Mares Dragon AT owners

[bonsek]

Hi all, I am planing to buy my first BC and I have my eye on Mares Dragon AirTrim.
Would love to get inputs from people who own it or from people who have dove with it.
I have a couple of questions that I hope I will get some answer.

Is it easy to get accustomed to the AirTrim?
Is the BC bulky for packing?
How do you like the fit and do you have restricted movement?


I would appriciate any input.
Thanks a lot in advance.

 

[CODMAN]

Hi Bon,
I have a Morphos pro with Airtrim, so I'll restrict my comments just to the airtrim, which is the same as on the Dragon AT.

Simply put, I love the system! It works great, the inflator/deflator is always in the same place, it lets you deflate in almost any position, and also, the inflator lets air in a little slower than other BCs I've tried, which I find helps me adjust my buoyancy with more precision. Not everybody will like this system. But personally, I love it and will not be going back, unless I have to.

Hope this helps a bit!

 

[Fordan]

Is it easy to get accustomed to the AirTrim?

Pretty easy. Only thing that threw me off when I first got mine was that while on a normal inflator hose, pressing the trigger on the front inflates, and the button on top deflates, the airtrim has the inflate button on the top of the control, and the deflate is the large button on the front. Not something major and you learn it quickly, it was just unexpected.

Is the BC bulky for packing?

It isn't a small BC. My XL one takes up a fair bit of space. I don't have a lot of room to compare, since it is my first BC as well.

How do you like the fit and do you have restricted movement?

Fits great, very comfortable.

 

[Sirto]

I've had mine for about 4 yrs (120 or so dives) and like it a lot. At first I did have issues in pushing the wrong button but then found an easy way to remember (push the upper button to go up).

It is a bit bulky but many of the heavy duty BCs are also bulky. The fit is great as well.

 

[Fordan]

I've had mine for about 4 yrs (120 or so dives) and like it a lot. At first I did have issues in pushing the wrong button but then found an easy way to remember (push the upper button to go up).

I thought the Dragon/Dragon AT was new for 2006? Or are you speaking of airtrim?

The Dragon AT was covered in Scuba Diving's 2006 Best New BCs article...

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

I have the older model Dragonfly AT. I have had for about 5 or 6 years and love the air trim. It is a bit bulky because it is a heavy duty BC. I bought it because it was a heavy duty BC. I use it down south and can pack it with 2 pair of fins, 2 masks, 2 snorkels, 2 wetsuits, 2 dive lights, 2 wetsuit hangers and a BC hanger, all in my dive bag with no problem.