap anyway. And the rear trim pockets are closed only with velcro. It's a good size piece of velcro, not flimsy, but I will be sewing small positive clip locks on the flap. Other than that, a nice piece of equipment. Better quality than my previous SeaQuest BC and that one lasted 20 yrs. For me, it's a nice 'tweener... looks like it's light enough to take on trips and durable enough to dive locally. Again, haven't been in the water with it, but it sure looks promising.

One nice feature... pockets are absolutely huge from the top of the zipper to the very bottom of the BC.

 

[divin'dog]

On this subject, anybody have any experience with the Cressi Travelite? I've been thinking about this BC but can't find any real hands-on reports on it.

Before I bought my Aeris, I ordered one at my shop. Agreement was I didn't have to buy it if I didn't like it... It's a nice quality BC. Well made and looks nice. Only reason I didn't buy it is because it's a soft tank cradle with 2 straps. One strap is the standard cinch down strap and the other is a velcro top strap to keep the tank from flopping over. I tried it on (dry) with a tank and didn't like the floppiness of the tank behind me (as compared to my own with a hard cradle). It's really not that bad but I want the tank to pretty much respond to my body and not feel like it has too much play behind me. Not sure if all soft tank cradles are like that or what it would feel like once it's in the water. Some people won't mind but I like to dive horizontal, vertical, on my side, upside down, inside out, etc and don't want a tank flopping around that much while I'm in a non-standard dive attitude. Hope that helps.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Only negatives on this BC is that the tank strap is really stiff (brand new). I'm replacing it with a ScubaPro tank strap anyway.

Any chance for a close up pic of the in/deflate buttons? I have seen people have problems with big, wrap around inflate buttons, when trying to deflate while stressed.