Reason to go from Zeagle Brigade to BP/W?

[Jarrett]

Kinda rambling here, but looking for advice.

Reading through here I can't help but get sucked into the BP/W discussions. I'm a newbie warm water weenie diver. I can say with a lot of certainty I won't be doing any dry suit, cave, or wreck diving. The only interest the BP/W setup holds for me is the lack of mass you take into the water with you.

Being a big newbie, it takes a lot of weight to get me down with my Brigade. 8lbs in a swimming pool and around 18lbs in salt water(Cozumel). That's with as much air as I can get out of my BCD. I like idea of integrated weights that can be dumped in the event of an emergency... granted I have a hard time figuring out what that emergency would be under the water but I still like the idea. Mostly because of the nightmares I have from wearing a 30lb weight belt during OW check out dives.

Anyway, here are the rambling questions I have about this whole thing:

Is a metal plate comfortable underwater against a T-shirt/bare skin? I see some with wing nuts sticking out. Meaning, do you have to dive 7mm to be comfortable in a BP?

Why do you need a crotch strap even though BCDs dont have them generally?

For a BP/W setup, is the Zeagle weight system the best way to go here for integrated, out of the way, and dumpable?

I guess the question is once you add padded shoulder straps, integrated weights and possibly a pocket to a BP/W setup, have you just built a Zeagle BCD? Or are you gaining anything?

And my big question is: Why is it that a Zeagle Brigade is $399 while a similarly equipped BP/W setup is $100-200 more? Why is it more for less?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[pterantula]

I haven't been strapped into a bp/w myself, but one of the boat captains in Maui had one - and I asked him about the wingnuts that looked ready to gouge his spine. He said it was actually quite confortable, that the wingnuts were deep enough in the plate's groove so as to not even brush your spine. It looked very small and simple (and he wore a small amount of weight on a belt too), and I was interested in getting one myself until I saw the prices - I expected something so simple to be much, much cheaper....

 

[sasscuba]

Once I am in the water diving I don't even know I have my Brigade on. Love this BC!! I like the fact it has pockets and have always hated wearing a weight belt. Is this your first BC? Have you ever been diving with a jacket BC? The Brigade is 100 times better than my last jacket BC. I hope the Brigade lasts a long time if I can keep it in good shape. Last BC lasted me over 10 years. I would keep what you have for the kind of diving you are doing IMHO.

 

[djanni]

You might find some good reasons over in the Technical Diving Specilities forms.

 

[herman]

Unless you are diving doubles there is no good reason, the Brigade will be more comfortable overall. I know others will disagree but I have dove a BP, Ranger and currently dive a Scout. Never did get the BP adjusted to where it was anywhere near as comfortable as either of my Zeagles. I recommend a crotch strap reguardless of the BC. I like the way a crotch strap secures the BC.

 

[halocline]

And my big question is: Why is it that a Zeagle Brigade is $399 while a similarly equipped BP/W setup is $100-200 more? Why is it more for less?

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks.

Now that's a good question, although you might be able to find a dive-rite plate, 1 piece harness, venture wing, and straps for somewhere near $400. BP/Ws are considered specialty gear with a niche market, and as such are really overpriced IMO. As far as your other questions, I'm sure someone else will answer them, but basically you should try to borrow or rent a BP/W set up to dive and see how you like it. They really do feel different than a standard BC. If you do get one, leave out the shoulder pads; once you're in the water there is no weight loading on your shoulders and the pads are useless.

 

[scubadobadoo]

Reason? No. Not for your diving. Waist of time and money for you unless you need to carry more gas later on or hate the BC you now have. My advice, you have a nice BC, stick with it. That said, I do have a BP/W and I love it but I dive in the NE and find it is a boon for my type of diving. I do also use it on warm water vacations, with a steel plate.

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

The Brigade is a fine BC. Unless you either hate it or need a new bc for a different type of diving stick with what you have.

As far as bp/w goes - It actually feels fine on bare skin. Granted I have not tried to put it on when it was very cold outside. Also, I purchased an oxycheq wing with a hammerhead backplate and rigged a harness myself for a little less than $350.

 

[Halthron]

Many of the reasons to get a BP/w over other BCs are based on preference. But there is one feature, weighting, where non-BP/w BCs can't keep up. The simple fact that most BP/w systems use highly negative stainless steel or aluminium means you aren't offsetting the positive effects of plastic and foam. When I moved from a jacket to a BP/w, I lost a couple of pounds of needed weight. It didn't move, I didn't need it anymore.

Regarding price, BP/w systems are much like other forms of BC when it comes to price. You can pay a little or you can pay a lot. My personal favorite is an Oxycheq wing on a Hammerhead plate with a hogarthian harness. Ordering the pieces and doing the harness config yourself, you could get into a good quality BP/w for as little as $300. Depending on what wing and plate you want, it could go up a bit.

 

[SangP]

Jarrett,

The Brigade is a fine bc and it's great for the kind of diving you do. The only reason you might consider getting a bp/w is you are going to do tech diving with doubles or more or some of these other reasons.

1. Packs a lot smaller than a regular bc.
2. Dries faster (I'm done with waiting for a jacket bc to dry in a hotel room so I can pack it before my flight)
3. Don't feel comfortable in your current bc.
4. Can't get the perfect fit on every bc you have tried... more or less the same as point 3.
5. Enjoy slimplicity.
6. Prefer a more modular bc.
7. Components which are replaceble on their own.

The Brigade is modular but not really a tech bc, parts can be replaced but for me it's bulky, doesn't dry faster than a bp/w and doesn't fit me that well.

I tend to travel for my diving that's why the Oxycheq O-Pac is a very interesting
alternative to a bp/w as it's light, simple and can use any wing I current have.

Rather than rambling about it, Jarrett try a bp/w for the heck of it. If you don't like it cool at least you'll know and your Brigade is a great bc in the first place.

SangP