BP/W pocket quandary for women

[chrpai]

I think that this is part of why divers think BP/W have some magic to them, because here at SB so many people stopped sucking as divers and concentrating on being better divers, switched to BP/W at the same time so correlation leads them to assume cause and effect. Plenty of divers with fantastic neutral buoyancy and perfect trim dive in jackets. Far, far more than dive in BP/W, because there are far far more divers of all stripes diving in jackets.

I can blow that theory out of the water. I dove a jacket BCD for 10 years and while I became a good diver with good trim and buoyancy, I suffered it's shortcomings. I listened to the people claim (forcefully at times) how great a BP/W and ignored them just as you do.

When I got back into diving I decided to try a BP/W out. Much better then what I had. I didn't use gear to solve a skills problem and I didn't fix both problems at the same time.

 

[DougK]

Perhaps someone could give a little beginners basic overview as to what the major differences are? Such as how is a BP/W is weighted? Are you forced to wear a weight belt all the time with this setup? Is there any form of weight integration?

I get the idea they don't encompass/envelop you and that sounds good at first and they put the air in the back side only. If my goal was to only dive warm water recreation at resorts with a single tank is this a good way to go?

There must be clips on the front for spare reg and gauges? But beyond that what is the major reason one chooses one over the other?

I know this will be a broad question, but how are these things priced? In other words if you were comparing a comparable BC to a comparable BP/W what is the price difference likley to be?

I have been diving for a while, but am just now considering buying. Since this topic comes up often I want to be informed before buying either. It is my memory I might have dove a BP&W on my second pool dive a few years ago during OW training. I simply had to much else on my mind to remember. Plus I am not sure at that point I would have understood the difference, but the memory I have was during one of my pool sessions I had a lot harder time staying vertical on the surface and in the water column. Is this indicative of a BP&W? During a class where we would surface from the deep end to get feedback from the instructor this was not a great piece of equipment to be diving in for a non-experienced diver whose goal was to stay afloat.

Obvious I will rent one in the future and make comparisons. But I am at the research stage.

 

[rivers]

Perhaps someone could give a little beginners basic overview as to what the major differences are? Such as how is a BP/W is weighted? Are you forced to wear a weight belt all the time with this setup? Is there any form of weight integration?

I get the idea they don't encompass/envelop you and that sounds good at first and they put the air in the back side only. If my goal was to only dive warm water recreation at resorts with a single tank is this a good way to go?

There must be clips on the front for spare reg and gauges? But beyond that what is the major reason one chooses one over the other?

I know this will be a broad question, but how are these things priced? In other words if you were comparing a comparable BC to a comparable BP/W what is the price difference likley to be?

I have been diving for a while, but am just now considering buying. Since this topic comes up often I want to be informed before buying either. It is my memory I might have dove a BP&W on my second pool dive a few years ago during OW training. I simply had to much else on my mind to remember. Plus I am not sure at that point I would have understood the difference, but the memory I have was during one of my pool sessions I had a lot harder time staying vertical on the surface and in the water column. Is this indicative of a BP&W? During a class where we would surface from the deep end to get feedback from the instructor this was not a great piece of equipment to be diving in for a non-experienced diver whose goal was to stay afloat.

Obvious I will rent one in the future and make comparisons. But I am at the research stage.

When I dive a single tank, I thread the weight onto the tank cam band (you can also buy trim pockets to go onto the cam band). Now that I'm on twins, I use a belt and a v-weight if I need it. You can also get weight pockets to thread onto the waist strap, a weight harness, or a good old fashioned weight belt.
You place the d-rings where you need them. if you used a standard reg set-up, just put whatever your octo holder of choice is. I have 2 hand held torches attached to bolt snaps that are on my d rings with a bit of bungy to hold them in place. i also have a few spare double enders i used to attach to thing (primary torch, dsmb, etc).
Price wise, it can cost anything from $300-$800 new depending on brand. You can also mix and match brands for the most part. I have a dive rite backplate, a HOG single wing, and a Halcyon twinset wing. No name brand webbing I bought for cheap, same with the d-rings. and i have a hollis belt buckle. If I feel like diving a single, i just switch wings.

 

[danvolker]

So I'm looking into BP/W vs jacket bc and gathering as much info on bp/w as possible. I've dove with one a few times but it was a while since I dove with a jacket. So not as easily comparable as when fresh in mind. I like the cluster-less approach but at the same time want to put something in a pocket. I'm thinking SMB, reel and maybe a slate depending what I'm up to. At some point I want a light too but I think I'll try to be cool and put it in a glove on my hand to be hands free.

I've read about thigh pocket glued to suits, shorts to wear over the wetsuits and then pockets to put on the waist webbing. They all present drawbacks. What if I'm on vacation and a 7mm wetsuit is overkill in the Florida Keyes but that is where my pocket is glued? Shorts seem to all be for men, any for women? No LDS I've seen carries these. Will the extra neoprene affect my weighting? And I would need weight pockets and now another pocket on the bp/w, might as well get back inflation jacket?

