Kids size BCD,

[iceclimb]

Our son Just got Jr Open water cert this weekend, and can’t wait to go again. We are looking at options for gearing him up and though to check here. In the skiing world there is a robust hand me down program for kids online, but we haven’t found one for BCDs.

I know a bunch of folks will say to put him in a wing, and that’s an option, however he got his cert in a Mares Explorer and loved that. And knowing our kiddo it might be best to stay in familiar territory for a while.

Thanks in advance for anything you might have.

 

[BoltSnap]

I'll have a very difficult time recommending Mares BC's (or anything Mares) from experience as they don't hold up very well at all. I have had several Mares BC's that basically fell apart (including leaking from the bladder). These Mares BC's didn't get too much use in comparison with the SP BC I use in my dive school. I have many SP BC's with some of them 15 - 20 years old and no issue with them whatsoever. The SP BC's get used much more than the other brands I have in my dive school's training equipment fleet (I have Cressi, AL and Mares. I am trying to get rid of them but no takers).

No Mares anything for me for certain. I'd get the SP BC (with weight pockets).

FYI, I had Mares almost top of the line BC's for my two teenage sons and they both fell apart and leaking from bladder.

 

[sudo4re]

I have a Small Zeagle Ranger that is in almost new condition that would be perfect for your son. My son used it to get his OW and AOW but now he's too tall and big for it. DM me for more details if you're interested.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

Our son Just got Jr Open water cert this weekend, and can’t wait to go again. We are looking at options for gearing him up and though to check here. In the skiing world there is a robust hand me down program for kids online, but we haven’t found one for BCDs.

I know a bunch of folks will say to put him in a wing, and that’s an option, however he got his cert in a Mares Explorer and loved that. And knowing our kiddo it might be best to stay in familiar territory for a while.

Thanks in advance for anything you might have.

Most all of my dive gear is Mares and it is all about 20 years old and still going strong including My Mares Dragonfly Air Trim BCD.

 

[Belzelbub]

How old? I’m assuming by your questions that he’s still got some growing to do. So, it might not be long before a Kid’s BCD no longer fits.

I was in the same boat a few years back. Both my daughters got certified at 10, so definitely had some growing to do. High on my list was the Zeagle Ranger Jr. I was looking at this primarily because it was the only non BP/W that could grow. Several of the Zeagles (with PFS) are somewhat modular, so as they grow, sections of the BC can be swapped out for larger versions. Ranger Jr probably won’t grow all the way to a large adult male, but might work for several years.

Ultimately, when it came time to buy them, they were just big enough to fit in S or XS versions. I still went with the versions with modular sections for the same reasons that drew me to the Ranger Jr at first.

However, all the Zeagle BCDs with PFS are back-inflate. Looks like the two you mentioned are jacket style. Not sure if that is an issue.

 

[BoltSnap]

20 years old and still going strong including My Mares Dragonfly Air Trim BCD.

If older than 20 years, Mares shifted the country of manufacturing BC's little less than 20 years ago and the quality went down quite a bit after the move.

 

[johndiver999]

I'm not a rabid proponent of BP/W (at all) but... in my opinion, a kid will very quickly learn the BP/W. In reality, a recently certified diver knows very little and will forget most of it if they don't continue diving soon after the class and continue to do it frequently. It is more important to practice diving than using the exact same type of BC the course was taught in.

The benefit to the child of going the BP/w route is that you can fine tune the harness well and it will be easy to adjust as they grow. The kid could be presented with the explanation that "Advanced" and "technical" divers use this gear; most likely it will then seem all the more desirable to the child and most any protest should be avoided.

Also.. I recently started using a Mares BC (because someone gave me a free one) ...and it really DOES feel pretty crappy. the pocket split open and tore out within about 50 dives, so I cut the entire pocket off with scissors! So far it hold air and fits me OK.

 

[FREE-SHAFT]

I have an old sherwood genesis bcd size md. I'd let go for around $50 shipped.

 

[rhwestfall]

My daughter did her classes with shop equipment (let the chlorine kill their gear). This was done with typical equipment. For her Open Water sessions, she had a BP/W. She honestly liked it better. Don't feel that change is hard. They don't have that much engrained to be set in ways...

Her switch to primary donate and bungied octo was also without issue, and she said it actually seemed a smarter configuration...

 

[Tthame1]

My daughter started with a Ranger Jr BCD, but quickly outgrew it. I’d suggest starting with a BP/W. It may cost a bit more, but should last much longer. See if you can find someone with one to use. I’m guessing he’ll love thst even better than what he used in the class.