Lightweight Jacket Style BCD

[VTSnorkeler]

Hi, first of all, thanks in advance for taking the time to help out a newbie

I have been reading an incredible amount of information in relation to Scuba Gear, operators and destinations. I have gotten some excellent advice already!

That being said, I'd like to ask some members given the choice of these 3 BC's which would they choose?

My diving is 2 trips per year to keys and/or Carib, so I am looking for something that travels well. I got certified wearing a jacket, and tbh I prefer the snug feel of them. I like my sternum, shoulder and cumberbund straps nice and tight LOL.

Please take a peek at these 3 BCDs and let me know what you think.

Thanks!

Cressi Aqualight:
Cressi-Sub Aqualight R BCD, from LeisurePro.com

Cressi Aquapro:
Cressi-Sub Aquapro 5R Buoyancy Compensator from LeisurePro.com

Tusa Conquest:
Reef Tourer Conquest BC by TUSA, BCDS: Women, Tusa, Reef Tourer Conquest BC by TUSA

 

[VTSnorkeler]

Hmmmm... perhaps I should phrase my question this way.

A tragic thievery of your gear leaves you without BCD. Unfortunately for you they no longer manufacture your BCD of choice, the only 3 remaning are the ones I listed above. Which would you choose?

Thanks again for your time. I look forward to contributing to many discussions on this board once I become more scuba savy

 

[Damselfish]

I'd choose whichever one fit me the best.

You can get a snug fit from any style BC that fits you properly. If you can't make it snug it doesn't fit. The only type of snug specific to a jacket is the hug/squeeze it gives you when you inflate it, but that doesn't make the tank any more stable, especially since it won't always be inflated. (The people that like that would say hug, the people that don't would say squeeze. )

 

[shellbackdiver1]

Id choose a bpw wing w/aluminum plate, attach pockets to the waist strap and rename it "light weight jacket bc".

 

[Nick_W]

Id choose a bpw wing w/aluminum plate, attach pockets to the waist strap and rename it "light weight jacket bc".

To the OP, I agree with Damselfish on this one. All three of those are made by good companies and appear to be decent BCs in that price range (I assume you're wanting to stick to a specific range). So now you need to try them on and see what is most comfortable on you.

 

[VTSnorkeler]

To the OP, I agree with Damselfish on this one. All three of those are made by good companies and appear to be decent BCs in that price range (I assume you're wanting to stick to a specific range). So now you need to try them on and see what is most comfortable on you.

Thnx - budget is $300 but I'm flexible. Main concerns for me is lightweight, since it will be exclusively used when I travel to warm destinations, jacket style and weight integrated. I scoured the web and came up with these 3 as my final choices. I live in VT so I can't just try stuff on. My LDS sells Seaquest, and the passport was fine, but was a little large on me so I couldn't pull the trigger. They will order me a medium if I want to purchase it.

I'm leaning towards going with one of the Cressis, probably the one without the backplate, this way it will pack lighter.

 

[Nick_W]

Thnx - budget is $300 but I'm flexible. Main concerns for me is lightweight, since it will be exclusively used when I travel to warm destinations, jacket style and weight integrated. I scoured the web and came up with these 3 as my final choices. I live in VT so I can't just try stuff on. My LDS sells Seaquest, and the passport was fine, but was a little large on me so I couldn't pull the trigger. They will order me a medium if I want to purchase it.

I'm leaning towards going with one of the Cressis, probably the one without the backplate, this way it will pack lighter.

Ok, I'm going to assume you're a woman since you're looking at a female BC there.

Just from having tried many times to find a "one size fits all" female BC to use in my classes I can tell you (and ladies please correct me if I'm wrong) they pretty much don't exist. There are a lot more variables on a woman than there are on a man when it comes to a BC fitting. And it seems like with women when a BC doesn't fit, it really doesn't fit. I think for women more than men I would strongly encourage you to try something on if at all possible. Meaning I would buy something in that price range from my LDS (or find another dive shop close by)

But if I had to choose between the two Cressis, I'd go with the first one you linked to there. It looks like the tank is going to be a bit more stable on that one. That's just a personal thing though as I hate it when I can feel a tank wobbling around.

 

[VTSnorkeler]

Thanks, I am not a woman A small man maybe lol

Went back to the LDS, they have the Seaquest Pro QD+ there, not the one with sure-loc. It felt fine, not too bulky. I think that I might prefer the lightweight cressi tho... very tough to decide

 

[Nick_W]

Oops. My bad. That Tusa is listed under BCDs: Women so I just assumed......

Anyway, if you really have your heart set on that Cressi there are a couple of options. Order the one you think will fit you, hope it fits you, and if not return it and get a different size. Or, take a road trip to New Hampshire, Maine or Massachusetts (whichever is closer) and visit one of the Cressi dealers there.

 

[Damselfish]

If you did decide on a road trip, call and see what they have in stock first. Even if a place is a dealer they probably won't have all models or sizes in stock, sometimes very few.