Hi all
"Oh no, another repeat of THAT topic" some of you may think. And yeah, there will be some of that, I'm sure. Before I start I want you to know that I DID take a lot of time to read through many, MANY threads and opinions and have a general understanding of what the consensus on SB about PB/W seems to be.
First, my/our type:
My wife and I are relatively new divers with about 50 dives. We did OW, AOW, Drift, PPB, Rescue and a few more specialties as we want to learn and perfect our diving but also reduce the risk by expanding our experience.
We've been diving for about 4 years now and the following words summarize our type: recreational, vacation, warm water, single-tank, no-deco, travel. Our fascination is with tropical reefs and fish and we don't (currently) aspire to do any technical diving, so our gear does not have to meet any requirements like double-tank, DIR, etc. (I don't mind if it does, but it's not a requirement).
Until now, we have always dived on rented BCDs which were unfortunately always jacket-style and more often than not didn't fit well, moved around, etc. Still, we always made it work.
We often receive very positive comments/feedback on our diving styles from other experienced divers and instructors.
We both dive with 5mm full wetsuits in tropical waters and usually were given AL80 tanks. With those, we both usually need about 14-16# of lead with the rental jacket-style BCDs in salt water.
Situation:
Over the years, we have acquired pieces of gear one by one based on our experiences: ABC, dive computer, 5mm wetsuit, new fins, and recently our own regulators + octopus. Generally I rather buy high quality (sometimes more expensive) once than have to replace. So far we've been very happy with all our choices.
We're now planning to go on a long trip sometime next year during which we will do around 50+ dives over a period of a few months.
Because of that, we now plan to purchase BCDs to avoid having to rent but most importantly, to have something that fits. My problem is that so far, I have not been able to find a proper place to try out different BCDs. We could only rent jacket styles. I've therefore given up on trying as many as possible (as some SB members suggest) and making a choice based on that. I also believe that any new equipment takes some getting used to. Spending 30min in a pool might not be much help. I may be wrong: I currently live in NYC, please PM me if you know a place I could try a discussed BCD out in the pool.
Our thoughts on requirements for our BCDs in no specific order (feel free to comment):
The contenders that I'm thinking about or have read about are the following:
Scubapro Hydros Pro
I understand many (if not most) here prefer a BP/W style. My thoughts/worries with that are:
Dive Gear Express Bundle
Deep Sea Supply
Final thoughts:
First of all: sorry, it got king of long. Thanks for reading my whole post though!
I kind of want to like a BP/W setup but I feel drawn to the simplicity of just getting the SP Hydros and having it all there, adjustable and all. Then again, being able to getting 2 BP/W setups for the price of one SP Hydros is a strong argument.
"Oh no, another repeat of THAT topic" some of you may think. And yeah, there will be some of that, I'm sure. Before I start I want you to know that I DID take a lot of time to read through many, MANY threads and opinions and have a general understanding of what the consensus on SB about PB/W seems to be.
First, my/our type:
My wife and I are relatively new divers with about 50 dives. We did OW, AOW, Drift, PPB, Rescue and a few more specialties as we want to learn and perfect our diving but also reduce the risk by expanding our experience.
We've been diving for about 4 years now and the following words summarize our type: recreational, vacation, warm water, single-tank, no-deco, travel. Our fascination is with tropical reefs and fish and we don't (currently) aspire to do any technical diving, so our gear does not have to meet any requirements like double-tank, DIR, etc. (I don't mind if it does, but it's not a requirement).
Until now, we have always dived on rented BCDs which were unfortunately always jacket-style and more often than not didn't fit well, moved around, etc. Still, we always made it work.
We often receive very positive comments/feedback on our diving styles from other experienced divers and instructors.
We both dive with 5mm full wetsuits in tropical waters and usually were given AL80 tanks. With those, we both usually need about 14-16# of lead with the rental jacket-style BCDs in salt water.
Situation:
Over the years, we have acquired pieces of gear one by one based on our experiences: ABC, dive computer, 5mm wetsuit, new fins, and recently our own regulators + octopus. Generally I rather buy high quality (sometimes more expensive) once than have to replace. So far we've been very happy with all our choices.
We're now planning to go on a long trip sometime next year during which we will do around 50+ dives over a period of a few months.
Because of that, we now plan to purchase BCDs to avoid having to rent but most importantly, to have something that fits. My problem is that so far, I have not been able to find a proper place to try out different BCDs. We could only rent jacket styles. I've therefore given up on trying as many as possible (as some SB members suggest) and making a choice based on that. I also believe that any new equipment takes some getting used to. Spending 30min in a pool might not be much help. I may be wrong: I currently live in NYC, please PM me if you know a place I could try a discussed BCD out in the pool.
Our thoughts on requirements for our BCDs in no specific order (feel free to comment):
- No jacket-style i.e. it should be a back inflate - I was able to try a BP/W in a pool once but it was absolutely not adjusted to me so that experience doesn't count. Both of us tried a dry BP/W on at an LDS (who was very much promoting them) but again, it wasn't an experience I would not base a decision on (neither positive nor negative).
