Reviews & Questions - Aqualung Rogue

[Jiminy]

I will try to add a few points, without excessive duplication

1. The waist pieces are the only interchangeable parts between Outlaw and Rogue. Bladders are not.
2. A difference many will not notice at first is the lack of a right shoulder dump on the Outlaw. You can still dump from the left an a headfirst ascent, but the current “low profile” generation of Aqualung inflators are NOT overpressure relief. On the Outlaw, only the lower right valve will open if over inflated. Nothing higher up.
3. Yes, be sure you are flexible enough to use this weight system where it is located. And it is unlikely you will be able to comfortably or easily reinstall loaded pockets once you are in the BCD.
4. Yes, you can add trim pockets to the Outlaw tank band, but the position of the Rogue trim pockets is away from your center of gravity, allowing better trim adjustment.
5. I haven’t yet found a website link, but I am assured the SMB with molle pouch is now available, at least in the US. I need to remember to add one to my next order.

I cant seem to find the rogue or outlaw online any longer. Any idea what happened?

 

[JackD342]

I cant seem to find the rogue or outlaw online any longer. Any idea what happened?

If you mean you can’t find it for sale online, that would be correct. Or at least not from any authorized dealer. They are both brick-and-mortar only items, and have been all along. You can read about it on the Aqualung site though.

 

[BarelyBreathing]

5. I know that the bcd is designed to be light and basic in extras but one item that i constantly struggle with is the guage hose, which i keep tucked unter the pocket and it keeps comming out and ends up scraping on the sea bed. If anyone know a beter way to store it please let me know.

I’ve always clipped away my SPG to a lower D ring on my BCDs using a SS double ender. You do need to practise doing it by feel and without looking though, until it’s second nature and you can unclip to view and then stow your spg in one continuous motion. With the Rogue, the lower D-ring on the waistband is pretty small so it takes a bit more practise to get used to it but it’s not impossible.

 

[JackD342]

My console (AI computer) is attached to the left shoulder D-ring with a retractor. Has served me well for quite a while.

 

[ZzzKing]

Just returned from a week in Bonaire with the family unit. My wife and I both have Oxycheq 18lb wings with travel plates and SS hardware, more or less Hogarthian rigged. The boy and the girl both have Outlaws with the following mods: added crotch strap (see photos above) and a 1 1/2” SS split ring at left hip to clip off SPG. They use 4-6lbs on a belt.

Pack weight:
Oxycheq rigs plus all gear except regulators / computers was approximately 40 labs. This included miscellaneous towels, clothes, fish ID books, etc. Mine was a little more due to jet fins with springs. Aqualung rigs were a couple of pounds (maybe) lighter. We have a big trip to Australia / Malaysia next summer so I am happy we have weight to spare.

Diving:
It took a couple of dives to dial in the crotch straps but our junior open water divers were trimmed out and looked like pros pretty quickly.

The right side butt dump seems weird to me but they don’t have years of habit and don’t have any problem with it at all. We are almost never in a vertical orientation so the lack of a pull dump on the shoulder isn’t important. The Oxycheqs don’t have a pull dump either.

The fabric loop system works fine but personally, I prefer the positive feel of clipping off on a SS d-ring.

Weighting system was the same for both types. No problems there. I only saw one malfunctioned weight belt pocket on the bottom this trip so the weight belt only wins 0-1.

Post-dive:
These things are easy to rinse and dry very quickly. All 4 BCs were dry every morning. I expected the Oxycheq to be dry because they have no padding. I wasn’t sure about the Aqualung. I was pleasantly surprised.

My wife’s wing is getting a little long in the tooth so I will probably look into one of these for her at some point. These seem perfect for our family. The negatives that some people talk about are not needed by us anyway as we are pretty minimalist divers. YMMV

 

[JackD342]

Just returned from a week in Bonaire with the family unit. My wife and I both have Oxycheq 18lb wings with travel plates and SS hardware, more or less Hogarthian rigged. The boy and the girl both have Outlaws with the following mods: added crotch strap (see photos above) and a 1 1/2” SS split ring at left hip to clip off SPG. They use 4-6lbs on a belt.

