ladies vs unisex bcds

[waterdaughter]

Morning ladies!

I am new to this wonderful sport...and as I'm sure most of you have noticed, there is a very scarce supply of ladies dive gear available to try on---at least in most shops around here.

Seems everyone has to "special order" something in, since it is not part of their standard stock. I know that I shouldn't feel obliged to make a purchase after having an item ordered in, but the shop owners tend to give the impression that there is such a small market for these products (again, could be my area) that they will be stuck with whatever item I don't care for. This always makes me reluctant to ask, obviously.

So...in looking for BCDs, I have had the opportunity to dry-try a libra, and a luna in ladies styles, and several in men's (although the supply of men's x-sm is not great either) For the most part, the ladies definitely felt less restrictive.

That being said, I like the sound of the features on the new Morphos Pro w/MRS and airtrim--and the diveshop owner felt that I would find the fit as unrestrictiveas the ladies models I tried. He ahs ordered an x-small in for me and it should be about a week. It's pretty pricey, so I am hoping that the owner is correct about how much I will love it, or I will feel VERY guilty that he now has an XS in a more expensive BCD, at this time of year. He says he cannot return it to Mares, if I don't want it.

Has anyone (lady) tried this particular model?

Suggestions for what to look for?

Anyone feel strongly about another system? Backwing seems to be quite a topic of discussion in the BCD forum.

:06:

Any wisdom from the ladies think-tank would be appreciated

Thanks!

 

[El Orans]

My wife is quite fond of her Mares Aria Dragonfly BCD (back inflate).

 

[scubagirl15]

Can't vouch for the Morphos personally, but my personal experience with the Sherwood Luna was and is very positive.

Having said that, you might want to consider what kind of diving you'll be doing and what kind of exposure suit if you're thinking of jacket style versus back plate & wing.

Don't know about others, but for me, when I switched from wetsuit to drysuit, my Luna didn't work well for me anymore: too small and I found it too constrictive. However, for 7 mm and 3 mm, the Luna is so comfy I don't even feel I'm wearing it. It's also easy to travel with.

Regardless, the B/P wing set up is hands down less restrictive than jacket style BCD's.

I've heard people say, well the jacket style BCD's make me feel squeezed when I inflate it, but honestly, you should never inflate your BCD that much, only enough to get your nose out of the water. With back inflate BCD and wings, you inflate even less...enough that you're a little out of the water, then you lean back into the unit to get your face out of the water.

You will probably love the Morphos, if you liked the Luna and the Libra. I know a whole family of small build who all got the same BCD and they just love it.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[divemistress]

:11:
Dear Waterdaughter,

Pretty please, tell me you're joking. Tell me that dive store operators carry a variety of sizes of women's BCs in a variety of styles. Tell me that you don't have to special order a small-size woman's BC just to try it on. Tell me there's not subtle or less-than-subtle pressure to buy a woman's BC that has to be special ordered just because the store doesn't stock a full range of sizes in the first place.

Major dive marketers/manufacturers are spending gazillions of dollars every year producing and advertising gear for women. They must think there's a market for the gear. And if there's a market for the gear, the stores ought to be able to sell it -- if they try. Waterdaugther, are you telling stories?

Hey wait! One of MY local dive shops doesn't carry women's wetsuits in either large or extra large. But it does carry men's wetsuits up to 2XL.

Sigh. I'm getting a headache. I realize that all dive shops don't limit women's gear stock like this, but plenty do. Which doesn't send a warm, fuzzy, welcoming message to either its existing or prospective female clientele.

 

[Nehallenia]

Waterdaughter: Find your local dive club - more than likely there are some ladies who have BCDs you can at least dry-try. I have a Mares Frontier Vera, in XS, I love it, and I tried several unisex smalls before I found it. IT FITS!! I am comfortable, it does not cut, bind, ride up, etc, I feel confident walking in on a shore dive because my tank is well-balanced and the weight is where I have the strength to carry it. That said, I bought it second hand, and it was a trade-in at a local dive shop.

And set some boundaries with your dive shop owner there: if you don't like the BC, you don't have to buy it, you have the right to spend your money where you want. It is not as if you are insisting he special order tons of gear for you to accept or reject. He could always have said "no, I am not ordering that because if you don't want it, I can't sell it"; he accepted that risk when he ordered it. Has anyone heard of customer service?? Do not feel guilty: this is an expensive piece of safety equipment you are buying here, and you have the absolute right to get what you want and feel good wearing.

 

[Kayla]

I tried on a few womens BC's and didn't care for any of them. I dive with a Zeagle Ranger, and swear by it. Have you tried it yet? I would reccommend that you do... but thats just my 0.02.



Kayla

 

[H2Andy]

hi... may i suggest a backplate/harness?

first, there is no male/female models. they are all the same.

also, they are infinetely adjustable. you can not get a better fit than with a harness
due to its ease of adjustment (there are no "sown" pieces. everything is adjustable).

on top of that, they are about the best way to get good trim and bouyancy out there,
not to mention how easy it is to float tilted back on the surface.

i have a backplate/harness, and i love it. just a thought.

 

[Foo]

Does the harness form a "v" around the breasts, or does it cut across? I've never seen a woman in one, and I could not wear one that cut across. Too full-chested. My US Divers Elan fits great in that area, no restriction at all.

Foo

 

[H2Andy]

ok... the harness will run from the top of your shoulder (where you would wear shoulder pads on a dress), under your arm-pit, and back to the backplate. think of wearing a back-pack. it's exactly like that, only much more close to the armpit.

in other words, it goes on the outside of the breasts. i have seen quite a few women
who use them (they are the standard in cave diving).

 

[Foo]

Okay, I can picture that! Now, how do you inflate the wing/wings? With a low pressure hose connection as on a regular bc?