Warm water BC

[herman]

The 430 and 1000 numbers refer to some form of thickness/strength measurement that is used to describe nylon fabric. The higher the number the thicker/stronger the material. I have a Ranger and a Scout and there is some difference in the thickness but not that much. I doubt that under normal wear and tear you could hurt either one. As for pockets, it does not have any but to be honest, most of the pockets on BC's are so hard to get to that they are not worth much. An add on pocket to your weight belt would be a lot easier to deal with. Not sure what you want pockets for but if you can attach a clip to whatever it is you want to take along, it's a lot easier to attach things to D rings. You can also add a pocket to the BC by threading one onto the waist strap or use a clip on model and attach it to a D ring. By the way, the dry weight of the Scout is 4 lbs.

 

[Jack R]

I use a pocket to carry things such as a scuba sausage in case of an emergency. I also like to carry a spare flashlight. I also put an emtpy lobster net in there until I catch one! I also wanted to use it to carry an attachment lens for my camera. These are things that I dont really get to normally so I do know that it is not the most convientant way to get to something. However the advantage is that it is streamlined within the pocket and nothing is dragging. I use D rings to attach my octopus and gauges as well as a flashlight or tickle stick that I can just drop if I need my hands free.

I like that the scout is so light.

 

[herman]

I have added 2 D rings to both my BC's. I put them on the lower tank band on either side of the tank using a plastic weight keeper to keep them in place. Thats where I keep extra lights, reels, safety saugages and the like. They lay flay against my BC, don't dangle in frount of me and are out of the way. One would think they were difficult to get to but after a little practice anything attached back there is fairly easy to get to.

 

[lanun]

my ss/bp/wings set-up runs way more than that. is it a custom ss bp ? i figure ss bp = 2.7kg. add the d-rings, waist/tank buckles that mine goes way over 3kg. and we haven't added in the wings yet.

 

[leadweight]

Jack R,

You might have noticed by now that there is a heavy GUE, DIR or backplate orientation to the users of this board. Personally, I think that warm water and backplates don't mix well. Backplates use very stiff weightbelt webbing for their shoulder straps. This stuff can be totally uncomfortable to many divers in anything less than a 5 mil suit.

If large pockets are your thing, then a jacket is a reasonable choice. You could have a Scubapro Glide Sport for about $300 from a LDS. It is basic and durable. Diverite makes a jacket that sells for under $300 mail order from authorized dealers. Just make sure the thing fits. Personally, I prefer back inflation (Transpac 2) for the better trim and clean front. Life without pockets is just fine.

 

[Mouth Breather old]

leadweight once bubbled...
Jack R,

You might have noticed by now that there is a heavy GUE, DIR or backplate orientation to the users of this board. Personally, I think that warm water and backplates don't mix well. Backplates use very stiff weightbelt webbing for their shoulder straps. This stuff can be totally uncomfortable to many divers in anything less than a 5 mil suit.

If large pockets are your thing, then a jacket is a reasonable choice. You could have a Scubapro Glide Sport for about $300 from a LDS. It is basic and durable. Diverite makes a jacket that sells for under $300 mail order from authorized dealers. Just make sure the thing fits. Personally, I prefer back inflation (Transpac 2) for the better trim and clean front. Life without pockets is just fine.

Jack R

I gotta agree with Lead...

I like the concept of BP/Wings for some types of diving...but for the majority of the dives I DO, the straps a very uncomfortable against bare skin. I'm 6'2" and 205 lbs with broad shoulders so maybe it's my anatomy. I use a Scubapro Knighthawk, back-inflate, "stowable pockets" that I unfurl only when I find bits of trash on the bottom that I want to clean up. It is very clean in front, the "wings" have just one small bungie that pulls them in tight when not inflated. Very streamlined in the water. A nice hybrid between Jacket and BP. Everyone is different thus there are so many choices.

Oops! Just noticed that you don't want integrated weights...never mind.

 

[Rick Murchison]

My personal favorite for tropical picture taking is the Seaquest Explorer - a sort of minimalist hybrid jacket/back-inflate little BC that'll fit in a shoebox for travelling... But there's one small detail - it's discontinued - but if you can find one I bet you'd love it.
Otherwise, my favorite for tropical pix is the Transpac II with Travel wings, but that's a bit over $300.
Rick