Pack weight:
Oxycheq rigs plus all gear except regulators / computers was approximately 40 labs. This included miscellaneous towels, clothes, fish ID books, etc. Mine was a little more due to jet fins with springs. Aqualung rigs were a couple of pounds (maybe) lighter. We have a big trip to Australia / Malaysia next summer so I am happy we have weight to spare.

Diving:
It took a couple of dives to dial in the crotch straps but our junior open water divers were trimmed out and looked like pros pretty quickly.

The right side butt dump seems weird to me but they don’t have years of habit and don’t have any problem with it at all. We are almost never in a vertical orientation so the lack of a pull dump on the shoulder isn’t important. The Oxycheqs don’t have a pull dump either.

The fabric loop system works fine but personally, I prefer the positive feel of clipping off on a SS d-ring.

Weighting system was the same for both types. No problems there. I only saw one malfunctioned weight belt pocket on the bottom this trip so the weight belt only wins 0-1.

Post-dive:
These things are easy to rinse and dry very quickly. All 4 BCs were dry every morning. I expected the Oxycheq to be dry because they have no padding. I wasn’t sure about the Aqualung. I was pleasantly surprised.

My wife’s wing is getting a little long in the tooth so I will probably look into one of these for her at some point. These seem perfect for our family. The negatives that some people talk about are not needed by us anyway as we are pretty minimalist divers. YMMV

On the more “traditional” bcd inflators, the left shoulder is also a dump valve. Just grab the inflator and pull straight out. There is a steel cable inside the hose connected to the dump.

 

[ZzzKing]

You can put a pull dump on most BCDs including wings. I have witnessed someone pulling the hose off of the elbow before. Probably didn’t get the zip tie tight enough but still, could be a potential issue. If you are horizontal, the pull dump will rarely be the high point of the system. If you are vertical, The inflator hose will be the high point. I never saw the need for one. It’s your money. Use what you like.

 

[BarelyBreathing]

...

We are almost never in a vertical orientation so the lack of a pull dump on the shoulder isn’t important. The Oxycheqs don’t have a pull dump either.

The fabric loop system works fine but personally, I prefer the positive feel of clipping off on a SS d-ring.

...

My wife’s wing is getting a little long in the tooth so I will probably look into one of these for her at some point. These seem perfect for our family. The negatives that some people talk about are not needed by us anyway as we are pretty minimalist divers. YMMV

I too don't think a shoulder dump is necessary but my Rogue has it, so whatever. More importantly (for me at least) the Rogue has SS D-rings and pockets when I need them; the lack of which were my Outlaw dealbreakers. What would make the Rogue near-perfect (again, for me) is to be able to swap the Outlaw bladder onto the Rogue. I wonder if all the attachment points for the models' bladders are the same though. I would love the weight savings even if modest; I don't mind losing the never-used shoulder dump, and I dive in tropical waters and don't need the Rogue's full lift capacity.

Which brings me to the more important point... You're coming to my neck of the woods! Where will you be diving in Malaysia?

 

[ZzzKing]

My wife’s mother is from Penang so we will be visiting family there and in KL. Last trip, my wife and I hit Sipadan but the kids weren’t yet old enough. This trip we will dive the GBR in Australia either coming or going. Haven’t identified yet if we will dive in Malaysia or maybe Thailand. We always have to spend a number of days with the in-laws, though. We are still about 16 months out so plenty of time to plan.

 

[BarelyBreathing]

My wife’s mother is from Penang so we will be visiting family there and in KL. Last trip, my wife and I hit Sipadan but the kids weren’t yet old enough. This trip we will dive the GBR in Australia either coming or going. Haven’t identified yet if we will dive in Malaysia or maybe Thailand. We always have to spend a number of days with the in-laws, though. We are still about 16 months out so plenty of time to plan.

Nice! If you’ve done sipadan then the other west Malaysia dives aren’t going to quite match up. Thailand is ok but Indonesia - Raja Ampat, Komodo... those are fantastic. But harder to get to and will require time. If you’re spending much time with family in the Penang/KL but still feel the urge for some quick narc hits, Tenggol and Redang are pretty ok.