Rugged, low-weight back inflate travel BC?

[kaerius]

I'm basically looking for something that won't differ too much from what students use in most dive centers, for teaching purposes, while being low weight and back inflate.

I've been taking a long hard look at the zeagle covert, but not sure it's what I'm looking for. I almost bought the; very popular here; zeagle express tech, but the main problem I have with it is the teaching side.

So my requirement list is basically:
Durable
Low-weight
Back inflate
Cumberbund (teaching purpose, or I wouldn't care)
Pockets
-Crotchstrap not required (again, teaching purpose, or I wouldn't mind)

I can take or leave integrated weights and trim pockets, though they can be nice.
I probably won't need more than #30 lift, even if I'd dive at home with a drysuit. (I use about 5-6lb sans suit with aluminum tanks, maybe another 8-9 with my brand new full body 5mm, about 11-12 with HP steel and drysuit).

I'm probably going to end up getting a BP/W at some point for a dip into tech, but I've no illusion about using it for teaching OW courses. This further reinforces the low weight requirement, as I might end up traveling with two BCs, so this will almost certainly be a zeagle express tech, or other polymer backplate.

 

[tbone1004]

deep sea supply kydex with LCD-30 wing
durable-about as good as it gets
low-weight, same
back inflate, check
cummerbund, you can put whatever harness on the plate you want, if you need a cumberbund, put a dive rite transplate on it.
pockets, don't need them, but you can put universal pockets on the webbing
crotchstrap-should be required, they make life much better.

There is no reason you can't teach OW courses in a backplate, and if it is because of the harness, then just put something like the Dive Rite transplate on there and now you have a cumberbund, quick releases, chest strap, shoulder pads, etc etc. All of the things you don't actually need, but is what it is

 

[kaerius]

There is no reason you can't teach OW courses in a backplate, and if it is because of the harness, then just put something like the Dive Rite transplate on there and now you have a cumberbund, quick releases, chest strap, shoulder pads, etc etc. All of the things you don't actually need, but is what it is

The rule of thumb here is that you should teach in similar gear to the students. Most dive centers still use jacket style BCDs, so I should at least use one that has the jacket-style features, even if it's got a wing bladder.

But sure, you can teach OW with a BP/W, especially if that's what the dive center is supplying their students with. I've actually dived with divers who'd learned in and bought BP/W setups.

 

[agilis]

I've used a Zeagle Scout for 15 years. They now come with cummerbunds, pockets, variable weight systems, are very lightweight, easily stored for travel, very tough, capable of almost limitless adjustments.

 

[tbone1004]

ok, so what do you need to make it similar? Why does a cummerbund matter? What changes when diving in a bp/w vs. jacket that makes teaching a problem? If you need quick releases, shoulder pads, etc etc. then just put a transplate on whatever plate you buy, just beware they add a substantial amount of weight over a one piece harness. If you just need a QR on the shoulder for some reason, then you can put one on, or use a "deluxe with qr" harness from dive rite which gets you a chest strap. Don't sacrifice your diving comfort and safety for that of idiotic teaching "Recommendations"

If you're working out of a shop, just teach in rental gear, they should supply it for you, in the brands they are trying to sell. If your shop was driven by quality instruction instead of the profit margin, then they would realize that training in BP/W's which are not only better, but are also cheaper for the shop because they don't need to have nearly as many rigs due to sizing constraints, and since plates and harnesses last basically forever, they are significantly cheaper to maintain int he long run because they are modular.

Biggest safety concern with jackets is the lift is usually tied to the size, and that is very dangerous. Even on the back inflates, the larger sizes usually have larger lift capacities, and it's just not very good.

 

[diversteve]

Stiletto's are marketed as travel BC's even though they're 7.4 lbs...

Stiletto BC

It has everything else on your list.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba.]

The rule of thumb here is that you should teach in similar gear to the students. Most dive centers still use jacket style BCDs, so I should at least use one that has the jacket-style features, even if it's got a wing bladder.

But sure, you can teach OW with a BP/W, especially if that's what the dive center is supplying their students with. I've actually dived with divers who'd learned in and bought BP/W setups.

I own nothing but BP/Ws, but I teach for a shop that uses jacket BCDs for instruction. I myself agree that it is best for the instructor to be in the same kind of gear as the student for OW instructional sessions. I just use shop gear for that. No problem. In the classroom, I explain why I prefer the gear I use. No problem. When I conduct the OW dives with students, I am no longer instructing, so I use my own gear. No problem.