Looking for help with BCD Sizing

[sroot17]

Im a new diver with about 15 dives under my belt. I've always rented scuabpro bc's from my LDS. At first I was diving with a Large and then with a medium size BCD. It seemed that the size depend a lot on who was working at the time and their own opinion. I can't say I liked one more than the other and I did not notice a difference at all in the water besides maybe a little "squeeze" on my sides with the medium while at the surface.

I'm ready to take the plunge and purchase my first set of gear. The problem I'm having is that I happend to usually fall in at least 2 if not 3 different size categories in most sizing charts. Based on the countless nights of scanning the internet doing research I've decided to go with a back inflation BC probably from SeaQuest, Oceanic or Scubapro.

Can anyone offer any advice. I know the best thing to do would be to test out different brands and sizes before I buy but I've found it quite difficult to find LTD's that allow you to dive in BC's other than those designated for renters. I also live in NYC which makes it even more difficult!

Thanks for any help!

 

[wunat]

Sizes can vary among different brands. As you say that it may be difficult to try out the gears first hand. One of the things you might be able to do is probably rent a BC with the brands you are interested in (not necessary the exact model if you can't get it) and see how the size of that particular brand is right for you. But again, it only give you an idea and back inflation BC and a BC jacket may gives you different feeling on how fit the BC is.

I think it might pop up some time. But if you are interested in back inflation BC, you might want to take a look into a backplate+wing system. With BP+Wing system, you won't really need to worry about size at all. Make a search on this board on BP+Wing.

Some good BP+Wing products out there are:
www.halcyon.net
www.diverite.com and/or www.diveriteexpress.com)
www.deepseasupply.com

Lots more out there. Hope this helps.

 

[sroot17]

Thanks for the help! I was wondering how many posts it would take for someone to suggest going with a BP+Wing setup… guess it didn’t take many!

I am very unfamiliar with the BP system, how to they work exactly? Do you have to buy the plate and air cell separately? Does the steel plate rest against your back when on? Doesn't sound like that would be very comfortable unless wearing a 7mm. Everyone seems to be very gung hoe about the BP+Wing but it’s hard to really see what the benefits are due to most of the posts on this board being very detail oriented. I do not plan on doing any tech diving in the near future but will be doing some traveling, is a BP setup usually heavier or lighter than a jacket or back inflate BC?

Do you know a thread that discusses the basic pros/cons of the BP setup? I’ve searched but found my self being overwhelmed with too many details about something I know nothing about!

Thanks as always!

 

[oly5050user]

pm sent

 

[cayman diver]

I use a Zeagle Ranger Ltd and you can change all the parts ie large sholder straps and med waist. You need to find the most confatable fit for you. If a Bcd fitted everyone then there would only be 1 design! BP and Wing might be an option try it i personally fing my zeagle way more cumfy.
Find a shop with a large range and try them on ask if you can try them with a tank attached as that will be the least cumfy and give you some idea about lugging the kit around, after all in the water all the kit goes nearly weightless.

good luck

 

[scubatoys]

I'm another Zeagle fan due to the component design. It lets us customize the BC to fit perfectly - we just need height and waist size, and how much suit you are wearing. Then we can go in and figure the best size, which might be something like a large waist with medium shoulders or vice versa.

Depending on what kind of diving you are doing, the Zeagle line has everything from double high lift bcs' like the aforementioned Ranger, to compact travel BC's that still are full featured, like the Brigade.

 

[wunat]

I am very unfamiliar with the BP system, how to they work exactly?

Here is a very good article you can read:
http://www.direxplorers.com/new-dir-articles/482-why-backplate-wing.html?highlight=seajay

Do you have to buy the plate and air cell separately?

You can get them separately or as a package. (It's a good thing about BP+Wing where you get to choose the tool you need.) But most manufacturers out there do have system where backplates (AL or SS) comes with wing (singles or doubles).

Does the steel plate rest against your back when on? Doesn't sound like that would be very comfortable unless wearing a 7mm.

I don't feel that diving in my 0.5mm suit. In fact, I personally feel that the BP+Wing with the harness system is much more stable than my BC jacket (where I usually use when taking student out for certification). The only time some people might find it annoying would be on the surface when we are about to jump into the water. Some complains that the non-padding harness sort of hurt their shoulder. Not really the case for you.

You don't HAVE to go with the one-piece webbing harness. There are adjustable systems out there which comes with paddings. I started with those but then switched to the webbing system and never look back.

Everyone seems to be very gung hoe about the BP+Wing but it’s hard to really see what the benefits are due to most of the posts on this board being very detail oriented.

I think the article at the above link would give you a good explanation on it.

I do not plan on doing any tech diving in the near future but will be doing some traveling, is a BP setup usually heavier or lighter than a jacket or back inflate BC?

Though BP+Wing systems are many times linked to tech diving. There are lots of divers out there diving in BP+Wing solely for recreational. I dive in such system both in single and doubles. That is another good thing since I only need to switch wings.

Personally, I find a BP+wing setup slightly heavier than my BC jacket (but it may depens on which BC you are comparing it to). But it never really bothers me (I travel with my dive gears alot as well) as the difference is more or less marginal with respect to the fact that other pieces of my gears are taking up weights already (eg. my Jet Fins). You can consider getting the AL backplate which is much lighter than that of SS.

Do you know a thread that discusses the basic pros/cons of the BP setup? I’ve searched but found my self being overwhelmed with too many details about something I know nothing about!

Again, the above article link might help. I made lots of research before crossing over to BP+Wing. I learned lots of things along the way and many of them lead me to other things which I never know of about diving. Personally, with respects to my positive experiences with BP+Wing, it is worth all those time and effort. Take you time and feel free to ask!!!

I am not saying that BP+Wing is the way to go for everyone. Just something I think you should look into and find out for yourself.

 

[ScubaDivaDivemaster]

I find that diving as a rec diver and not a tech diver I prefer the jacket style bcd. It holds you upright in the water when at the surface so if you're fatigued, high waves are hitting you, you want your head out of the water, etc., the jacket style tends to work better. If you have an emergency situation the jacket style keeps you up, where bp/w tends to push you face first into the water. Just my own views, but as rec oriented diver, I prefer the comfort of the jacket.

Good luck and welcome to the dive world!

C U underwater,
ScubaDivaDivemaster