SP Ladyhawk, Would like some opinions

[tstormdiver]

Hi there! I am wondering what opinions there are about the Ladyhawk. I have a Oceanic Hera & love it! But I will be traveling to Malaysia in the spring & the Hera tends to be rather bulky & heavy for travel. I was originally looking at the Aqualung Libra, but it only goes up in size to ML & I need a Lg (I dive dry suit a lot & need the extra room) The Ladyhawk does go to a Lg size. I would really like to get a light weight, back inflate, female BC for travel, but that would also fit me in a drysuit. Any suggestions?

 

[super7]

Light weight, back inflate, dry suit. And of course you've been diving with BP/W, correct?
How about Oxycheq's Ultralight plate + Delux Adjustable harness + Mach V?
This setup should be compact and packable.
IMO, this setup is rec BC minus pockets

 

[Walter]

Scubapro makes really good BCs, but the LadyHawk is rather bulky. If you want to get away from a bulky BC, try the Classic Sport, it's the most streamlined BC I've ever used. It's not back inflate, but when you are prone all the inflation is on the back.

 

[Damselfish]

I have a LadyHawk and haven't found the weight or bulk to be too bad for packing, not that you can't do better but actually not bad compared to many.

Do you really need to get rid of your current BC? If it works for you with your drysuit, why not keep using it at home and buy something specifically for travel. You'd have more choices and wind up with BCs much better better suited for their purposes, instead of having something that doesn't fit well in one or both cases. If you had no BC and were looking for one to cover it all that would be different, but you've already got it and might not make that much reselling it anyway.

 

[tstormdiver]

I wasn't planning on getting rid of the Hera, like I said, I really like the fit & comfort. I'm planning on continuing to use it for pool, Open Water & such still. I would just like a lighter less bulky BC for travel that I might also be able to use for classes from time to time. I have a general rule that if it's too cold for a 3mm wetsuit, then I dive dry, that's why I need a BC large enough to accommodate me in a drysuit. After the Hera, which is a hybrid back inflate & jacket inflate, & my BP/W, I have become much more comfortable in a back inflate BC. I really had my eye on a Libra until I tried one on (Md) & it just barely fit me. A ML probably wouldn't be that much larger & they don't go any bigger. I don't really want to order a BC that I can't fit, then be stuck with it. When I look for a BC I look for one that is comfortable & versatile for the diving I do, for classes, to just messing around, to cold water diving, to tropical diving.....

 

[oly5050user]

try a Dive Rite transpak with a travel wing..when you go dry then replace wing with perhaps a Rec wing and go dry..with this bc think modular.

 

[tstormdiver]

Although my shop does carry Dive Rite products, they would prefer us to be in traditional recreational gear(ie. a traditional BC, similar to what the students wear) for classes, with only a few exceptions. I am trying to find a versatile BC that I can travel easily with & also use for classes, or just diving to mess around.

 

[potato cod]

Hi Tammy,

I haven't tried the Ladyhawk, so I can't offer an opinion on that bc, but I've been actively shopping for a bc and have been looking at some of the bcs mentioned. I know what you mean about the Hera's bulk, expecially around the waist. Because I travel a lot, this one just didn't quite seem like the best bet for me, although I liked how adjustable it was. I was also a bit squeezed by it when inflated. Libra didn't fit my non-standard size well either.

I just spent about an hour trying out the Zeagle LaZer in the pool two nights ago and it is love. It's a back inflate, female version of the Stiletto, which is a travel bc. It's light (under 7 pounds including the inflator), comfy with nice padding like the Hera, and is also rugged with enough lift for local cold water/dry suit diving here in the great lakes. The two tank straps made the tank feel very secure even without the hard pack. The other great thing is that the shoulder and waist pieces are modular and you can get different sizes if you need (which I do), and the sizes run from xs to xl. They also can be moved around like on the Hera. The only thing I wish the bc had was a right shoulder dump, but the inflater pull dump and right kidney were sufficient when I tried it out.

Happy BC hunting!

 

[tstormdiver]

Very good suggestion! I may look into it. Our store may still handle Zeagle products, I'm not sure & will have find out for sure. It sounds like that may be very close to what I'm looking for. Thanks a million.

 

[potato cod]

You're welcome! I always appreciate your thoughtful posts on SB, so it's nice to repay the favor.

One more thing, if you do try this bc out you may need to play around a little with the tank strap position. At first I had them too low and the tank valve assembly was restricting my ability to tilt my head back. I found that the first strap needs to be higher than where a single strap would go. I needed the top strap up near where the tank starts to curve to the top.