Best Hybrid BCD’s?
- Thread starter Mflynn06
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I'd suggest talking to @LandonL of Aquí Watersports in Ft. Lauderdale to get set up. They have quality gear (Landon is conowner of Deep 6 - I have a couple of their backplates and one of their wings) including XDeep. Maybe something from their rental pool?
You may want a deluxe harness over a single piece of webbing. That's a personal choice.
You can easily make your own deluxe harness. I plan eventually to get a manual heavy duty sewing machine like this one:
For now, I just take the webbing and buckles to a shoe repair shop. I paid $6 per stitch. This way you can get a harness exactly the way you want for far less than what you'd buy.
I'm not crazy about that one. Even if it was given to me for free, I probably would rather buy something else. Other people may think differently.
This is my opinion only. Everyone has their own preferences, so my advice could always be wrong for you.
I like a BP/W. For travel, I take a SS BP + STA from Deep 6. That gives me 6 lbs total. In a 5 mil wetsuit and Deep 6 Eddy fins, I trim out nicely and I just barely can hold a safety stop with a nearly empty cylinder. This is nice for me when I shore dive in Maui and I don't have to hire/deal with lead weights. Just take a cylinder and go.
I'm just not fond of that padding. I like a BP. You just can't get more compact. With a back inflate or BCD, you have more buoyant material that needs to be compensated for. I know this is splitting hairs, but I like to shed as much excess as possible. Compared to cold water diving in a dry suit, I feel like a 2 year old that's running away naked after a bath: as happy as can be when diving in warm locations.
Your preferences could be completely different. If you limit your diving to from a boat that always provides lead, you don't care about not needing it. You figure out how much you need and where to place it to remain trim. In that case, a light BP (ones that are machined to reduce metal but maintain rigidity) may be more to your liking. I can't say what is best for you as I'm not you and I don't know the diving you will be doing.
I've tried a ScubaPro Hydro BCD. For BCD's it is probably the best one out there. But in my opinion, jacket style BCDs are shiττy products. Others disagree. Ultimately it matters what you figure out that you like.
I know a number of dive centers that don't even offer jacket style BCDs (the minority of course). They just provide BP/W, but these are run by people who know what they are doing and are not lazy to set up their students/customers.
Ontwreckdiver
Contributor
The Dive Rite Hydro Lite would be a good choice for a back inflate BCD. The only thing I would do is swap out the bottom velcro tank strap for a proper cam strap. Dive Rite is quality company that has been around for a long time
Hydro Lite BCD - Dive Rite
If you want to go down the BP/W route, I would recommend the Sub Gravity system. You get achoice of 5 wing sizes, 3 stainless steel & 2 aluminum back plates, and 2 harness styles. I have their 3mm aluminum back plate, 26 lb wing and adjustable harness. I love the adjustable harness, it's clean, simple and no plastic parts. Sub Gravity makes high quality gear and they have great customer service.
Paragon Single Tank Package - SubGravity
We understand what the active diver needs from a single tank rig. Simple, streamlined, balanced, and easy to travel. We built the Paragon single tank package to offer a modular and customizable BCD to best suit single tank diving needs. At the heart of the Paragon Single Tank Package is the...
sub-gravity.com
I’ll look into that, thank you!The Dive Rite Hydro Lite would be a good choice for a back inflate BCD. The only thing I would do is swap out the bottom velcro tank strap for a proper cam strap. Dive Rite is quality company that has been around for a long time
Hydro Lite BCD - Dive Rite
If you want to go down the BP/W route, I would recommend the Sub Gravity system. You get achoice of 5 wing sizes, 3 stainless steel & 2 aluminum back plates, and 2 harness styles. I have their 3mm aluminum back plate, 26 lb wing and adjustable harness. I love the adjustable harness, it's clean, simple and no plastic parts. Sub Gravity makes high quality gear and they have great customer service.
Paragon Single Tank Package - SubGravity
We understand what the active diver needs from a single tank rig. Simple, streamlined, balanced, and easy to travel. We built the Paragon single tank package to offer a modular and customizable BCD to best suit single tank diving needs. At the heart of the Paragon Single Tank Package is the...
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