Travel BCD?

[Anish]

I just finished a LA in the Maldives with my new Dive Rite Hydro Lite and loved it. It's light enough, soft back plate, adjustable straps and dumpable weight pockets. I found the trim to be great. It's minimalist but not too sparse. It has SS hardware, 6 D rings, and is rugged.

 

[Tracy]

I use a Dive Rite Hydrolite for single tank travel diving. It is relatively inexpensive, very lightweight, and holds up well.

 

[Umuntu]

60xx alloys are plenty strong enough for mountain bike frames. I suspect if your scooter can pull you fast enough that "they're not strong enough", you'll have other equipment problems too. Like, your regulator getting ripped out of your mouth by hose drag.

I’m not sure that, from an engineering perspective, the comparison to a bike frame is valid.

A aluminium bike frame gets its strength partly from using thicker materials than steel frames, triangular (not round) shaped beams and from the triangular frame design. The forces applied to the frame are compression forces, not pulling the frame apart.

The O or D-ring is a thin cross section of an aluminium frame beam, with the pulling forces being applied stretching it.

The aluminium ring may or may not be strong enough for a scuba scooter application, but I wouldn’t use it on a climbing harness.

 

[dmaziuk]

Edit: the cargo ones go to 10K pounds but I can't easily find a diving-style one with load rating. Steel ones do 7K pounds, if Alu can hold 1/10th of that, it should be good for scooters.

 

[TMurrr]

Same here, except my soft plate is the Oxy Ultralite, two QR XS dump pockets on waist, two standard XS weight pockets on the two Delrin cambands, one Trilobite type line cutter, titanium D-rings, steel buckle, medium stiff webbing with neoprene shoulder pads, quick detach crotch strap, tank (neck) hanger and VDH 23 pounds lift wing. I have two others very similar, one with the Oxy Mach V 18 wing (6.5 pounds) and another with a VDH 18 wing (5.5 pounds). All up weight of this one is 6 pounds.





I have this rig out because I got the titanium D rings for Christmas and I was installing them while drinking coffee and getting fussed at for not reloading the bird feeders! With the titanium bits I bet the weight is now nearer 5 pounds. Going to a quality plastic buckle would probably get me below 5 pounds.

This one, of the three, is my favorite because it has enough reserve buoyancy to carry a pony/stage for solo missions, the 18 pounds lift wings just struggle with that. These are best suited to minimal exposure gear (like a 3mm suits, shorties, rash guards and swimsuits) and aluminum cylinders. For colder water and heavier exposure gear I have appropriate outfits for that so no need to stretch the limits on the little travel rigs. Trim is perfect and the first one I bought when Oxy first came out with the soft plates. It has many divers over the years and is going strong. I do not rig for quick adjust webbing, I use slides to lock the webbing at four points. Otherwise standard Hogarthian one piece webbing rigging for open water diving.

I am going to get a few more titanium D-rings and a couple of aluminum 2 inch rings (scooter, camera tether). Every ounce counts. I do like the Apeks and Mares XR (NLA?) soft plates when they can be found.

@Umuntu, are you locking the plate ring between the slide and webbing? I was doing that but switched to putting both pieces of webbing through the plate ring and locking with a slide. The reason is that the slides were digging into my sides and with only a rash guard they pinched me good. So here is how I do it now, no pinching the cXXp out of me this way:



I had been using the VDH aluminum double hose plates and I just got another, but for now, they are in retired reserve as I much prefer the soft plates to a metal plate of any sort for tropical/travel diving. For comfort, trim in the water, pack-ability, no danger of pinch flats on the wing and less weight and traditional one piece Hog rigging without the need to cross the straps. Here is the VDH rig on the left and Oxy ring on the right:



I have just tired of the crossed straps sawing at my neck, the two piece webbing is not Hog, the metal plate digging at my skin and it is about a pound heavier. Still, the VDH plate is light years ahead of using a standard doubles tech plate for single tank diving.

Oh wow, very lucky owning the VDH 18#, Oxy 18# and VDH 23#. I'd love to hear which you liked the best and why. (I'm still searching for a VDH 23# myself)

Interesting, I was researching how to rig this (very excited for it btw) - the straps actually criss-cross behind your head before going over your shoulders?
Have you had a chance to compare one of these compare to a freedom plate?

 

[Nemrod]

Oh wow, very lucky owning the VDH 18#, Oxy 18# and VDH 23#. I'd love to hear which you liked the best and why. (I'm still searching for a VDH 23# myself)

Interesting, I was researching how to rig this (very excited for it btw) - the straps actually criss-cross behind your head before going over your shoulders?
Have you had a chance to compare one of these compare to a freedom plate?

I actually have an Oxy 18 and 30, VDH 18 and 23 and DR 45 for doubles. Plus too much other stuff. The VDH 23 is my go to wing for warmer water. I like it better than the 18 pounds lift wing because I have a little more reserve if carry a slung buddy bottle for solo and/or a sometimes negative camera rig.

Yes, it is customary to cross straps on the VDH plates but some have managed to be more conventional. The plate you bought from me (will ship Monday) actually can do single piece with some cursing, two piece with less cursing and even three piece. I usually like to get stoned or high, about 2AM in the morning watching old sci-fi monster movies when webbing any plate. The VDH plates are easy to web, just you have a plethora of ways to web and rig them unlike those funky double tank plates so many seem to compromise with for single tank diving .

The Freedom Plate and the VDH plate sit about the same position on my back, YRMV slightly depending upon exactly how each is set up and your particular dimensions. But they sit and trim similar, my experience.

Oh, anyone needing a very nice VDH plate, powder coated black, just freaking lovely , well, I have another one for sale down in the classifieds, just saying, nearly as rare as hens teeth and just completely awesome for travel!

 

[TMurrr]

I actually have an Oxy 18 and 30, VDH 18 and 23 and DR 45 for doubles. Plus too much other stuff. The VDH 23 is my go to wing for warmer water. I like it better than the 18 pounds lift wing because I have a little more reserve if carry a slung buddy bottle for solo and/or a sometimes negative camera rig.

Yes, it is customary to cross straps on the VDH plates but some have managed to be more conventional. The plate you bought from me (will ship Monday) actually can do single piece with some cursing, two piece with less cursing and even three piece. I usually like to get stoned or high, about 2AM in the morning watching old sci-fi monster movies when webbing any plate. The VDH plates are easy to web, just you have a plethora of ways to web and rig them unlike those funky double tank plates so many seem to compromise with for single tank diving .

The Freedom Plate and the VDH plate sit about the same position on my back, YRMV slightly depending upon exactly how each is set up and your particular dimensions. But they sit and trim similar, my experience.

Oh, anyone needing a very nice VDH plate, powder coated black, just freaking lovely , well, I have another one for sale down in the classifieds, just saying, nearly as rare as hens teeth and just completely awesome for travel!

You have quite the collection! Makes total sense why the VDH 23# is your go-to. I'm in search for one for Florida winters when I'm rocking a 5mm, steel tank + carrying a bag full of lobster in high seas. Would prefer just a little extra lift just incase.

Excellent, looking forward to the continuous harness one and I will absolutely follow your advice as to how/when to weave it

Would you say the shoulder straps from the VDH plate criss-crossing behind your neck places them closer to the center of your chest when worn? Purchasing yours was absolutely a curiosity purchase and I'm excited to dive it - just want to better understand what I'm doing.

 

[hdtran]

Zeagle Zglc

Zeagle Covert BCD

www.scuba.com

I have the recent model Zeagle Covert (I think they call it Covert XT?). Mine weighs 5 lb 12 oz (this includes a few accessories that I've attached on it).

Things that I like:

• Total weight. This helps me avoid excess checked baggage charges
• Dual tanks straps (only 1 cam strap, the other strap is a stabilizing strap)
• Waist strap, shoulder strap, sternum strap all relatively easy to adjust & comfortable
• Trim weight pockets on tank cam strap
• The screw-out inflator so you can attach a garden hose to clean out your air cell
• Construction looks really robust
• Molle straps (that's both a like and a dislike)
• Places where I can attach clips & stuff

Things that I dislike:

• Only three air dumps (BC inflator, cord on right shoulder, right hip dump). I'd really love also having a left hip dump, so that I don't have to think about how to rotate myself before adjusting my buoyancy...
• The idea of molle straps is nice, but finding molle pockets & attachments that have no metal to rust is a challenge
• No pockets (other than weight pockets), so I had to find (or cobble together) a pocket that can carry a few items (backup light)
• Limited D-rings, but I attach to grommets (or tie a small piece of paracord to the grommet and use a bolt snap or similar)

I only dive tropical temperatures (and have to fly to get there), so this BC has plenty of capacity for me.

 

[Umuntu]

I actually have an Oxy 18 and 30, VDH 18 and 23 and DR 45 for doubles. Plus too much other stuff. The VDH 23 is my go to wing for warmer water. I like it better than the 18 pounds lift wing because I have a little more reserve if carry a slung buddy bottle for solo and/or a sometimes negative camera rig.

Seems like you are slowly persuading yourself to let go of your 18# wings

 

[Nemrod]

Seems like you are slowly persuading yourself to let go of your 18# wings

Nah, well, not yet. I like my 18s for tropical diving. A 3mm suit to rash guard and swimsuit and aluminum tank they cover nicely. But, for a HP100 or slinging a pony bottle, the 18s just run sort of on the ragged edge. The bad thing is the 23 VDH wing is tiny due to the internal perimeter bungee, it makes the Oxy 18 seem sort of too big! IMO, the Oxy wings trim me slightly better, more rear lift I can get a bubble to stay in the bottom to favor my heavy legs. The VDH wings tend to put that bubble more amidships the wing due to the bungee. My Oxy 18/30 are getting sort of old, they still have the waterbed bag and no slots, which I had to cut into them and then get edged. And then my friend Bryan went and made the VDH wings and my wife wanted one and so it goes and I had to support his efforts . And then she retires from diving leaving me to sort out some things. A VDH 18/23, that is kind of like a unicorn. You might would have to pry my cold dead fingers from them to get either.