Choosing a bc is a pain.

[spectrum]

No they do not, not by any stretch of the imagination. There is no comparison between a soft- BC with padding, cumberbund, etc...and a rigid plate that couples the tank to your back, provides ballast on your back, and a simple webbing harness that is infinitely adjustable and provides a very un-cluttered feel in the water.

Oh give me a break, if it fits, it works, been there done that.

Who the heck wants a cylinder bolted to their back like Sgt. Joe Friday with a broomstick up his backside?

Yes they are different, yes they are adaptable but not everone wants to buy, own, dive or tinker with an erector set. For the single tank diver there are plenty of puts and takes. The fact is that for many BP&W owners it's the first BC they own that fits them hence the Eureka! experience.

Pete

 

[halocline]

Oh give me a break, if it fits, it works, been there done that.

Who the heck wants a cylinder bolted to their back like Sgt. Joe Friday with a broomstick up his backside?

Yes they are different, yes they are adaptable but not everone wants to buy, own, dive or tinker with an erector set. For the single tank diver there are plenty of puts and takes. The fact is that for many BP&W owners it's the first BC they own that fits them hence the Eureka! experience.

Pete

I'm a little surprised by your response, Pete.

1. The tank, of course, is not "bolted to your back". The inescapable fact is that you have a round metal cylinder that must reside on your back in some form. A rigid plate provides a flat surface that spreads the point of contact out over a large area. It's fundamentally different than a soft BC. And what's this "erector set" nonsense?

2. Most BP/W users do not start with one, they start with a soft BC because 99% of OW classes use them. They switch to a BP/W after trying both systems. Most soft BC users do in fact start with one, because that's what they're taught on, and what is typically sold by the store that trained them. If your argument is that the BCs they start with don't fit, that's pretty weak. They're fitted by the shops that want, above all else, to sell them similar gear. Why wouldn't they fit? On the other side, how many BP/W users switch to soft BCs? Practically none.

There is a tremendous amount of hype about lots of scuba gear, like in regulators. In most cases this hype is not worth much; for example basically any regulator in good working condition will do the job just fine, and that's coming from a true regulator geek. But there really is a qualitative difference in dive experience between hard plates with webbing harness and the various recreational BCs that are sold in dive shops. If you don't care much about this, fine, but if you don't think there's a big difference then you're missing something.

 

[Seefourdc]

I absolutely hated my checkout dives in a jacket. Unless you are of a certain set of dimensions the jackets just don't work well. Modular equipment is superior for the human condition. What is hilarious to me is the only argument I have yet heard in favor of a jacket over a BP/W is that you will sit more comforably on the surface and you will be more comfortable at the start in the water because it will be easier to stay vertical... but the point is to be underwater and generally speaking horizontal. As a newer diver the only thing I can rely on is what seems logical as I don't have experience to say one way or the other personally and that is just horribly illogical.

 

[BDSC]

... but the point is to be underwater and generally speaking horizontal

For even a marginally skilled diver, there is no problem staying horizontal in a jacket bc.

 

[doctormike]

For even a marginally skilled diver, there is no problem staying horizontal in a jacket bc.

I don't think that Seefourdc (or anyone else here) was saying that you can't stay horizontal in a jacket bc. He was saying that in response to the potential argument that a jacket BC is better than a BPW because it makes it easier to stay vertical.

I must say, I never heard that argument. I have heard people say that back inflate jacket BCs (and BPW's) make it easier to stay horizontal because the lift is behind you. But ideally, you should be weighted so that there is very little air in the wing at all, so this may be more of an issue in theory than in practice.

 

[halocline]

Trim is more about weight distribution than about where the air bubble is, especially in warm water where the amount of air in the bladder is minimal. Regardless, the air bubble is going to rise to the highest location. Steel plates help with weight distribution, particularly with buoyant AL tanks by putting weight exactly where it's needed; sandwiched between the diver's lungs and the buoyant tank.

Nobody's saying that you can't dive well with a jacket BC. This topic comes up so many millions of times, and the arguments are so repetitive, that it's basically become a waste of time to keep posting on these threads. But, then again, wasting time is what the internet's about, so carry on......

 

[epointer]

I started off with a Sherwood Silhouette, then moved to a Zeagle Ranger, then to a Express Tech for travel and after using that I got a BP/W. I should of just started off with a BP/W in the first place, it would of saved me alot of money. Although I didn't have any trouble diving any of those, I just found the BP/W to be a better BC for me.

 

[BDSC]

But ideally, you should be weighted so that there is very little air in the wing at all, so this may be more of an issue in theory than in practice.

Exactly. If you have the proper weighting, for the most part your bc is really just a tank holder.

 

[ams511]

The fact is that for many BP&W owners it's the first BC they own that fits them hence the Eureka! experience.

This is probably true. However, many divers are rather round in the middle and most BCs will not fit them well. Also if you gain weight or grow a BP/W is adjustable while a BC may not be.

---------- Post added February 16th, 2013 at 09:30 AM ----------

A rigid plate provides a flat surface that spreads the point of contact out over a large area. It's fundamentally different than a soft BC.

Perhaps BCs have changed over time, but my early 90s vintage Beuchat has a plastic plate.

 

[TSandM]

The greatest thing for women about the simple harness is that it's infinitely adjustable, so you can really get a good fit. In addition, there's very little on the front of your body, which can be a bit more comfortable.

As has already been said, the change from single tank to doubles requires a different wing, but the plate and harness can be used for both. Most people who go back and forth between configurations end up buying a second plate, unless they use a single tank adapter, just because lazy people like me get tired of taking cambands on and off the plate.

People often fuss about any back-inflate BC not keeping you vertical at the surface. In my experience, the only time I've been pushed forward is when I was diving a single aluminum tank and my crotch strap was not short enough. Even that was easily handled by just leaning back.

You can trim out and dive well in any equipment, but some things are more comfortable and some are more versatile in the long run.