- It should be travel friendly - We will always travel with the BCD and rarely (if ever) use it locally. This doesn't mean it has to be the lightest possible, but a 10# SS BP, despite having other benefits, would not fit this requirement. It should be reasonably packable into a suitcase along with our other equipment and non-diving things.
- It should be comfortable, fit well, be adjustable - We usually have to put some weights on the cylinder band to improve our trim. Therefore trim pockets or other means of placing weight somewhere other than hip should be possible (without taking the whole thing apart). Also, both of us are rather slim (I'm 5'11'' and 152# and often had to use an Small BCD), my wife is shorter but also very slim (usually XS, if they had that). The BCDs should fit, if possible, a women well.
- Integrated weights - We don't want to use weight belts for various reasons. There should be some sort of pockets for the weights. We'll be traveling with it so should be easy to replace them.
- Attachment point yes, pockets not necessary - We'll have thigh pockets on our wetsuits for small things. Other than that we'll have a DSMB with small finger spool which should be somehow attachable somewhere. We don't carry much else other than the essentials (Trilobyte, can't think of anything else). From time-to-time I take a Gopro with a handle.
- Serviceability & warranty - Naturally, we'd like it to last. We move around quite a bit and therefore don't have a long-term relationship to an LDS. Right now we're in North America but that could change in a few years. Warranty should be international or parts should be replaceable.
- Price 700 US - I'm not going to give the price an adjective like "reasonable" as that's subjective. As you'll see below, my primary pick now is the Scubapro Hydros Pro which I can get for approx. 700USD (including taxes). Any complete BCD including everything (weight pockets, D-rings, ..., taxes) will be compared against that.
The contenders that I'm thinking about or have read about are the following:
Scubapro Hydros Pro
- It seems to have everything I'm looking for: Wing-style, reasonable to travel with, good fit (has many sizes, womens and mens), trim pockets, integrated weights, parts are replaceable. I also like that based on the materials used, it should dry fast.
- I read much about it on SB (thanks @stuartv for the many, incredibly long posts!) and understand that the general consensus is that it's overpriced, that the shoulder straps have been prone to breakage and there have been 2-3 revisions of it, that some even prefer it to BP/W styles due to it's comfort.
- I'm curious to hear about how Scubapro handles warranty. I read that it's only done through the original seller. If I would buy it here in NYC and then, say, move to Sidney, would an authorized retailer there be able to process a warranty claim (like if a strap broke)?
I understand many (if not most) here prefer a BP/W style. My thoughts/worries with that are:
- It will be uncomfortable for my wife as she's small and slim, same applies to me. I understand there's not much choice in BP sizes.
- Since we will be diving on the go with them at the beginning, we might not have the help/experts around to set it up correctly. I read somewhere on SB that the shoulder straps should not be too tight and there's a few youtube clips on how to set it up. Still, I imagine us finally arriving on a beautiful lonely atoll, we want to go diving and just get frustrated because we have to spend a day figuring out how to set the thing up correctly, figure out trim...
- I do understand that the benefit is if something breaks, you can replace it individually and usually cheaply (without sacrificing quality).
- This is totally subjective, but I feel like BP/W seems like a fancy bike with suspension front and back, tires that grip on any surface, and frame with adjustable geometry to fit any road type from downhill to smooth road when a simple fixie with one break would fit my needs just as well. Not a perfect analogy but the bike is superior to the fixie in many ways (and may even cost less) but you first need to assemble it, set it up right and figure out how to use it correctly. What can I do/what can you tell me to overcome that feeling?
- I'm also a bit confused on what is needed for a full BP/W setup. I get the basics: Backplate, Wing (Donut), Webbing, Weight Pockets, D-Rings, Tank Band(s). But I also read of H-harnesses, Hogartian/DIR (not sure what the difference to other setups is), one-strap setups (I think the DIR belongs to those). Where would I start there?
Dive Gear Express Bundle
- Many suggest the DGX bundle for 299 (w/o taxes)
- I understand that's just the base and we would have to add things like the weight pockets. If I do this on the page I get about 420USD (w/o taxes).
- Not sure what else would be required in a rig like this to complete it?
- What's the catch with this one?
- Many seem to think this hand-crafted backplate created by a SB member seems to be the ultimate in BP comfort.
- Since comfort is important to us (ok... who doesn't like comfort?) this could be an option, especially as I understand they are made in various sizes that also fit smaller females well.
- Assuming it were available, how much would it cost (I think I saw around 225USD) and what else would be required to complete a full BCD kit (including weight pockets, etc.)?
Deep Sea Supply
- Many on SB seem to suggest Deep Sea Supply (DSS) rigs. As they are currently not available or out-of-business, I'm not considering them at this time.
- More of an honorary mention as someone suggested Xdeep. At probably more than 700USD (including taxes) for the full rig including weight pockets there would have to be a good reason to go for it.
- Their marketing material sounds good though.
Final thoughts:
First of all: sorry, it got king of long. Thanks for reading my whole post though!
I kind of want to like a BP/W setup but I feel drawn to the simplicity of just getting the SP Hydros and having it all there, adjustable and all. Then again, being able to getting 2 BP/W setups for the price of one SP Hydros is a strong argument.