Question My debate - go with a BP/W or stick with a back-inflate BC?

[jellycatsdad]

BP/W is very modular. But, if you are planning on doing a lot of vacation diving, you may find a back inflate BCD more travel friendly. If you are going to dive in cold water with either a 7mm wetsuit or a dry suit, the BP/W may be a better choice.

A friend was talked into a BP/W by the shop. She was told it was the most versatil, which is true. They sold her a wing that was big enough for double, which after three years she still hasn’t even tried out. She eventually bought a bladder for a single tank after dragging around the oversized wing for more almost two years.

I dive in the Monterey Bay, CA area - 7mm wetsuit with a 5/3mm hooded vest over my core. I do want to travel in the future - I can pack a BP into my luggage I think?

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I dive in the Monterey Bay, CA area - 7mm wetsuit with a 5/3mm hooded vest over my core. I do want to travel in the future - I can pack a BP into my luggage I think?

I do. Depending on the cylinder type, I take my SS BP & STA for use with aluminum cylinders, and my titanium BP & STA for use with steel cylinders. If weight was a problem, I'd just wear my BP on my back. I did see somewhere a fairly clever backpack which would use the harness from the backplate. I need to find that again and see where I could get one myself.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I switched from BP/W kit to Hydros Pro. still use jacket BC's for certain purposes. (I am talking about recreational single tank diving here).

I have read lots of praise for the Hydros Pro. If someone gave me one for free or a huge discount, it's possible I would use it for OW single-tank dives. Just as likely, I would feel it is no better or worse than my BP/W. The BP/W is just so inexpensive and simple. I can't see myself switching to anything else at this point.

 

[The Chairman]

Is the Hydros really $1,169??? The Zeagle Express tech is less than half of that. Sheeeesh.

 

[Nemrod]

What I have seen is that the direction in which most divers switch is from traditional jacket BC to hybrid to back-inflate to BP/W. Only very rarely do I see a post here in which someone says they gave the BP/W a try for a period of time and switched to a back-inflate or hybrid or traditional jacket.

My trip to the Red Sea and having to doff gear in the water has made me reconsider some things. Getting into and out of a traditionally Hogarthian rigged BP is a PITA! But there I was in 86 degrees water with an 22 pounds wing and it was the perfect size. Most back inflate BCs including the Hydros Pro have way to much lift. There is no circumstance, NONE, diving a single tank even in heavy exposure suits that I would need more than 30 pounds of lift. And so many of these back inflate BCs claim to be travel friendly and most people do not travel to cold water to dive so exactly why are they so gigantic?

A BP/wing will hold you are encourage you to be horizontal in the water just by their nature even compared to back inflate BCs. I have several plates and wings of differing sizes, I have that luxury as my wife points out to me as why do I need all of that stuff! My favorite BP/wing is a Oxy 18 pounds lift wing and the Oxy soft textile Travel plate and just accompanied me a few days ago to Cozumel. The other favorite that went to the Red Sea with me a few weeks ago is a VDH aluminum plate and VDH 22 pounds lift wing:



And for more temperate waters I use a stainless steel Freedom Plate and a Oxy 30 pounds lift wing. All are weight integrated.

So I am torn, I want something easy to get into a out of and that is lightweight and soft on me. Yes, soft. I am so tired of getting mashed, bruised, smashed, cut by metal tri-glides, metal D-rings, metal buckles, metal cam bands and stiff webbing. By the end of a few days of diving, just from getting in and out of the dxxn BP, I look like I have been run over by an Egyptian diesel Isuzu driven by a wild and crazy driving Bedouin, bruised, scuffed, cut and bleeding . I have no solution yet to this conundrum .

Edit to add, what metal tri-glides are cutting me you ask? Well, on the plate to the left do you see those tri-glides on the shoulder straps, those ones in particular and either plate despite the neoprene tubes as there are metal tri-glides at each D-ring.! Which is why that VDH plate stays home more and more and the Oxy keep getting the nod. At least until I replace them with plastic tri-glides.

 

[Kendall Raine]

I’ll need to buy a BC soon, I’m in paralysis by analysis mode. Should I rent out a BP/W for my next dive

Yes. Try it for a few dives. Getting it adjusted correctly may take a few tries but once done you won’t want anything else.

