Travel BCD Recommendation for a Petit Woman

[jjmochi]

I'm almost your exact size - 5'2", 105lb. My first BC was Cressi Start Pro 2 in XXS - bought it and fit perfectly when I was ~100lb. Now it's quite snug and uncomfortable to put on/take off without using the quick release buckle (my shoulders/back are too wide after gaining some muscle). In other words I think XXS will be too small or at least be an annoyance if you gain any weight at all.

I searched for a travel BC that was as light or lighter than my XXS Cressi for a long time and couldn't find one I liked. I tried a backplate and wing for the first time last weekend and loved it. I have ~250 dives in my old jacket and it took me less than 1 pool dive (where I had access to an instructor to ask questions and fine-tune the harness fit) to get the hang of the backplate and wing. It is much more comfortable, you don't feel the tank at all, and easier to maintain trim due to where the weight pouches are (at the back near the tank vs in front). I used the Halcyon carbon fibre size small backplate - tried the standard and it was too big. Ordered that with a 20lb wing. Halcyon is expensive but I was told no other brand makes a backplate that small so that's what I went with.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

This Aluminum Freedom plate will be coming up for sale soon if you’re interested in it? It’s the smallest one I’ve made so far (XS) for very short people or kids. The shoulder strap slots are a little different than previous models and use two harness straps, one on each side instead of a one piece continuous piece of webbing. It is only 13” tall and weighs way under two lbs. I had to do it this way in order to get 11”center holes for the wing to attach, but it’s more versatile because you can use either the upper or lower holes in the wing which gives you about 1 1/2” adjustability up or down. It’s designed for the VDH Argonaut 18# wing.
It’s a hand formed custom plate that fits your body.
This plate is still somewhat experimental.
This one is polished too so it’s pretty!

 

[ddavin]

Sorry I'm so late to this party! I have the Zena and love it. I discovered that once you unclip the shoulders and side buckles you can completely remove the front of the BC from the back. This is great because I then put the BC into my suitcase with the cam bands facing UP and then store things in the middle of those big loops. Before I discovered this trick I was putting the whole BC in, cam bands down, and created a lot of wasted space. The Zena is pretty light, easily packed, and with all the ways to adjust it you can make it fit any body. It does not come with a pre-installed tri-glide on the vest for a crotch strap, but you can ask your dive shop to order it with one attached (don't know what the upcharge is).

Btw, somehow, something poked a hole in the bladder of my Zena during this last trip. I have to replace the bladder. It's expensive at $345 just for the bladder. But that's how much I love my Zena. Rather than opt for a different BC I'm going to fix this one (and get it retrofitted with the tri-glide for the crotch strap rather than continue Frankensteining one!).

Thanks for the packing tip! I tried your suggestion of taking off the front panels and packing my Zena with the cam bands up. SO MUCH BETTER!

 

[kyle191]

I know this is a women's forum.....but I have been diving with my petite wife for a looong time. She went through several travel BCD's and settles on the Scuba Pro Lite Hawk.

She is 5 feet tall and about 115lbs.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I know this is a women's forum.....but I have been diving with my petite wife for a looong time. She went through several travel BCD's and settles on the Scuba Pro Lite Hawk.

She is 5 feet tall and about 115lbs.

I was going to suggest looking at that one as well.

 

[Kimela]

Resurrecting this thread for a couple of specific thoughts. I love my Zena. I left it in Cozumel because we're there every couple of months and I didn't want to drag it back and forth every trip. I decided to pick up a Mares Pure for a quick trip meg teeth hunting in Florida. I got it for a good price in February, tried it on and all seemed good. We leave a week from today. So naturally, TODAY I strapped it on a tank and tried it on - oh, no bueno. The way the strap across the chest causes the shoulder straps to dig into the girls is very uncomfortable. I'm really missing my Zena. I guess I'll wear this Mares and not snap the chest strap and hope it doesn't chafe on my arms - the shoulder straps are very wide for a small person. At least it has a crotch strap so I know it's not going anywhere while I'm diving. But just wanted to throw out two reminders:

1. When you try on a new BC make sure you strap it onto a tank so you can feel how it will fit fully weighted;
2. If you are well-endowed, this is another plug for the Zena - it is so much more comfortable. I don't see me switching to BP/W unless it's hogarthian because of the huge straps - and some of BP/W rigs have the chest snap. Honestly, I'm not sure how anyone with breasts finds those chest straps to be comfortable. Maybe if the chest strap was closer to the neck?

 

[chillyinCanada]

I'm not crazy about the chest strap on my bcd. That said, it is slightly above the girls and not across them. I don't notice it in the water, only on the surface. Now and then, it occurs to me that I could get a short extender clip to make it less tight but since it's only uncomfortable at the surface, the thought doesn't stay front of mind.

 

[Kimela]

I'm not crazy about the chest strap on my bcd. That said, it is slightly above the girls and not across them.

If it was just a little higher I think it would help. I had a BC somewhere along the line (zuma?) that had a strap that went higher/lower.

I don't notice it in the water, only on the surface.

That's what i'm hoping for - and I'll be wearing at least 2m, maybe 3, so perhaps I won't feel it so much (and a sports bra that has some high density foam that might help too). Once I've got my hands buried in the sediment looking for meg teeth maybe I'll forget my BC entirely.

Please cross your fingers I find a nice, big tooth! Last year I got lots of teeth, but they were smaller and of other varieties of sharks.

 

[Ayisha]

[*]If you are well-endowed, this is another plug for the Zena - it is so much more comfortable. I don't see me switching to BP/W unless it's hogarthian because of the huge straps - and some of BP/W rigs have the chest snap. Honestly, I'm not sure how anyone with breasts finds those chest straps to be comfortable. Maybe if the chest strap was closer to the neck?
[/LIST]
View attachment 787392

A bp/w is extremely comfortable for women of all shapes and sizes, including well endowed.

The webbing goes down the collarbone/shoulder and around the sides/back down to the waist and through the bp.
So the harness skirts the chest and doesn't impede it. The webbing can be soft or stiffer. It can also be as loose as you want since the crotch strap keeps the rig in place.

You can see how the straps don't impede the chest, including mine :

 

[Kimela]

A bp/w is extremely comfortable for women of all shapes and sizes, including well endowed.

The webbing goes down the collarbone/shoulder and around the sides/back down to the waist and through the bp.
So the harness skirts the chest and doesn't impede it. The webbing can be soft or stiffer. It can also be as loose as you want since the crotch strap keeps the rig in place.

You can see how the straps don't impede the chest, including mine :

View attachment 787434

View attachment 787435

Looks comfy. Definitely something to think about. Hubby got out my old Zuma - he had frankensteined a different (bigger) bladder to it because mine popped a hole after its second trip many years ago, so it's functional but doesn't look pretty. The shoulder straps are much thinner than the Mares, so I may end up using that one instead. I'll put it on a tank tomorrow and see how it feels. I might take both next week, just in case.