I love my Ranger and the wife loves her Zena! I'm a reccie not a techie, but if you are not planning to get into hardcore tech diving, the Ranger is plenty o' BC fer me. The Ranger can handle moderate tech diving applications. For hardcore tech stuff (like DIR) you'll probably want to go backplate system.
In cozumel I had ample places to clip things on my Ranger. I added a couple of those little Zeagle split ring attachments in addition to the BC's D-rings, and got me a couple of those brass clips..not sure what their called (like the kind you use for a dog leash). I had my console, octo, knife, safety sausage, dive lite, li'l dive back up lite, and worked out a cool way to clip my UW camera to my BC that keeps it out of the way when not being used and still attached to my BC when being used..and I can giant stride off the boat without it smacking me or me smacking it (granted it's a reefmaster with no external strobe...yet..
). I've got all my toys situated so they are out of my way, keep my profile low, and are all easily accessible. Of course I had to stand in the mirror before we left on our trip with all my gear on, configuring and reconfiguring until I found just the right configuration for me. My wife makes fun of me because every time I get a new gadget, I have to go through this process. :freak: Love those D-rings!
Not as many places for clippin' on the Zena, but I put a couple of those split ring attachments on her BC so she has a couple of places to clip her console, and lites and the like. The Zena has a detachable front plate so you can get the one that fits you best. She loves the way it snugs up to her. With men's small BCs, she always had a problem with the BC shifting on her. With her Zena, it stays put and it's shaped to fit a woman. It's a back inflate so she doesn't feel the squeeze of a jacket style BC and she loves how light they are. She says she can hardly tell it's there. It's also small enough to pack into a carry on bag for flying. If she wanted to, she could pack all her gear into a carry on bag. I can't do that with my gear. I would recommend to any woman if she's a reccie and not a techie, to check out the Zena before buying a BC. My wife absolutely loves hers.
