Looking into buying gear. Bcd or bpw?

[decompression]

Gonna say it's similar to the much loved Zeagle express tech.


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[Michael Guerrero]

What's the "plate" made out of?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

OP,
You could go to Hollywoodivers right off the 101 right over the hill towards Studio City.
Talk to Bill, he carries Halcyon and may be able to rent you one.
Do yourself a favor and forget about a stupid fluff BCD like any one of those overpadded pieces of crap with an I3 lever (elevator lever). All they are is gimiky BS made for the the typical programed mediocre beginning diver that doesn't know better and gets wowed by all the bells and whistles. Eventually, anybody who cares about diving enough to actually seek out and get on scubaboard will learn about BP/W systems by asking questions and most gravitate to BP/W anyway. I've heard of many people going to BP/W from jacket, but never the other way around, if that tells you anything.
Just get the BP/W from the start and save yourself the depreciation on the jacket bc and the headache of having to waste time trying to sell it for pennies on the dollar in a year or two on craigslist/ebay.
As simple as that.

 

[tbone1004]

Michael, it's essentially a Transpac XT Tec with a modified voyager wing on there, but they integrate a lot of it to save on cut and sew. The Voyagerpac is $390 from Dive Gear Expressand is more similar to the regular transpac, and the hunterpac goes a bit more minimalistic on the approach, but is still $390 pretax from DGX. It's a great little rig if you know you're only going to doing single tank diving with it.

 

[The Chairman]

What's the "plate" made out of?

Fabric. Like I said, it's the best of both.

I find that a steel/aluminum plate is overkill except for back mounted doubles. The rigidity comes from the tank.

 

[poomero]

Rent one of each on a day you do 2 tank dives and try them both out. Only you know what is best for you.

 

[Adobo]

Rent one of each on a day you do 2 tank dives and try them both out. Only you know what is best for you.

I get the idea of "try before you buy" but honestly, how does a new diver figure out "what is best" for themselves? What are the various things the diver should be considering when comparing the two BCDs?

 

[Ting Tong]

Hey everyone,

I've been doing a lot of research recently as I prepare to invest in some gear. However, one area I'm struggling is around this whole debate surrounding bcd and bpw. From what I read it sounds like bpw give better trim? If you could choose what would you choose and why? I was looking into an aqualung i3 but after reading all this stuff I'm just super confused.

Also, how much lift would I need for diving in cold water ocean? I wear a 7mm with a hood/vest.

Hi

I am a novice diver so take my advice with a grain of salt.

I and, I am sure plenty of other recently certified OW water divers go through exactly the same conundrum due to the vast array of products on the market. After my OW certification I spoke with two instructors from the shop about what gear to buy. Brands, configurations etc! I specifically mentioned a BP/W and their advice was no. The tendency for the BP/W setup to "push" the divers face into the water at the surface was the reason given. I was advised to buy a jacket style BCD.

So I did.

I bought a Aqualung Axiom i3. Excellent B/C IMHO compared to the B/C I trained in, which was a Scuba Pro T1, super comfortable. I have read a few negative comments in this thread regarding the i3 system and all I can say is it's works for me. Super easy system to use in any position in the water.

However, having said all that, 50 dives in, I have just pulled the trigger on a Halcyon BP/W. I will be doing a few "workshop" dives, firstly in the pool and then OW with a tech instructor to help get it dialed in tomorrow. The issue I was having with the Axiom was, I do not believe that it promotes good trim, which I am led to believe a BP/W, if properly configured will. I had moved 2/3 of my weight into the trim pockets on the Axiom and was conscious of my profile in the water column and this helped, but certainly required effort.

I will update this thread in a few days if you would like or I can just send a PM.


Cheers

Dave

 

[WarrenZ]

I'm using the apeks wtx harness that uses a backplate and standard wing but also included quick releases and add on ditchable weight pockets quite possibly the best of both worlds just one more option to look at.

 

[Storker]

If we're discussing specific gear and experiences with those, I'd like to chime in, too.

I'm currently using the Halcyon Traveler Pro for all my diving. It's a BP/W setup built from a lightweight, virtually neutral, rigid polymer plate with an integrated STA and pockets for weights between the plate and the wing (up to four 4-lb lead weights), the Eclipse wing in either 30lb or 40lb capacity and their ACB weight pockets which can take 6lbs each. Despite paying the extra premium for the Halcyon brand (just don't tell my wife ), I think that it fits my needs almost perfectly:

• The pockets for non-ditchable weights give me the flexibility to switch between different tanks (10, 12 or 15L, 200, 232 or 300 bar) with different buoyancy characteristics without having to change the amount of ditchable weight. I just change the number - or size - of weights on the plate, and I can do that in about a minute.
• The integrated STA on the plate puts the tank closer to my back than if I were using a conventional steel BP with a bolt-on STA.
• The plate seems very durable, and since single tanks are easier to haul and to stow in a small boat (besides, I don't think I'll ever go tech and need the gas reserves you get from a twinset), the chance that I'll convert to doubles is virtually nil. So, the limitation of only being able to use singles on that plate isn't a problem to me.

The only modifications I've done are changing the Al D-rings with steel D-rings, and removing the harness padding.

I'm using some 12lb easily ditchable in my weight pockets, the same amount not-that-easily ditchable on a belt underneath my crotch strap and the rest - which varies according to the type of tank I'm diving with - on the plate.

Since I'm diving dry and need quite a bit of weight when I'm in my winter undergarments, the 40lb wing is the right one for me. I did the math and found that I need that much to float my rig when I doff it in the water, and besides, in case of a catastrophic loss of suit air, as in a major zipper failure, I'm going to both need 40lb of lift and have to ditch some of my weight to ensure good buoyancy on the surface. Of course, YMMV