BP/W vs Jacket style BCD
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BP/W divers generally dive more, tend to be more adventurous and pursue additional training and as such tend to be more passionate about their gear selections.
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For me, I think I have the best of both worlds, the WTX Harness.
Yeah, it's a perfect combination, allowing you to retain many of the drawbacks of a traditional BCD, without providing many of the benefits of a BP/W.
Oh, I forgot one other trait common to many BP/W divers...
rstofer
Contributor
The thing about the price leader is that it requires a lot of optional stuff in order to dive it. Right off the bat you need to add $55 for cambands and something for the crotch strap. You probably need to buy the book bolts (sex bolts) to hold the wing to the backplate.
One good feature is that a stainless plate (if that applies to you) only costs another $8. Pretty cheap for stainless.
By the time you are ready to dive, you are within $50 of just buying the Deep Sea Supply rig ready to go.
It turns out that I have that HOG wing. I bought it for a rig I built up for diving with double hose regulators. It works fine and has plenty of lift for a cold water wetsuit diver. However, given a choice, I would prefer the DSS LCD-30. Oh, wait, I made that choice! I have the DSS setup for diving with a conventional regulator.
So, it's just a choice. The price is good but not necessarily compelling.
Richard
FishOutUvH2O
Contributor
There are a lot of proponents of BP/W on this board. In my experience this number far exceeds the amount I meet out in the real diving world. While I obviously use a BP/W, I don't believe it's the "best" BC for everyone. I dive with a lot of very experienced divers that are happy with their jacket BC's. They will switch to their BP/W when they have to for technical dives at work, but they go back to the jacket for their fun dives.I realize this is a very subjective argument, but could you guys give some of us newbies the pros and cons of BP/W and jacket style BCDs? If other newbies are anything like me, they've used jacket style in training and would probably feel uncomfortable switching to a BP/W. Here's what I've gathered so far from reading and searching:
BP/W
Pros:
-Back inflation should help with trim (although shouldn't a back inflate BCD do the same?)This is something I hear a lot. While I don't disagree, there's more to it. One of the biggest problems I see with jackets and trim is weight placement of both the tank and lead. A lot of jacket BC's have only one tank band and it's placed in the center of the back of the jacket. For some reason, these people are shown/taught that they should place the BC on the tank so that the tank strap is right below the shoulder of the tank. This puts the valve near the middle of their back and places the weight of the tank on the lower half of the body (it also makes them look they're poo'ing out a tank when you see them from the front walking down the dock). Add to that the lead placed near or on the waist and you can't help but have a head-up orientation.
-Likely easier to travel with Maybe, maybe not. My wife's Zeagle Zena is much lighter and easier to pack than my BP/W.
-Less restrictive in terms of the jacket style diaphragm squeeze (probably a big one for me since I don't like anything very restrictive around my chest/ribs when I dive)This is subjective. Some like the feeling, others don't. When I tried out a Scubapro Classic just for fun, I noticed no squeeze at all. Maybe it's because I first tried out a jacket BC after I was already a comfortable diver. I did a buoyancy check to get my lead needs down and had to add very little gas to get neutral. Very little inflation meant no squeeze.I did feel squeeze on the surface when I inflated it to the point of causing the OPV to open.
Cons:
-Price (they seem to be more expensive than jacket style)This varies with a diver's needs or wants. A basic single tank BP/W rig from an established manufacturer may or may not be more expensive than a jacket, it certainly can be, but it doesn't have to be. So, in this respect, jackets and BP/W are the same. There are high-priced and low-priced models in both of these categories.
-No pockets so it seems like it would be harder to streamline (as if a scuba diver is streamlined anyway)I'm not certain what you mean here? But, in general, streamlining in diving isn't about perfect hydrodynamics, it's about eliminating as much drag as possible. But again, it depends on the BC and how it's set up. There was no noticeable difference in drag between my BP/W and the Scubapro Classic.
Jacket style
Pros:
-Comfortable to newer divers since training is mostly done with these
-Cheaper
-Pockets for things such as dive tables, weights, snacks
Cons:
-Feel a little restrictive, especially when inflated
This is about what I've come up with. I'm probably way off, so if the more experienced divers could help out that would be awesome. Thanks
My point is that I don't think a new diver should be excluding a legitimate piece of equipment based on the info on this board. Get out there and try as much of it as you can and then exclude it based on your own opinion. Believe it or not, this board can be wrong.
cool_hardware52
Contributor
Fish, my experience is exactly the opposite. The majority of dive professionals I know are instructors. They use a Jacket BC when they are required to, i.e. when teaching for the shop, and use a BP&W when they are "off the clock"
I'm not saying you are wrong, but I don't know anybody that "works" in a BP&W and "plays" in a jacket.
Tobin
it_mike
Contributor
This is probably the best advice you could get. Except the last statement
We'll all give you advice based on our experiences, and mine is always the best
, but the simple truth is that you will need to make your own decisions based upon what works for you. Try them all, and then try them again. Find what works best for you!Mike
FishOutUvH2O
Contributor
That's my point. There are just too many different experiences, environments, personal preferences, and diving situations out there for any one answer to be "The" right answer. For example. When I wrote at "their work", I was referring to commercial divers and not recreational instructors or DM's. While I know and dive with a lot of instructors, using them in this example wouldn't work, because they're employed by dive operations and not dive shops. Since their employer doesn't sell equipment, they teach in whatever equipment they normally dive with. Some use BP/W, some use hybrids, and some use jackets (although, by far, the most common jacket they use is the Scubapro Classic?).
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