Anyone switch back to jacket/back inflate bc after bp/w?

[Stoo]

I use a light travel BC in the tropics.. It's kinda got a wing set up, but with a with harness with a couple of pockets. BP/W always with a drysuit however. The wing size changes depending on tanks used.

 

[olphart]

I had an aluminum BP and wing. Worked great for cold and warm, good for travel as well...let the dive op carry the damn weights. Got rid of it in my quest for the perfect rig. Shoulda kept it. However, I'm happy with my Air travel for tropics and my Transpac for singles cold. LTZ for SM deep and cold

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

I switched from a Dive Rite BP & Rec wing to a Omega Aquatics Evolution back inflate BC.

 

[halocline]

If I had to use a rec wing for single tanks I'd want to switch as well. I think the rec wing is too big for my AL80 doubles, let alone a single tank.

Personally I would never go back to a jacket BC, there are just way too many advantages of a BP/W.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I went through a transition phase where I used both a BP/W for some diving and back-inflate (Zeagle Express) for others. My wife similarly used a BP/W and Zeagle Zena. We only did that because, unlike some people on SB who say they picked up a BP/W and adapted to it immediately, we felt there was a bit of a learning curve in transitioning to a BP/W. So we would practice in FL with the BP/W, but take the back-inflate BC's with us on Caribbean/Asia trips, simply because it was more familiar to us (we each had done at least 200 dives in a traditional BC). But after the transition period we fully embraced the BP/Ws and would never bother with jacket BCs again. Despite the extra 4 lbs. or so of weight from the metal plate, the BP/Ws pack in our luggage more compactly than a jacket BC. They make ideal "travel BCs."

 

[toby43]

Yes, i switch, every time I dive a single tank backmount. Seems to work ok for me. Zeagle Stiletto if that helps. Its a really nice bcd.

 

[cool_hardware52]

nope, actually added a DSS Kydex, and a VDH "Vintage" to my collection. There are 4 BC jackets sitting unused for over 5 years now in the locker...

Sell them!

Tobin

 

[AdivingBel]

I went from a Stiletto to bp/w. I gave the Stiletto to my wife since she needed a bc. If someone would GIVE me a Stiletto, I would switch back for tidy bowl, vacation diving, but I wouldn't buy another to switch back. I have 200+ dives on my bp/w. My bp/w is just fine and I enjoy diving it, but the Stiletto was more comfy for shore diving and I liked the pockets (though I add one to my bp/w for my little otter box while shore diving). The Stiletto's padding and adjustability were nice for this type of diving. I liked the combination of cumberbund and saddle strap (I actually added a saddle strap to my bp/w as I prefer it over a regular crotch strap). Both rigs virtually disappear while diving, but the Stiletto is nicer above water. I like the smaller wing on my bp/w. All IMHO, YMMV.

 

[Centrals]

The cost of a new jacket bc is probably more expensive than a wing(eg. DGX single bladder at US$199.00).

 

[bax737]

I went the full way round - started with BCD , then BP&W now in SM - travelled to vanuatu and Bali doing tech dives in the SM - best move ever