Jacket vs back inflate for new diver?

[thomasj1107]

Thank you all for the replies. Everything y’all are saying leads me to believe that I will gravitate towards the BP/W setup. I hated the way the jacket constricted me. It felt like.

With that being said, what brands/manufacturers should I be looking at for good quality gear in the middle of the road price wise?

Essentially I need the hardness, plate, and wing, that’s the bones of it to get going?

 

[Marie13]

Thank you all for the replies. Everything y’all are saying leads me to believe that I will gravitate towards the BP/W setup. I hated the way the jacket constricted me. It felt like.

With that being said, what brands/manufacturers should I be looking at for good quality gear in the middle of the road price wise?

Essentially I need the hardness, plate, and wing, that’s the bones of it to get going?

I believe someone posted a link to the BP/W package from Dive Gear Express earlier. Get that one. Good value for the $$.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Thank you all for the replies. Everything y’all are saying leads me to believe that I will gravitate towards the BP/W setup. I hated the way the jacket constricted me. It felt like.

With that being said, what brands/manufacturers should I be looking at for good quality gear in the middle of the road price wise?

Essentially I need the hardness, plate, and wing, that’s the bones of it to get going?

I'm half-Dutch, and my family is from a fiscally conservative part of Holland (I wouldn't be surprised if one of my ancestors invented going Dutch).

You can get a harness from a local fabric store for maybe $10. Get the D-rings, slide, buckle, from DGX for a one time cost of $10-$20. Halcyon has a reputation for more durable webbing for more $$$. I also have Deep 6 webbing that has a special coating that I suspect will make it last a lot longer, but I haven't had it long enough to say. For my RB, I have a harness from

A backplate is a backplate. However, in some cases, you may want a "special" backplate. What I mean by "special" is one that is heavier (I have a 10 lb BP for my rebreather) or as I mentioned before, a short one for people who are shorter or a long one who are super tall. Aesthetically, the one Deep 6 used to sell was the nicest looking, but their supplier went out of business due to Covid (Boohoo! I was hoping to standardize at my future dive center. Oh well, hopefully by then they find a new supplier).

As a package, the one from DGX is tough to beat. DGX sells all good equipment. As someone said to me in response to a comment I made, if DGX doesn't sell it, you probably don't need it!

 

[MichaelMc]

Essentially I need the hardness, plate, and wing, that’s the bones of it to get going?

You also need weight pockets. Small trim pockets at least. For me, I would get four small trim pockets (two to three lb capacity) two at shoulder or tank, two at waist.

If you need more weight then you also need some larger ones to accommodate that lead, typically at the sides of the hip and typically quick releasable. These can replace the lower set of trim pockets.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

You also need weight pockets. Small trim pockets at least. For me, I would get four small trim pockets (two to three lb capacity) two at shoulder or tank, two at waist.

Not necessarily. With a SS BP/STA, 5 mil wetsuit, Al80, I don't need any additional weight. For cold water (dry suit) single tank diving, steel cylinder, I do have trim pockets on my cylinder bands.

 

[MichaelMc]

I do have trim pockets on my cylinder bands.

Trim was the big operative word.

For that you need to be able to decide where ballast goes, so at least small trim pockets, and able to move lead, so likely some high and some low.

Unless they are lucky and steel plate is exactly the ballast they need and it is in exactly the right place.

I use these, though I think they went up in price. DGX Gears Small Utility - Trim Weight Pocket, {4 lb | 1.8 kg}

You can mount a small amount of trim lead to the plate or to the channel in the plate with zip ties and gorilla tape, and thus decide where it goes. But pockets are easier to figure out trim with.

For any lead you place low for trim, a weight belt with a modest amount on it, say up to 10 lb, is also an option. But for any extra you want high for trim, you likely want trim pockets.

 

[waterone]

The person can try ANY BP/W. Backplates are backplates, though for taller/shorter people, they'll need the right size. Donut wings (instead of horseshoes) are the way to go as well. Harnesses are harnesses.

Sure, I was talking about trying a bp/w and those... snuggle buddy type bcd's, some still like being wrapped.

I was in Belize where I took my 5 mil wetsuit. With the SS BP and STA


, I didn't need any additional weight when diving with AL80s. It was great. For shore diving with Maui, I don't need to rent weights (as those would be a PITA to carry). Obviously, is I used a steel tank in warm water, I'd have to use my titanium BP or the old plastic BP museum piece I got from @Andrew Dawson

I have added a pocket in the waist to storing things, though my DSMB/spool is clipped on my butt D-ring.

It is nice not to need additional weight in warm water

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

Unless they are lucky and steel plate is exactly the ballast they need and it is in exactly the right place.

I am surprisingly that lucky. I use Deep 6 Eddy fins too, so that helps with avoiding being foot heavy. Though, if I really drain my cylinder, I can't fill my lungs on inhale. But that's a tradeoff I'm willing to make.

 

[mbs]

It's a bit of a schlepp, but I would be tempted to take a road trip down to Dive Gear Express in Pompano and let them set one up for you!

 

[chechr]

Thank you all for the replies. Everything y’all are saying leads me to believe that I will gravitate towards the BP/W setup. I hated the way the jacket constricted me. It felt like.

With that being said, what brands/manufacturers should I be looking at for good quality gear in the middle of the road price wise?

Essentially I need the hardness, plate, and wing, that’s the bones of it to get going?

My 2 cents....I've been diving for 10 years but still consider myself fairly new at it since I've only done 2-3 dives per year. I always struggled with my body position with a jacket style BC, for some reason it was hard for me to achieve effortless horizontal trim. I recently changed to the DGX BP/W setup and I couldn't be happier. I cruise along perfectly level and have had no issues with surface swims out (some say that's tough with a BP/W).