As others have said, comfort, cost, modularity, flexibility, bulk, and function are all pluses to the BPW configuration. You can buy an aluminum and a SS plate for warm/cold water diving for less than the cost of a new jacket style BC.

It can be adapted/integrated into carry on luggage. Or almost anything. I adapted mine to carrying a long body Gavin in the jungles of Mexico.

Like Men in Black, “it’s the last suit you’ll ever wear.”

 

[jellycatsdad]

I have read lots of praise for the Hydros Pro. If someone gave me one for free or a huge discount, it's possible I would use it for OW single-tank dives. Just as likely, I would feel it is no better or worse than my BP/W. The BP/W is just so inexpensive and simple. I can't see myself switching to anything else at this point.

I’m not opposed to buying one used from a LDS rental fleet. It’s basically a BCD that thinks it‘s a BP/W without the modularization. Scubapro rules the gear market here so little problem getting service.

Yes. Try it for a few dives. Getting it adjusted correctly may take a few tries but once done you won’t want anything else.

Like Men in Black, “it’s the last suit you’ll ever wear.”

on the MIB quote, wasn’t it Zed who said that?
My LDS is happy to rent me an OMS or Scubapro S-Tek BP/W if I ask. I’ll get one next time.

 

[Hoag]

One thing to keep in mind, is that IF you do opt for a back inflate "Travel BCD" then it will likely be made out of lightweight materials. This may sound good to begin with, but the last one that I had was actually 4lbs positively buoyant. The first 4lbs of lead that I had to carry were just to offset the natural buoyancy of the BCD.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I dive in the Monterey Bay, CA area - 7mm wetsuit with a 5/3mm hooded vest over my core. I do want to travel in the future - I can pack a BP into my luggage I think?

If you’re in the Bay Area, come up to one of our urchin removal dives. We have several people who use BP/W and there are a few Hydros being used.
I can probably set you up with a conventional BP/W that I have around, or you can use one of my Freedom Plates BP/W if you want to try that. That is a custom formed plate a little different from the straight doubles style plate, it’s more of a back pack style. How tall are you? I have a few larges in FP (my personal ones) all set up. If you want one if those you have to come up here and dive with us, there is no other way to get one.
The next purple urchin removal dive is October 15th in Sonoma County at Stillwater Cove.
PM me or respond here if you want more info.
Cheers!

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

My trip to the Red Sea and having to doff gear in the water has made me reconsider some things. Getting into and out of a traditionally Hogarthian rigged BP is a PITA! But there I was in 86 degrees water with an 22 pounds wing and it was the perfect size.

Really? I just completed assisting the Mentor Shipwreck Excavation Programme in Greece less than 2 weeks ago. We'd backroll into the water, but have to remove our kits to climb out on a small ladder. I just dropped down and pulled my kit over my head. It was the first time I've ever had to do this, and it was fairly easy. I think removing the harness like a BCD would be a pain though.

So I am torn, I want something easy to get into a out of and that is lightweight and soft on me. Yes, soft. I am so tired of getting mashed, bruised, smashed, cut by metal tri-glides, metal D-rings, metal buckles, metal cam bands and stiff webbing. By the end of a few days of diving, just from getting in and out of the dxxn BP, I look like I have been run over by an Egyptian diesel Isuzu driven by a wild and crazy driving Bedouin, bruised, scuffed, cut and bleeding . I have no solution yet to this conundrum .

Edit to add, what metal tri-glides are cutting me you ask? Well, on the plate to the left do you see those tri-glides on the shoulder straps, those ones in particular and either plate despite the neoprene tubes as there are metal tri-glides at each D-ring.! Which is why that VDH plate stays home more and more and the Oxy keep getting the nod. At least until I replace them with plastic tri-glides.

I take it you are diving without exposure protection?

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On a side note, I have used a Hydros Pro. It was nice, but I didn't think it was any nicer than a standard BP/W. I think at times some people simply don't know how to adjust a harness properly, and that may be why they steer clear of that (not trying to kick a hornets here, but I've seen a number of experienced divers, instructors included - all the way up to IT/CD, who didn't understand some key concepts).