Trying out gear on a liveaboard - good or bad idea?

[oreocookie]

I'm going on my first dive trip in August (Blackbeard's) and for now only have my own personal gear (might have a computer by then, but that's another story) so I'm going to have to rent. I'm not sure yet whether to rent locally and bring the gear with us or through Blackbeard and have it waiting for us when we get there. At the moment it looks like it might be cheaper to rent here but is it worth the hassle? (conveniently, my fins don't fit in carry-on and my Rx mask is NOT getting checked ) Any advice on where to rent?

My main question though is, probably, somewhat irrelevant to where I rent, but I'm wondering if trying a type of gear I've never used before on a week-long liveaboard is a good idea. Specifically, I'm looking at the ScubaPro Ladyhawk and want to give a back-inflate BC a try, but have up till now only used jacket style BCs. Obviously I'd want to try one out before going, but if it's not possible for whatever reason would a week with a rented BI BC be an ok idea or should I stick with what I know? I wouldn't want to find out I hate something on the second dive of the week, but I suppose that could happen with almost any piece of gear.

I know I'm planning ahead a little bit here, but I'd rather have one less thing to think about later. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[dhuskins]

I take my own gear on all my trips and choose to eat the cost of extra luggage when it happens. I always recommend having your own computer so you can log your dives more easily (and know how it functions without having to learn something new on every trip.) Therefore, I take my gear.

The rent at home versus rent at the site: This has been hashed out many times on the forums. The basic outcome is:

Rent from home: You rent what you know about and you know the quality you are going to use before the trip starts. You also have to handle extra travel issues.

Rent from location: You never know the quality/condition of the gear and may not know how it works. Traveling is easier and it gives you an opportunity to try new things to see what you like more. If something goes wrong with the gear, the location can address it without you having to pay twice.

My wife used to use the Lady Hawk all the time. She now uses her Zeagle Zena. Back inflate BCs offer more freedom of movement. The Lady Hawk lacks any real pockets (one roll-up only) and like most BCs, tends to ride a little high on women's bodies. While it comes with integrated weight pockets, many divers I know who dive with it also use a weight belt to get the weights lower on their hips (better center of balance/trim).

The biggest difference, beyond what I mentioned above, is the surface floating of a back inflate BC. When you are on the surface, do not over inflate it. (Inflate enough to keep your head and shoulders above water, but not so much that it lifts you out of the water.) You will be top heavy that way and will more likely get pushed forward. (No as big an issue if you don't over inflate.) If you do tend to get pushed forward, straighten your legs at your hip. If you hips are in a "sitting" position, you are more likely to get pushed face forward. If your hips are straight (like you are standing) you are more likely to lean slightly back. You can bend at the knees which helps too.

 

[annieols]

Personally, I would have no problem renting gear on a liveaboard- the equipment should be well looked after, but if theres a problem there will be plenty of spares to fix it!

My only concern is switching to a back inflate BCD- I would recommend trying one before renting one for a week. I have seen some women have an extremely hard time with them on the surface (have even seen one woman have a full blown panick after she over inflated on the surface and ended up face down!). Most people have only a little adjustment period, but it can be quite a different feeling diving in a back inflate! hop into a pool for a few minutes and see how it deels...

have fun though, I hear blackbeards is a great trip