Women's BCD choices narrowed down to Aqualung Libra, Lotus or Oceanic Excursion.

[Nicole_de_reve]

The Soul i3 is great! Took it for a shallow dive yesterday, and it was everything I had hoped

The integrated weights pouches are easy to remove and load (I used soft weights), and the weight felt well distributed during my dive. The i3 up/down lever for buoyancy control is super intuitive; I was surprised that not once did I reach for where my inflator hose would usually be.
I love all the pre-bent D-rings, generous pockets (one of them is a fold-out), and tank band weight pockets. The octo pocket is a nice touch; even though my octo was safely stashed, it was still visible and accessible.

My only two slight gripes would be:

1) The tank band locking system was a bit complicated at first. (I think now that now that it's at the right setting for a tank it should be easy for the next dives though.)
2) It's designed to hold the tank a bit lower than BCs I've used in the past, and when I first set it up the way you're supposed to with an AL80 (with the valve retention strap perpendicular to the tank), the tank was hitting my legs; so I had to adjust it to sit higher. Once I did that it felt much better.

I would note that the sizes run small! I'm 5'3", and 110lbs, and I'm an XXS in this BC, whereas I've usually worn a S in other brands. In terms of looks, I got the purple one (what they call "Twilight") and it's got nice color accents without being too flashy.

So, yeah... I'm very happy with this brand new BC! It feels great, and the construction & materials looks like it will last a looong time (fingers crossed). I'd like to dedicate this "banana lama" to everyone on SB who helped me make this decision, from reading forum posts to the good folks in the Chat who endured my unending questions

 

[U'vill Dive]

Just ordered my own Aqualung Soul i3 to be used on an upcoming 8 night trip to Grand Cayman last week of April. Can't wait to get the call from my dive shop telling me its in. My husband was so jealous he ordered the men's version, the Axiom (?). They are too heavy to be considered a "travel" bcd, but I was sold by it's back padding and backpack like shifting of weight to the hips as my hub and I do mostly shore diving, which often means hiking a ways to an entry. At the dive shop we grabbed a rolling, carry-on equipment bag (that looked just like my own, regular ol' carry-on roller luggage, and we stuffed it with all the scuba gear necessary for a dive including the bulky, heavy Axiom bcd (but not a wetsuit). Everything fit fine, we zipped it up and weighed it and it came to 22 lbs. Last time I checked 35 lbs is the carry-on weight limit for most domestic (or caribbean) flights. So happily I can "carry on" this pricey bcd with all my other gear (reg., hotshot fins, booties, dc, etc.) Can't wait to find out if I enjoy the Soul i3 as much as Nicole de Reve seemed to! :dance3: