Why?

[fyrdyvr]

Why do most experienced divers prefer the bp/w over a regular BC? I have never tried a bp/w, and wonder what the advantages and disadvantages of it are. I am researching what equipment to buy, and don't want to buy a BC only to find out later that I should have gotten the bp/w.

 

[covediver]

I am an experienced diver and recently decided to stay with my Black Diamond BC after looking long and hard at Bp/W. Between the harness with the pad covering the backplate, the weight pockets, and other options (all the bells an whistles) it ended up looking like my bc. Simplicity would remove many of these options and lower the price.

It is really a matter of personal preference. Figure out what works for you and use it. Lots of folks like bp/w because of the streamline, others because with the backplate it takes weight off of the weightbelt. Some like the idea to customize the set up with a wing for doubles and another for travel, and a good set up does offer a variety of options for singles, doubles, etc. Still others like it because it is the whole tech thing and tech is cool for the moment. Funny, I recall when stab jackets first came out, they were cool and wings and horsecollars were for the birds. A word of advice, if you are easily influenced by what the crowd is doing at any one moment, you will be buying a lot of dive gear to replace gear that is perfectly funcitonal.

By the way, the threads are thick with advantages an disadvantages of each. Lots of people have strong opinions (although not as many as seem to have an opinion on force fins).

 

[Damselfish]

Why do most experienced divers prefer the bp/w over a regular BC?

What makes you think that is the case, is it just from reading here? (Though if you've read much here, you would have to have read some of the billions of threads discussing the pros and cons?)

You could get that impression here because the BP/W is fairly popular with people on this board, or at least the vocal ones. And in some areas or certain types of diving you may tend to see more. On the other hand, you can easily dive for years without actually seeing someone using this setup. I would consider myself an experienced diver, and for my purposes see no advantage over what I have now. A lot of the advantages of the BP/W for some people simply don't apply to me.

 

[herman]

You assume they (we) do. I have been on this board a long time and IMO a lot of BP divers are just more vocal about their choice than those of us who choose not to use them. There is certainly nothing wrong with them and in certain applications they would be my choice but for general single tank diving I don't care for them. That said, I do prefer a back inflate style of BC over a jacket style and just to set the record straight, a BP/wing is a subset of the back inflate style, not a style of it's own.

 

[Tortuga68]

I see a lot of pros for BPW mentioned in this thread and no cons (apart from maybe price) even though the three previous posters don't like BPW; why?

IMHO some BPW pros are: horizontal trim, reduced drag, less restrictive, weight distribution

I love BPW and would never dive anything else, single or double; but that's just me

Anyone dive twins with a conventional BCD?

just to set the record straight, a BP/wing is a subset of the back inflate style, not a style of it's own.

Back inflate, jacket-style and BPW are just a subsets of BCD, so what?

 

[beanojones]

BackPlate Drawbacks:
Comfort:Wearing stiff webbing on bare skin is kind of unpleasant.

Fiddlyness of the gear setup because there are no pockets. If we really thought clipping things off was more comfortable and practical, pants would not have pockets, and no one would use backpacks or briefcases.

Depending on the rigging, they are impossible to get on and off.

Size: You really cannot travel with them like you can a regular BC.

(That said I like my TransPac and wing.)

 

[beanojones]

I see a lot of pros for BPW mentioned in this thread and no cons (apart from maybe price)

Anyone dive twins with a conventional BCD?

Backplates are cheaper than BCDs.

Everyone dove doubles in regular BCDs not too long ago (cause that's all there was), and probably most people using doubles still use regular BCDs.

 

[spectrum]

For recreational single tank diving either will do just fine as long as it fits and has the features you want.

The popularity of the BP&W configuration is amplified on ScubaBoard so don't loose perspective. I think that's a flaw in you question,"Why do most experienced divers prefer the bp/w over a regular BC?".

Pete

 

[spectrum]

Backplates are cheaper than BCDs.

An entry level BC which is all most divers really need is cheaper than any wing let alone plate, harnesss and cambands.

If you build a feature rich BP&W with pockets, ditchable weights and padding you can run the total cost right up the flagpole.

A basic single tank hogartinan BP&W will be on par with a very nice jacket style BC.

Pete

 

[tstormdiver]

Personally I dive both & have a preference for neither. Both work well for what I use them for. My BC (a hybrid back inflate/ jacket), I use with a single tank & recreational diving. My BP/W I use for my doubles as I am entering into technical diving. When I am assisting with classes I am required by the head instructor at my LDS to use a traditional recreational set up (regular BC). The only exceptions are 1. If we are doing deep diving specialties (aka cold water), I am allowed to use my doubles for redundancy or 2. I am also exempted if we have a huge class going through & my recreational gear is borrowed for a student.