LDS say not to go with bp/w

[gurumasta]

my lds tells me that there is no use for bp/w unless im doing tech diving. i am brand new and have no equipment and i will be doing mostly recreational diving out cape ann. should i still go with bp/w or a jacket style bc like the black diamond or zeagle ranger? thanks, derek

 

[*Floater*]

bp/w work fine for rec diving, but a jacket bcd won't work well for tech diving, so if you think you might later on do some tech, then go with bp/w. if you already know that you only want to do rec and will never do tech, then try to rent both and see which you prefer.

 

[00scuba]

does the shop sell the bp/w? or just jacket bc's?

 

[TSandM]

The most important thing is to get equipment that fits you and that you are comfortable using. The problem is that, when you start, you don't know what's out there, and you don't know what you'll like. It IS worth visiting a variety of stores and looking at different brands and types of equipment before buying. However, the proof of the pudding is in the diving, so to speak, and often the only way to dive equipment is to buy it or rent it. Buying lands you with something you've committed to, but gets you in the water a lot; renting allows you to try different things, but runs up a big bill and makes each dive more of a hassle and more obviously expensive.

Or you can do what I did, and buy something that sort of works, and replace it in six months when you've figured out what you really want

BTW, I started with a back-inflate and now dive a BP/W.

 

[Darnold9999]

Would always be wary of absolutes like "there is no use for a BP/W in rec diving". Lots of heated discussions of this on this board. I have used both, prefer BP/W and am unlikely to ever do tech diving.

Both work, over time you will have a preference. IMHO both do the job. Don't get to stressed out about which one to choose. If you know you will be doing tech diving then go with the BP/W as you will eventually go that way. If you never plan on doing tech diving then try them both out and pick the one that you are most comfortable in.

Do a search on jacket, do some reading and you will get all the pros and cons of both

 

[ScubaKimmie]

I have both. I prefer the bc for recreational diving.

 

[douglasville diver]

The wing is great for either style you end up chosing, your underwater trim will improve with a wing but it takes a little practice on the surface.

 

[paulthenurse]

Derek,
Your LDS is a business. He earns his living by selling things. If you want to buy something that he doesn't sell, he doesn't make a penny. I'm not saying that your LDS is giving you bad advice just to make a sale, I'm just pointing out that if you go into a shop that doesn't sell X and ask about X, he's probably going to tell you why you really don't want X, you want Y, and he just happens to have a nice supply of Y right over here and at a very nice price, too.
It is important to have an ongoing relationship with your LDS, and it's important to support them. You want to have that local guy 15 minutes away that you can go to with problems, get air fills and continue your education. Within reason, I'll always buy the thing I want from my LDS. I can probably save 15 or 20 bucks by buying it off the internet, but the internet stores aren't going to help me when I have a problem. Not to mention, I'd feel like a jerk walking into my LDS with something I bought elsewhere and asking them for help. But if they don't have what I want I'm not going to buy something else just because it's what they have on hand.
The best advice I can give you is to establish a relationship with your LDS, so that they don't just see you as a potential sale. Go diving a few times with them. Go diving a few times with other shops. See what you feel most comfortable with. (Shop A rents brand XYZ, shop B rents brand ABC.) See which shop you feel most comfortable with. The guy at the shop 45 minutes away may turn into a good friend, the guy down the street might be a jerk. You'll never know unless you meet them both.
As far as which BCD to buy, as was already pointed out, you can do rec dives with a BP/W, you can't strap a pair of doubles onto a vest. Try them both and see which you like.
Paul

 

[scubamickey]

You also have the option of a traditional back inflate if you don't want a BP/W.

 

[gurumasta]

Derek,
Your LDS is a business. He earns his living by selling things. If you want to buy something that he doesn't sell, he doesn't make a penny. I'm not saying that your LDS is giving you bad advice just to make a sale, I'm just pointing out that if you go into a shop that doesn't sell X and ask about X, he's probably going to tell you why you really don't want X, you want Y, and he just happens to have a nice supply of Y right over here and at a very nice price, too.
It is important to have an ongoing relationship with your LDS, and it's important to support them. You want to have that local guy 15 minutes away that you can go to with problems, get air fills and continue your education. Within reason, I'll always buy the thing I want from my LDS. I can probably save 15 or 20 bucks by buying it off the internet, but the internet stores aren't going to help me when I have a problem. Not to mention, I'd feel like a jerk walking into my LDS with something I bought elsewhere and asking them for help. But if they don't have what I want I'm not going to buy something else just because it's what they have on hand.
The best advice I can give you is to establish a relationship with your LDS, so that they don't just see you as a potential sale. Go diving a few times with them. Go diving a few times with other shops. See what you feel most comfortable with. (Shop A rents brand XYZ, shop B rents brand ABC.) See which shop you feel most comfortable with. The guy at the shop 45 minutes away may turn into a good friend, the guy down the street might be a jerk. You'll never know unless you meet them both.
As far as which BCD to buy, as was already pointed out, you can do rec dives with a BP/W, you can't strap a pair of doubles onto a vest. Try them both and see which you like.
Paul

my dive shop can order oms bp/w, he just said he doesnt see a need for it and that to go with what i know how to use. (jacket bc) and then of course the seaquest is the only bc worth purchasing because that is what he stocks. i dont know of any lds that rent bp/w. im not too sure that renting and trying first hand is an option. i almost want to go jacket style just because it is the only thing that i know. (and i know very little about even that). reading through these threads it seems that bp/w is sworn by and many people have gone from jacket style to bp. however, i havent read any threads on people doing vise versa. that is where my concern comes from.