Question about women's BCD's

[Nasser]

My wife and I are going to be doing some equipment shopping and one of the items on her list is a BCD. She's a very experienced diver but believe it or not, has never actually owned her own gear except a wetsuit, fins and mask.

So I'm wondering... does it really make a difference if she gets a "women's bcd" as opposed to a "regular BCD?' Is there a significant improvement in comfort and fit? All options are on the table... wrap around jacket, back inflate, as well as possibly a BP&W option.

I know a lot has to do with personal preference, but feedback from the ladies is much appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[tbone1004]

not a woman obviously, but all of the girls that get trained through our program end up commenting on how much more comfortable the bp/w's are that they use in the pool *in a bathing suit* vs. the jackets they end up renting from the dive shops for open water training *typically in a 5mm or 7mm wetsuit*, and that holds true for all of the women that I dive with on a regular basis *who are proper badasses and are fully capable of schlepping double 104's around with the rest of us*

 

[Duglum]

According to a female friend of mine, it makes a difference, since the regions (chest and hips) that differ the most from men are cut differently.
But i'd just go with a BP&W, since a normal simple Harness doesn't even touch those areas.

 

[Marie13]

I'm a well-endowed gal. I had just a basic jacket BCD in the pool and hated it because of the squeeze, especially due to my build. I find a BP/W more comfortable because there's nothing in my chest area. A back inflate might work for her, but I also hate a lot of stuff in my stomach area, such as the integrated weight pockets on a Zeagle I tried. Minimal harness, such as a BP/W is just more comfy to me. Plus I hated how the jacket BCD rode up on me, and the crotch strap on the BP/W harness keeps everything in place and much more secure.

 

[rabbey]

When I bought my first BCD, I had to get a women's specific one in order to get the waist straps to fit correctly. I'm pretty small, and when I got certified none of the rentals would be properly tight against my waist and it would be flopping around a lot. Wearing a women's specific one (Aqualung Lotus i3) felt a lot better.

I have recently switched to a BP/W and was really surprised at how comfortable it is! You can make the straps fit your body exactly. Even though my BCD was back inflate, I also found the position of the wing makes me feel much more stable in the water. I also feel a lot less constricted by the wrap-around parts of the BCD. Not to sound like a parody of a scubaboard poster, but I'd recommend a BP/W over a women's specific BCD. But, I would also consider a back-inflate women's BCD over a generic one.

 

[TGIF]

I have a feeling that the fit will come down to your wife's size and shape. I'm on the taller and larger end of the spectrum and dive cold water, so most women's BCDs are well out of my size and weight requirements. I dive using men's gear exclusively; and because of that fact, I've bought BCs which are very customizable. Additionally, I recommend using a back inflate BC for additional comfort. I LOVE my Scubapro Hydros Pro because everything is adjustable to accommodate the fact that I have curves and need to wear 34 lbs of lead when diving aluminum tanks.

If your wife is smaller, I recommend women's gear over the men's versions. The women's BCD will be more comfortable because the back, shoulder, and waits pieces are designed using smaller proportions than the men's versions.

 

[arew+4]

My wife bought a sea quest "Diva" women's BC, back in the 90s, it is her only remaining piece of original gear, and she has never expressed any desire to replace it. It's got to be over 20yo with 200+ dives and still looks brand new

 

[Dizzi Lizzi]

If possible she should try renting several types to see what fits her in the water and at depth. In addition take into consideration they type of diving she might be doing. I personally had a very difficult time with a partially inflated vest type BC when shore diving. The constriction was overwhelming during the swim out and I felt out of breath, more than should be for the swim. I now use a scuba pro lady hawk, it keeps my chest free, and I like the back inflate. I don't feel like I'm suffocating when its partially inflated. With a 1 lb weights in each shoulder I am comfortable at the surface--in addition I assume a "sitting" position when at the surface and those 2 things keep me vertical. I have read that some photographers dont care too much for back inflate. It does ride up some, and I'm going to try to figure out how to add a crotch strap as when Im diving a AL 80 at the end of the dive i actually use my legs to grab the tank and anchor it to my ass when I'm still. In a steel tank I don't have that issue. I'm short, busty and more of a rectangle shape.

 

[CajunDiva]

LOVE my AquaLung Soul with i3 inflator/deflator system. It fits perfectly in all the right places

 

[outofofficebrb]

Overall, I found the women's BCs to fit me better from torso length to straps, etc. I don't believe it is just marketing hype. However, I think the best thing is for Mrs. @Nasser to try them all on regardless of women's specific or not so she has a comparison and just go with whatever one fits the best, even if it means it's a unisex/men's one. Fit is important! Like @Dizzi Lizzi, I also have the Ladyhawk from Scubapro which is a back inflate. I trained on jackets as do most people because that's what's in the rental fleet. I appreciate the back inflate and the fact that there isn't any bulk where the cummerbund is, especially because I dive local waters which are cold and am usually in an 8/7 semi dry, maybe one day a drysuit.

She's an experienced diver so I don't think the common worries of back inflate or a bp/w that newer, inexperienced divers have will be an issue. (e.g., pushing face forward - usually when the wing is over-inflated but not a problem I have when sitting slightly lower in the water and leaning back like a lazy boy chair).

If possible, have her jump into a pool to try a few on if your LDS does that. @CajunDiva loves her Soul i3, as other people I have spoken to. I demoed that model when I first was shopping around and it didn't work for me. It didn't fit me well. Everyone is different.

Let us know (if you remember) what she ends up with! I'm interested to see what happens.