Newbie needing advice Oceanic Hera vs Diverite

[RJP]

Was more wondering if it's good to buy used gear or get new gear to start with.

It's going to be used gear after your first dive anyway.

 

[halocline]

It might be worth getting a used jacket BC as long as it's really inexpensive. This will get you through a season or two of diving and help you get some experience and buoyancy control/awareness, which will then help you to evaluate different types of BCs. I did this; I paid $50 for a used jacket BC, used it for a year, tried a BP/W set up, and put the jacket BC in the closet where it still is. But that $50 was not wasted because it does take some skill to be able to accurately evaluate how BCs affect your trim and buoyancy. So its up to you.

 

[SoF14]

The main reason that those of us who dive and recommend a backplate/wing (BP/W) setup is the simplicity and streamlined nature of such a rig.

It's great to "try" lots of things before buying something. But more important is to really try to understand the differences between different things... and what the pros and cons are of different configurations are. Some of those things are counterintuitive.

Consider how much stuff is going on with the Hera. What you perceive as "all the personal size adjustments available" may be an illusory benefit for many people. Multiple extraneous buckles and clips and belts and velcro sound "adjustable" but the reallity is that all those things often conspire to ensure that it never really fits you properly or fits the same way twice. My personal experience with a recreational BCD (AquaLung Balance, which is great) was further compounded by the fact that the buckles and clips and straps always seemed to be in the exact wrong spot - sitting on a collarbone, poking a rib, etc.

The other challenge with something like the Hera, is that all that "stuff" is plastic/nylon/etc and tends to float. A typical recreational BCD is usually 4-6 pounds POSITIVELY buoyant. That means you're wearing 4-6lbs MORE weight simply to sink your BCD.

Compare that to something like the DiveRite TravelPac (which is another option, especially for someone smaller, as it comes in different sizes.) From a sizing perspective, once you have the rig set up right for you... you're pretty much done adjusting it. It's also not that buoyant, so there's not much "extra lead" penalty associated with diving one. And from a streamlining standpoint... the rig speaks for itself.

Lastly, I always suggest that divers consider/evaluate the purest form of BP/W rigs as long as they are in the market. Comprised of a single continuous piece of webbing, the counterintuitive thing is that the lack of buckles and straps actually INCREASES adjustability by allowing for infinite refinements that are not limited by the location of buckles/straps/velcro. As for buoyancy, the use of a metal backplate gives you a BCD that is NEGATIVE. So not only do you not need EXTRA lead to sink it, you can even reduce the amount of lead used. Lastly, the extra benefit of a metal plate is that it locates ~6lbs of weight spread out over the exact area where your lungs are located. This avoids the teeter-totter effect of having a torso that is positively buoyant and all your lead on a waist that is negatively buoyant.

Ultimately you need to buy what works best for you. But the issue is that diving is very much UNLIKE other sports. In something like skiing or cycling or camping, beginners tend to start simple and add the things they find they need as their skills and experience grow. In diving, there's a tendency for new participants to start with gear that has all kinds of superfluous features. Then - as their skill and experience expand - they SHED the unnecessary stuff and end up with a simplified rig.

Do you need weights with the travelpac?

 

[tursiops]

Do you need weights with the travelpac?

Depends on your buoyancy, the tank, your wetsuit, fresh or salt water.....but probably Yes.
Just like you might with any of the others! All a metal backplate gives you is some weight that doesn't have to go on your belt or in your pouches.....

 

[SoF14]

Depends on your buoyancy, the tank, your wetsuit, fresh or salt water.....but probably Yes.
Just like you might with any of the others! All a metal backplate gives you is some weight that doesn't have to go on your belt or in your pouches.....

No one carries either in a 3 hr radius all around me so I may just order both (found a used one) and sell the one I don't like

 

[fnfalman]

No one carries either in a 3 hr radius all around me so I may just order both (found a used one) and sell the one I don't like

I'm surprised that no shop around the Gulf Coast would carry any type of BPW.

If it's for warm water diving, then all you would need is maybe a few pounds of lead for ballast if you were to go with an aluminum backplate. Those few pounds (as opposed to dozens of pounds) of lead will be just fine on a weight belt. No need to even worry about integrated weight pouches.

Also, I took all of my utility pouches off my BPWs. Instead I have them on my wetsuit. For flashlight, I'd fashion a lanyard with a spring clip on one end. I'd clip it to one of the shoulder harnesses and tuck the flashlight in the waist belt of the BPW. The light is readily deployable but also easily tucked away when not in use. No need to fumble with pocket zippers or Velcro flaps.

 

[cnymad01]

I love my Hera. Like the hybrid idea. It is comfortable and easy in all aspects. But, I am older and was use to a full jacket before the Hera. Love the big arm holes and the adjustment levels make it almost a personal fit. My husband keeps trying to get me to use a lighter back inflate BC but none feel right - my Hera does.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk