Travel BCs jacket style - and sadly negative experience

[pelan-pelan]

Travel BC needed. Jacket style. Have tried wing and is not comfortable/efficient for my build.

Have had a jacket style travel BC before and it was fine. It got a bit old so bought a new one of that make. Slightly different design and obviously cheaper build. Diving in the Maldives and even after three people checked the weight pockets were clicked home, the pocket fell out on the third dive. Then, worse, could not dump air out of the BC. The construction was too soft and flabby to allow the air to flow out of the jacket as a whole. Ended up with the Dive Manager having to hug me to expel the air.

Afterwards, worryingly, the Dive Manager said that when she saw my BC she anticipated problems. In the Maldives they see a lot of travel BCs. Lost weights happen, but the weight pocket click-lock on this BC seemed to fail too often. She was very quick to squeeze me - having seen the problem repeatedly with other divers.

Her recommendation was that the ScubaPro travel BC seemed to perform well - her observation of divers.

Any comments? What about Aqualung? I haven't named the manufacturer of the BC. I don't like to criticise on one personal experience and hearsay. I hope you haven't guessed from your own bad personal experience. The make starts with a C. And the old one was fine.

 

[Landau]

I've got an Aqualung Dimension- love everything about it except the "Sure Lock" weight pockets which are the same as on their travel BCs. These are more like "Sure Loss" since is is fairly easy to get them half clicked in. I now test each pocket 4 times, twice one way and twice another and don't have issues, but I dropped pockets accidentally a few times before I perfected my routine.

I'm a dive master and have seen lots of dropped pockets of almost every design with 2 exceptions:

Scubapro - with the same design as the Hydros Pro - just a standard quick release clip with no handle. About half of my shop's rental fleet is this design and I've never seen one lost.

Zeagle - Ripcord design - I've dove with other using thee several times and never ever heard of an issue, though I wonder how much control a diver would have in dropping the lead. If you were vertical would the lead hit you in the ankle on the way down.

Every design with a handle on the pocket that you can just pull out to release I have ever seen I have seen someone drop a pocket, including the Mares design that shows green when clipped. (I think the diver checked that it was green but I'm not 100% sure)

Most of these were probably user error or a design that is hard to tell if it is clipped in correctly.

And before someone says "Weight belt" I've seen several of those dropped as well, especially on men with a bit of a spare tire so the belt doesn't rest naturally on their hips.

 

[BoltSnap]

Travel BC needed. Jacket style. Have tried wing and is not comfortable/efficient for my build.

Have had a jacket style travel BC before and it was fine. It got a bit old so bought a new one of that make. Slightly different design and obviously cheaper build. Diving in the Maldives and even after three people checked the weight pockets were clicked home, the pocket fell out on the third dive. Then, worse, could not dump air out of the BC. The construction was too soft and flabby to allow the air to flow out of the jacket as a whole. Ended up with the Dive Manager having to hug me to expel the air.

Afterwards, worryingly, the Dive Manager said that when she saw my BC she anticipated problems. In the Maldives they see a lot of travel BCs. Lost weights happen, but the weight pocket click-lock on this BC seemed to fail too often. She was very quick to squeeze me - having seen the problem repeatedly with other divers.

Her recommendation was that the ScubaPro travel BC seemed to perform well - her observation of divers.

Any comments? What about Aqualung? I haven't named the manufacturer of the BC. I don't like to criticise on one personal experience and hearsay. I hope you haven't guessed from your own bad personal experience. The make starts with a C. And the old one was fine.

Scubapro's BC are some of the most comfortable BC's I have tried and are most durable. Their weight pocket design is the most secure I have seen. Hydros Pro is their top of the line BC.

 

[cpace]

I use the an Aqualung BCD with the sure lock weight system. There is what I call a false/soft "click" during installation which leads them falling out. My wife has lost an Aqualung pouch and I was on a boat were another diver lost one. I travel with a spare. When intalling, I listen/feel for the "hard" click. Never had an issue with the the weight pouch when properly installed.

 

[pelan-pelan]

Thanks. Landau - your comments make sense. Bolt-Snap - also thanks for your comment. Security of weight pocket is a major issue. You drop your weights and it is not good. The dive op have lost lead - not happy. And for some, the worst is the damage to the coral - and they're probably right.

 

[Moray]

Travel BC needed. Jacket style. Have tried wing and is not comfortable/efficient for my build. Have had a jacket style travel BC before and it was fine. It got a bit old so bought a new one of that make. Slightly different design and obviously cheaper build. Diving in the Maldives and even after three people checked the weight pockets were clicked home, the pocket fell out on the third dive. Then, worse, could not dump air out of the BC. The construction was too soft and flabby to allow the air to flow out of the jacket as a whole. Ended up with the Dive Manager having to hug me to expel the air. Afterwards, worryingly, the Dive Manager said that when she saw my BC she anticipated problems. In the Maldives they see a lot of travel BCs. Lost weights happen, but the weight pocket click-lock on this BC seemed to fail too often. She was very quick to squeeze me - having seen the problem repeatedly with other divers. Her recommendation was that the ScubaPro travel BC seemed to perform well - her observation of divers. Any comments? What about Aqualung? I haven't named the manufacturer of the BC. I don't like to criticise on one personal experience and hearsay. I hope you haven't guessed from your own bad personal experience. The make starts with a C. And the old one was fine.

 

[Moray]

Travel BC needed. Jacket style. Have tried wing and is not comfortable/efficient for my build. Have had a jacket style travel BC before and it was fine. It got a bit old so bought a new one of that make. Slightly different design and obviously cheaper build. Diving in the Maldives and even after three people checked the weight pockets were clicked home, the pocket fell out on the third dive. Then, worse, could not dump air out of the BC. The construction was too soft and flabby to allow the air to flow out of the jacket as a whole. Ended up with the Dive Manager having to hug me to expel the air. Afterwards, worryingly, the Dive Manager said that when she saw my BC she anticipated problems. In the Maldives they see a lot of travel BCs. Lost weights happen, but the weight pocket click-lock on this BC seemed to fail too often. She was very quick to squeeze me - having seen the problem repeatedly with other divers. Her recommendation was that the ScubaPro travel BC seemed to perform well - her observation of divers. Any comments? What about Aqualung? I haven't named the manufacturer of the BC. I don't like to criticise on one personal experience and hearsay. I hope you haven't guessed from your own bad personal experience. The make starts with a C. And the old one was fine.

Travel BC needed. Jacket style. Have tried wing and is not comfortable/efficient for my build. Have had a jacket style travel BC before and it was fine. It got a bit old so bought a new one of that make. Slightly different design and obviously cheaper build. Diving in the Maldives and even after three people checked the weight pockets were clicked home, the pocket fell out on the third dive. Then, worse, could not dump air out of the BC. The construction was too soft and flabby to allow the air to flow out of the jacket as a whole. Ended up with the Dive Manager having to hug me to expel the air. Afterwards, worryingly, the Dive Manager said that when she saw my BC she anticipated problems. In the Maldives they see a lot of travel BCs. Lost weights happen, but the weight pocket click-lock on this BC seemed to fail too often. She was very quick to squeeze me - having seen the problem repeatedly with other divers. Her recommendation was that the ScubaPro travel BC seemed to perform well - her observation of divers. Any comments? What about Aqualung? I haven't named the manufacturer of the BC. I don't like to criticise on one personal experience and hearsay. I hope you haven't guessed from your own bad personal experience. The make starts with a C. And the old one was fine.

 

[rmssetc]

Have had a jacket style travel BC before and it was fine. It got a bit old so bought a new one of that make. Slightly different design and obviously cheaper build. Diving in the Maldives and even after three people checked the weight pockets were clicked home, the pocket fell out on the third dive. Then, worse, could not dump air out of the BC. The construction was too soft and flabby to allow the air to flow out of the jacket as a whole.

Please do give names of the old BC that was fine and the new BC that caused you issues.

 

[Nathan Doty]

Id be curious about the problem one as well.

 

[Cheizz]

I am also curious as to which BC gave you all those issues. And what is it about 'your build' that makes back-inflate BCs unsuitable for you? Again, just curious.