I've read people put their smb on the back crotch strap but I cant even imagine how that would work. Wouldn't it be in the way of your butt and upper legs? And I'd still need something for my reel.

I clipped off my slate on my left lower d ring and wasn't a fan of that. I have a camera and a coiled lanyard to clip off on my right chest d ring.

What is a girl to do about pockets?

I thought about putting this in the women perspective area but thought all BP/w people here might have some good ideas.

 

[dfx]

With all seriousness, the only reason most people don't use BP/W is MOST LDS don't sell BP/W and MOST divers have never even heard of it.

Meh. I wouldn't want a BP/W. I have no use for what it has to offer. My BCD fits me just fine. I like the weight integration (I hate weight belts) and I like the pockets. It has plenty of attachment points for all my stuff. Sure, you can get a BP/W and customize it so it does all that, but why bother if there's already something that has everything you need and is a single piece of equipment? KISS.

 

[Nwcid]

Here is the other kicker on BP/W vs Jacket. How come you see lots of people move to BP/W but very few move back to Jacket?????????????? It think there was a whole thread/poll on that one a while back.

I am not saying anyone should use one or the other because of how I dive or what I like. But funny how people seem to have some strong ideas about why one is better then another but have only tried one or the other.

 

[danvolker]

Meh. I wouldn't want a BP/W. I have no use for what it has to offer. My BCD fits me just fine. I like the weight integration (I hate weight belts) and I like the pockets. It has plenty of attachment points for all my stuff. Sure, you can get a BP/W and customize it so it does all that, but why bother if there's already something that has everything you need and is a single piece of equipment? KISS.

Please visit this video and push the cursor ahead to around 7 minutes and 40 seconds in....at high res HD, and full screen...

[video=youtube_share;qeQp5aqy2_s]http://youtu.be/qeQp5aqy2_s[/video]
(please go to 7 minutes and 40 seconds in)
You see my wife Sandra on high current dive for goliaths....and she is in the bp/wing and slick gear config to avoid drag--so that the issues currents can create for photographers will be mitigated....With a big vest BC, she would have been flying backward like a leaf in the wind, on THIS dive

She uses the same gear to dive the macro areas of the Blue Heron Bridge Marine Park, and benefits greatly on 4 hour long dives, where the tidal flow get to be large in both directions, during her dives.....
Her work is on www.facebook.com/WILD.DIVING , if you want to see whether or not this advantage gets put to any good use

Most of the non-bp/wing divers get blown around badly at the tidal changes at the BHB, and most try to get out of the water before the tide starts ripping out--the thing is, that some of the best nudibranch shots happen when the tide is blasting out 2 hours after peak high tide, as if the nudibranchs wait for the green water to come out to forage.

 

[Nwcid]

Meh. I wouldn't want a BP/W. I have no use for what it has to offer. My BCD fits me just fine. I like the weight integration (I hate weight belts) and I like the pockets. It has plenty of attachment points for all my stuff. Sure, you can get a BP/W and customize it so it does all that, but why bother if there's already something that has everything you need and is a single piece of equipment? KISS.

So you seem to feel a Jacket is better then a BP/W but then you advocate the reasons to use a BP/W. I don't understand?

 

[dfx]

Here is the other kicker on BP/W vs Jacket. How come you see lots of people move to BP/W but very few move back to Jacket??????????????

Oh oh oh, I know, I know! *raises hand* *waves hand*

Because! Most BP/W divers started out with a regular BCD and then switched to a BP/W. Why? Because they could get some benefits from a BP/W. Makes sense.

But hardly anyone starts out diving a BP/W. So you see hardly anyone making the switch from BP/W to regular BCD. Also makes sense.

I can tell you that if I had started out with a BP/W and then discovered regular BCDs, I would almost certainly have made the switch. Having a single piece of equipment rather than all the loose parts is just so much more convenient.

You see my wife Sandra on high current dive for goliaths....and she is in the bp/wing and slick gear config to avoid drag--so that the issues currents can create for photographers will be mitigated....With a big vest BC, she would have been flying backward like a leaf in the wind, on THIS dive

Good for her. But I don't have that problem, and I'd wager to say that most divers also don't. I'm all for BP/W for those people who benefit from it or just like it better, but I'm gonna call BS on the claim that it's superior/beneficial for most divers.

---------- Post added August 9th, 2013 at 02:03 PM ----------

So you seem to feel a Jacket is better then a BP/W but then you advocate the reasons to use a BP/W. I don't understand?

How is a BP/W a single piece of equipment? Esp if you want weight integration and pockets?

 

[DougK]

Here is another reason as to why divers don't know about a BP&W: I just pulled out my OW book, it is SSI, and looked through it. It ONLY mentions a jacket BC in the introduction to equipment sections. It doesn't even mention that a BP&W is another form of BC. I found that odd as it mentions a lot of other various configurations of equipment, but only shows a photo of a BC jacket.