N00b advice needed on BP/W

[PeterB]

I'm new diver but loving it. 8 weeks in have done OW, ADV and Rescue. Learning in Oz, will do most of diving in Caribbean, Red Sea, maybe some Australasia.

I'm looking for a BC I won't grow out of. Weight is probably more important than price as I travel frequently and while I want reasonable value I'm more interested in getting good kit first time round that I'm less likely to outgrow.

I'm not yet doing any tech diving, but would like a system that would support a double. I need something minimalist and reasonably lightweight.

I have had the Halcyon Eclipse with aluminimum BP recommended to me - with tank weight pockets when I need some weight (I use about 15lbs with a 5mm wetsuit and a 12l aluminium tank). Looks good to me.

Any reason NOT to use the Halcyon? Any other brands considered to be equally good/better? I'll be buying in the US as I live in New York most of the time and prices seem to be best there, although I also spend part of each year in the UK.

I'm cool with BP/W over BCD, weight is marginally more important to me than trim as almost all of my diving will be holiday diving (all be it lots of long holidays :->) so I'll save the SS BP until my circumstances change. Also, for tropical diving I'm hoping not to need much weight at all as I improve.

Also, any recommendations on where to buy and/or anyone know a good LDS in NYC?

Any input much appreciated!

Peter

 

[Colliam7]

I'm looking for a BC I won't grow out of. Weight is probably more important than price as I travel frequently I'm not yet doing any tech diving, but would like a system that would support a double. I need something minimalist and reasonably lightweight. I have had the Halcyon Eclipse with aluminimum BP recommended to me -Any reason NOT to use the Halcyon?

Excellent first choice, NO GOOD reason not to use it. Your primary decision - BP/W - is already made, and kudos to you! We can give you 35 pages of posts on why Dive Rite, or why Oxycheq, or why OMS, whatever, or why H is overpriced. But you won't regret buying this rig. For single tank diving I might personally go SS rather than AL, even considering weight, but that is a very trivial individual preference and the AL will serve well.

 

[El Orans]

The AL plate works fine for travelling.

I have one myself...

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I'd go with the AL plate if you are traveling and diving primarily in warm water. For cold water a stainless plate makes sense to add weight to offset the more bouyant exposure suits used.

 

[TSandM]

You can always attach weight to the cambands if you're using a lighter plate, and need more weight up high to trim out properly. That's what I do when I travel with my Kydex plate.

Halcyon gear is generally good quality, but tends to sit at the highest price points in the BP/W market. I'd at least have a look at the Deep Sea Supply Kydex plate and 30 lb wing. I've used the Kydex plate for doubles without any problem.

 

[johnny_bravo]

Lots of good advice has been given already...

Why not visit Leisurepro as your LDS?

Also reconsider the SS plate...6lbs will NOT be a problem when travelling and will allow you to use less weight on a belt when on a dive boat.

Cheers.

-J.-

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

I'd google hammerhead backplate. These guys make a nice heavy backplate out of 316 marine grade stainless. It has slots for cam bands if you dont want to use single tank adapters and has multiple hole placements for mounting doubles. Also - and this is the biggie - it tends to be less expensive than some of the name brands.

I'm a fan of oxycheq wings (have a single 30 lb lift and a dual bladder for diving doubles). That being said I don't think you can go wrong with any of the major manufacturers. So really, you should look at wing lift for your needs and price. Some people dont like bungee wings, but others - such as the support divers for NASA really like them.

My only other suggestion would be to get a donut wing for singles as opposed to a horseshoe wing as it makes air easier to move from one side to the other.

The other thing that I strongly reccomend is not to cheap out on harness hardware. Two inch home depo D rings are NOT a good idea for diving in salt water. Learned that one first hand - no disaster, just lots of rust.

 

[RonFrank]

I'm looking for a BC I won't grow out of. Weight is probably more important than price as I travel frequently and while I want reasonable value I'm more interested in getting good kit first time round that I'm less likely to outgrow.

If weight is your biggest concern, I'd purchase a Zeagle Stiletto or similar back inflate travel BC, and be done with it.

You won't outgrow most quality BP/W's or BC systems. You also likely won't be using the same setup for doubles as you would for singles. If you get into tech diving, one BP/W setup is not the norm, most have at least three!

If you want to dive AL doubles, or singles, you will want a SS setup. 6lbs on the plate IS IMO a lot of weight considering you get 50lbs in a suitcase with airline restrictions. I guess it depends on what else you travel with.

If you are hell bent on a BP/W for travel, the plate will still weigh 2lbs, and this is not the lightest travel option by far.

I dive a Stiletto for travel, and a Hammerhead SS/OMS/DiveRite setup for singles.

 

[ScubaJW]

I have a Halcyon Eclipse bp/w - I love them! There is no real reason why you wouldn't like them once you tried them out! Indeed, they are one of the highest price in the market, but the quality is fantastic! You can have aluminum or plastic plate for travelling. Again, bp/w is easily convertable into anything - such as travel wing, etc... Whatever you wanted to get bp/w up to your standard.

 

[TSandM]

If you are hell bent on a BP/W for travel, the plate will still weigh 2lbs, and this is not the lightest travel option by far.

My SeaQuest Libra weighs more than my Kydex plate and 30 lb wing by more than a pound (we've weighed them). Plus it doesn't disassemble for packing.