Rookie curiosity here

[The Chairman]

Why is it that a BP&W is better for tech diving than a jacket/vest style BC? I am new to scuba (getting my OW cert in January) but I have been reading a lot and find myself curious over the hole BP&W vs jacket/vest BC. Thanks for the info.

Its a matter of intense personal preference. The inventor of the line arrow, Forrest, dives caves in a jacket BC. There are a number of us side mount divers who don't like a traditional back plate. I dive a Zeagle Express Tech for both back mounting singles and side mounting doubles. Its fun and works well!

 

[CaveMD]

Its a matter of intense personal preference. The inventor of the line arrow, Forrest, dives caves in a jacket BC. There are a number of us side mount divers who don't like a traditional back plate. I dive a Zeagle Express Tech for both back mounting singles and side mounting doubles. Its fun and works well!

The last time I dove with him he was actually wearing a hollis sms100 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0MGmV8QQP0&feature=youtu.be

edit: thats me waving at the beginning.



He actually left his dinosaur thing at home by accident and had to borrow it but whatever lol

 

[The Chairman]

So, its still not a back plate.

 

[CaveMD]

So, its still not a back plate.

I don't know ANY sidemounters using a backplate...I know of them, but I've yet to actually see or speak to one of them in person.

I was a big fan of bp/w until I tried sidemount. I put up all my backmount gear up for sale after my first weekend diving sidemount. I would still very highly incourage a bp/w over a "poodle" jacket.

I use the Hollis sms100 myself.

 

[Cave Diver]

So, its still not a back plate.

Nobody claimed that it was?

 

[lv2dive]

...The big hub bub is mostly an internet construction. Double tanks is really the main reason BP/W's exist, IMHO; there are not many doubles divers not using BP/W. Cold water diving is the next biggest reason, but there are more than a few cold water divers not using BP/W...

I got into a BP/W well before the thought of caves or doubles or tech crossed my mind, when I was doing purely recreational warm water diving. What I liked about it was a) the minimalistic nature leading to b) the fact that the BC itself did not increase the need for weight (via padding or extra fabric) and c) the adjustable nature. I did have a type of comfort harness, initially, but by the time a one piece harness was required for classes I was taking, I had already made the decision to move in that direction. So although I'm not an exception to the statement above now - I was when I started diving a BP/W. And now, when it comes to 80/80/80 diving, as previously mentioned I love the fact that I don't need to mess around with weights.

 

[The Chairman]

Nobody claimed that it was?

That's cuz Knowone hasn't posted in here yet!

But the OP queried about a BP&Wing for tech diving and this is decidedly Not a backplate. Forrest's conversion to the SMS100 is fairly recent though. I last dove near him a little over a year ago and he was diving what we would call a poodle jacket.

 

[LowDrag]

Cave Diver

Originally Posted by halemanō
The big hub bub is mostly an internet construction. Double tanks is really the main reason BP/W's exist, IMHO; there are not many doubles divers not using BP/W.



Considering the OP's original question, I'd say there is no big hub bub. Most "tech divers" I know are using double tanks, and as previously stated the reason for using a BPW is stability. You even said you would have used a BP/W under those circumstances.


If I had continued past Intro to Cave, I would have needed to dive double tanks, and would have used BP/W.


The rest of your posts just highlights your bias against BP/W and really have little bearing on the original question.

Originally Posted by RollinontheRvr
Why is it that a BP&W is better for tech diving than a jacket/vest style BC?



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Cave Diver...you quoted me here but unless I am missing something you did not point why I was quoted. Did something get left out or am I missing something?

Thank you all for the replies here. I find myself leaning in the direction of a BP&W due to the cold water diving I will be doing plus the stability underwater and not to forget the possibility of going Cavern/Cave someday. From the replies I have read here it just makes sense to me that a BP&W wold better suit my needs and no, this does not mean that I think a BP&W is "better" than a vest BC.

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[Cave Diver]

Cave Diver...you quoted me here but unless I am missing something you did not point why I was quoted. Did something get left out or am I missing something?

I quoted you to re-iterate the original question, which was about the use of BPW for tech diving and to attempt to keep the thread on track. Halemano was starting to go down the track of the reasons why new divers might use one, which was not your question and starts to open up a whole new can of worms.

 

[LowDrag]

I quoted you to re-iterate the original question, which was about the use of BPW for tech diving and to attempt to keep the thread on track. Halemano was starting to go down the track of the reasons why new divers might use one, which was not your question and starts to open up a whole new can of worms.

Yep...I missed something alright. I did not get that at all. Thanks, I definitely want to keep this thread on track and I definitely do not want to see it turn into a fight like I saw on another thread.

So, my next question then would be about brands. Which BP&W do you use and why? My LDS is a ScubaPro dealer which so far to me seems to be a good quality product but I am always open to more information.