I would say it's a vocal minority in the dive community as a whole, and for very good reason, but at the end of the day, the best BC for you is the one you are the most comfortable and confident in, regardless of my personal preferences/beliefs.
What is the best and lightest BC for traveling? Cressi Travelite??
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I would say it's a vocal minority in the dive community as a whole, and for very good reason, but at the end of the day, the best BC for you is the one you are the most comfortable and confident in, regardless of my personal preferences/beliefs.
Definitely not everybody. People wear what works for them. Kim (the brunette) wears a poodle jacket with a traditional primary/secondary reg setup. Sue (the blond) wears a Ladyhawk with an Air 2. I (the baldy) wear either a BP/W or sidemount, always with a longhose and necklaced secondary. Some here will insist that this mish mash should have killed us long ago, but we're doing fine.
BP/W or sidemount is pretty much a requirement if you're going to do tech diving in todays world. But for recreational diving, there are a bazillion and four options.
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they're actually not that bad at all when diving without a shirt. I have close to a thousand hours diving like that in a SS plate and unpadded 2" webbing. It's a nonissue. Walking significant distances gets a little annoying, but if you're doing that on a regular basis, you can throw padding on there for not much money. The kydex is much more comfortable than SS though since it gives a bit. A t-shirt or rash guard is sufficient to remove any discomfort though *usually it's just chafing that's the issue*
Hoag
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FWIW, I am a "destination diver". I have a Cressi Air Travel. Like everything in life, it was a compromise. It is light (5.6lbs), easy to pack, back inflate, has weight integration with a positive lock (if you hear them "click" into place, then they will be held securely, but ya gotta hear the click), and met most/all of my needs.
I said it was a compromise. There are some things that I am not 100% thrilled with. The Low Pressure Inflator (LPI) was broken on mine when I bought it. (The button was installed wrong and it would constantly inflate.) I found it out on the first dive when I was on a live aboard. I have to take the hit for that. I know better than to take a new piece of gear on a trip without at least a pool session first. Since then, I have replaced my LPI, and I am planning a pool session before my next trip. It does not come with non-dumpable weight pouches on the tank strap which would allow me to trim my weight better. Not a problem, these are cheap and easy to add.
Do I recommend it? I would have to say a "qualified" yes. I do recommend it, but check it out in the pool before you travel with it. (A very good idea no matter which BCD you get.) This BCD will benefit a lot simply by adding a couple non-dumpable weight pockets to the tank strap, and finally, be very careful when you remove & replace the weight pockets. Make sure they click firmly into place.
I said it was a compromise. There are some things that I am not 100% thrilled with. The Low Pressure Inflator (LPI) was broken on mine when I bought it. (The button was installed wrong and it would constantly inflate.) I found it out on the first dive when I was on a live aboard. I have to take the hit for that. I know better than to take a new piece of gear on a trip without at least a pool session first. Since then, I have replaced my LPI, and I am planning a pool session before my next trip. It does not come with non-dumpable weight pouches on the tank strap which would allow me to trim my weight better. Not a problem, these are cheap and easy to add.
Do I recommend it? I would have to say a "qualified" yes. I do recommend it, but check it out in the pool before you travel with it. (A very good idea no matter which BCD you get.) This BCD will benefit a lot simply by adding a couple non-dumpable weight pockets to the tank strap, and finally, be very careful when you remove & replace the weight pockets. Make sure they click firmly into place.
Ontwreckdiver
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Take a look at the TravelPac BCD | Dive Rite It packs flat and has the least amount of extra "crap" on it.
teknitroxdiver
Contributor
I suspect you've never actually tried this. Even with only a T-shirt it's perfectly comfortable. Put neoprene covers on the straps and it's comfortable naked if you prefer that.
No. You may be able to pack the pieces more efficiently, but I don't believe it's significantly smaller or lighter than a travel BCD.
I think part of it is using just the very basic 2" webbing and bare metal plate. Once you start adding shoulder pads, pockets, back pads etc., you'll get very close to any other 'travel' back-inflate.
johnnywulff
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Another option is Xdeep Ghost http://www.xdeep.eu/lightweight-traveler-scuba-bcd-ghost-bc-system-pr-51.html
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