Why is a Jacket BC better than a BP/W?

[BDSC]

As usual some generalizations are false.

Like a BP/W being more "streamlined" than other bcd's.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

The two biggest advantages for me are increased comfort when floating at the surface and also the speed and ease with which I can put the rig on.

A BP/W straps normally get twisted around and stuff and take another 60 seconds to get right. Of course I add plastic buckles to my BP/W harness (or rig a sliding belt system) and/or rig a rubber belt for the waist strap AND I avoid using the crotch strap.... I put ketchup on steak too..

I just bought a new wing a few months ago and I'm trying to get my money's worth, so i am using it now.

For the last 2.5 years i have been using an old SP Stab jacket. Unless you are carrying stage bottles, the difference between the two rigs is not a big deal to me. People get freaking religious over this stuff on here, when in actuality they would get better speed and efficiency by worrying about the best fins rather than which BC to use.

 

[TN-Steve]

I'm attracted to the idea of BP/W simply because of the ability to set it up exactly how I want / need it to be. I think of it like this, I'm a touring bicyclist, and my main touring bike has been completely rebuilt up from the frame up with my own grubby hands so that each piece is exactly what I want, where I want it, configured how I want it. Now there are a lot of very fine bikes out there ready to roll from the shop and do a fine job.

I'm picky. I want the tools I use to reflect my needs and requirements. Probably going to go with something like a steel BP, a wing in the 28-32 pound range, for the harness I'm sort of leaning towards the Dive Rite Transplate harness. I may not doing it "Right", but perhaps I'll be doing a bit better than I am now.

Just my .02

Steve

 

[EFX]

As usual some generalizations are false.

Like a BP/W being more "streamlined" than other bcd's.

No, like a BP/W is easier to adjust trim than most BCD's.

---------- Post added August 27th, 2014 at 08:12 AM ----------

This is a point of curiosity. BP/W is often advocated over jacket for better horizontal trim & higher customizability, and judging from this thread, less drag.

Better horizontal trim? Maybe. The issues with jackets have more to do with beginning divers being to over-weighted.
Higher customability? Yes.
Less drag? Depends. A single tank with properly sized wing. Yes. Doubles. No, since the second tank and bigger wing offset the bulkiness of the jacket.

 

[victorzamora]

you can only be more streamlined (or "less cluttered", same idea) by leaving features out. I'm not interested in tinkering with, modifying or customizing my setup.

I think this is the difference. The above is your quote. Below is my fix.

you can only be more streamlined (or "less cluttered", same idea) by leaving useless garbage out. I'm not interested in tinkering with, modifying or customizing my setup.

That's the difference in perspective. Things others call "features" are often considered useless/garbage/unnecessary by others. I hate WI because I had a scary situation with weights dropping out, and I've had a lot of frustrating dives because of WI failures. Jackets also tend to not fit me. I also hate the way most of them use d-rings. I also don't like pockets as I find the vast majority of them hard to reach, access, and use. These are just examples of what I'm talking about. Jackets add bulk and padding and loft in places I get no benefit from, and the overall impact is a negative experience for me. Others view these as "features." Typically, the logic isn't fully there for any/many of those, and they're defending what they purchased and/or what they've been taught.

---------- Post added August 27th, 2014 at 09:32 AM ----------

Less drag? Depends. A single tank with properly sized wing. Yes. Doubles. No, since the second tank and bigger wing offset the bulkiness of the jacket.

Doubles BPW vs Singles Jacket is a pretty apples-to-oranges comparison, and completely useless in my book.

 

[mikeycanuk]

There is a thread somewhere here that pretty much came to the conclusion that streamlining gear has next to zero effect. I mean, are we doing relay races underwater???

Here it is:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...streamline-their-gear-improve-efficiency.html

 

[Storker]

they're defending what they purchased and/or what they've been taught

... be they jacket or BP/W users.

</thread>


--
Sent from my Android phone
Typos are a feature, not a bug

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

What about those of us who were taught in, and purchased, both?

I followed the usual progression of most BP/W users ... learned in a jacket, purchased one (since that's what I was familiar with), after some number of dives switched to a back-inflate BCD with WI (ScubaPro Superhawk), after a number more dives switched to a BP/W with WI (Dive Rite TransPlate), and after still more dives switched to a standard hogarthian setup. In each case I was really happy with my selection of BCD ... until my experience level brought me to a point where I was pushing the limitations of the equipment. Then I found something I liked better.

There's sometimes an assumption that just because something works for you, any other selection anyone else makes is somehow either wrong or contrived. Such is not usually the case. Most equipment selections boil down to personal preference, based on experience level, environment, and goals. And as your diving progresses to different environments, or more aggressive diving, your preferences will change. Sometimes when people reach a point where they start realizing the limitations of their equipment, they forget that it was perfectly suitable for the type of diving they were doing when they bought it ... and they often don't consider that when they made that selection they had perfectly valid reasons for doing so.

I don't generally make equipment recommendations unless someone asks me specifically. I'll happily tell people why I made the choices I made, and offer to let them try out my gear ... and I have a garage full of it to choose from. But I won't tell them that my choices are right for them. We all need to make that decision for ourselves. What matters to me is that the gear fits properly, that it's suitable for the environment you're diving in, and that it's appropriate equipment for where you want your diving to go. And sometimes even within those constraints there's room for preference. I'm often asked while on tropical vacations why I bring a long-hose. I don't need to ... I have a couple of perfectly good recreational regs that I use for teaching classes. But my answer is simple ... it's what I prefer to dive.

That's all anyone really needs to know ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[Tickler]

When diving with a single tank, I use a Hollis HD 100 BC. I find it comfortable and easy to use. For doubles or any other type of tech diving I will move back over to the BP/W set up because of the configurability and lower profile that is needed for serious dives.

 

[victorzamora]

There is a thread somewhere here that pretty much came to the conclusion that streamlining gear has next to zero effect. I mean, are we doing relay races underwater???

Here it is:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ba...streamline-their-gear-improve-efficiency.html

To me, it's not a matter of streamlining for races or for absolute drag reduction. It's about comfort. It's about freedom. I feel so encumbered by typical gear, it's not a matter of drag but comfort.

... be they jacket or BP/W users.

</thread>


--
Sent from my Android phone
Typos are a feature, not a bug

I don't think that's necessarily true. Some bpw divers are that way, but the vast majority progressed the way Bob described. Most switched after a certain amount of experience with a jacket and chose to switch on purpose and for their own reasons.