why would any one get a jacket BC

[cloudboy55]

Nope. You'd have to convince me that it's easier to put on and adjust a harness with only one buckle than a simple vest. Furthermore, you'd have to convince me that it's easier to travel with a large steel or aluminum plate with the added weight than a simple vest and bladder.

 

[FishTaco]

Matt your wasting your time, some people(not I) obviosly feel very strongly about their(not I) widget clip on ,over bulky, pocket ridden, LIFE PRESERVERS and are not willing to hear you. So they may never appreciate the POWER THAT THE DARK SIDE HAS TO OFFER. All hail the BP/W!

P.S. People usually learn in jacket style b.c.'s because that is usually what rental gear is availiable. Stores use jackets because they are cheap when they are buying 30-50 rental b.c.'s cheap becomes a huge factor in choice.
$125. jacket x 50 = $6250.
$400. inexpensiveBP/W x 50 =$20000
$500. avg backinflat b.c. x 50 =$25000
comes down to simple math nothing more.

 

[NadMat]

And I dive with some BP/W users and notice them adjusting waist strap tightness often once get to planned dive depth (especially when wearing wetsuits)

Should have said:
And I dive with some BP/W users and often notice them adjusting waist strap tightness once get to planned dive depth (especially when wearing wetsuits)

Even in English syntax is important.

 

[Mandy3206]

A few Points have to be clarified:

1) Many Deluxe harnesses offer the convenience of a chest strap that gives the added benefeit of letting the user adjust the slack for diferent exposure suits.
2) From personal experience, a BP/W is a lot easier to pack for travel than a Jacket Style BC.
3) Even easier to pack for travel is the soft packs like the DR Trans Pack and similar BCs.
4) The majority of divers out there learned in Jacket style and doesn't know any better.
5) The majority of LDS carry only Jacket style BCs, thus it's what clients buy.
6) Most divers are diving for fun and doesn't care for performance and are budget minded, it doesn't make sense to invest in more expensive gear if you dive a couple of times per season.
7) Generally speaking, Jacket Style BCs are cheaper than BPs and easier to get.
8) SB crowd is clearly not the average crowd, they like to look for latest developments and advantages in gear thus the preference of BP here in SB, but the majority of divers just don't care, they just like to have fun and make it easy to deal with gear.
9) To experience the BP, I had to buy one and then my buddy got one when he realized the advantages, a few months later I found another diver that used BP and that's it, I haven't seen any more BPs around.
10) The vast majority of divers doesn't know that BP exist at all.

 

[devolution365]

This thread is a good example of how those of us who are new to diving and researching gear purchases really have to weigh the advice they get while reading threads on this board with the kinds of people the board attracts.

I, myself, am looking into what type of BC to try/buy. I thought it was good timing too, with this thread popping up, but it's been downhill since page 2. I'm no closer to a decision after reading these 9 pages. I just hope that if I go bp/w that I don't become as elitist as some of its users...

 

[Mandy3206]

A few more points:

1) A BP/W setup doesn't guarantees that you will have your face out of the water if you're unconcious.

2) A Jacket Style BC doesn't guarantees that you will have your face out of the water if you're unconcious.

3) The only way that you can guarantee that you'll be face up at the surface is with a Horse Collar BC, that's why many life preservers are Horse Collar design.

4) A BC isn't a life preserver, it's a Bouyancy Compensator that can be used as a flotation device but that it isn't its intended use.

5) If you want to float in the water face up, get a Horse Collar Style life preserver, not a BC.

 

[NadMat]

A few Points have to be clarified:

4) The majority of divers out there learned in Jacket style and doesn't know any better.

once again a BP/W user implies that using a jacket is wrong

6) Most divers are diving for fun and doesn't care for performance and are budget minded, it doesn't make sense to invest in more expensive gear if you dive a couple of times per season.

Implies that I (jacket user) have no interest in how my equipment performs and am to cheap to buy their equipment

8) SB crowd is clearly not the average crowd, they like to look for latest developments and advantages in gear thus the preference of BP here in SB, but the majority of divers just don't care, they just like to have fun and make it easy to deal with gear.

suggests that those on SB who agree with her point of view are above average and the rest of us don't care/ are to stupid to realize how right she is.

9) To experience the BP, I had to buy one and then my buddy got one when he realized the advantages, a few months later I found another diver that used BP and that's it, I haven't seen any more BPs around.

Seems to say ' I got a BP/W, a Buddy got one, found another diver who used one and that is it, no one else I have seen uses one"
which means she has seen/dove with very few divers, or that BP/W use is the substantial minority.

10) The vast majority of divers doesn't know that BP exist at all.

While the last may or may not be true, is an unsupported generalization

 

[NadMat]

This thread is a good example of how those of us who are new to diving and researching gear purchases really have to weigh the advice they get while reading threads on this board with the kinds of people the board attracts.

I, myself, am looking into what type of BC to try/buy. I thought it was good timing too, with this thread popping up, but it's been downhill since page 2. I'm no closer to a decision after reading these 9 pages. I just hope that if I go bp/w that I don't become as elitist as some of its users...

Good for you!
One of the reasons I refuse to drink the koolaid

Good luck in your decisions, remember try before you buy, and if you do a lot of different types of diving you may end up getting both.

What is most important is that you choose what increases your comfort level and enjoyment of the sport, and that you learn how it is designed to work, and get it properly set up.

Also important is to dive lots and have fun doing so

And don't worry about the gear nazi's, there are some of them in every sport I have tried.

 

[MSilvia]

I thought it was good timing too, with this thread popping up, but it's been downhill since page 2. I'm no closer to a decision after reading these 9 pages.

Don't take this the wrong way, but... good. IMHO, you shouldn't be making the decision based on what you read here. Take all of it with a grain of salt, assume most of it is subjective, and try several styles out yourself to see what you like.

I just hope that if I go bp/w that I don't become as elitist as some of its users...

I think you might be mistaking enthusiasm for elitism. I think people should dive whatever they prefer, and I think it's a good idea to try several different styles (including several different models, several different times if possible) before making any kind of judgement. Personally though, I've tried a lot of different systems, and I'm convinced that nothing I've tried consistantly meets my needs and exceeds my expectations like a simple backplate. I encourage you to try one out and see if you disagree.

Come to the dark side... we have cookies.

 

[FishTaco]

mandy3206 quote
3) The only way that you can guarantee that you'll be face up at the surface is with a Horse Collar BC, that's why many life preservers are Horse Collar design.

by staying conscious during your dive would you not also guarantee face up position on the surface.
just a thought:huh:
just kidding, great points.
thanx for pointing out the facts.