aeries Atmos xt

Hey all this is my first post. Im a freshly minted diver and just ordered an aeries atmos xt ( it cant get here soon enough) Was wondering if anyone has had and experience I.e. quirks that they had to adjust to on their first dive with that BC


Thanx
-Kevin

Kevin,

I have the XT. I have mixed emotions about it. Before I make you nervous of your order, let me tell you I love the fit and balance of it. It's sort of back inflation, but is more balanced on the surface than most pure back inflates. The weight pouches are at a nice angle and easy to load weights with the BC on. I have done this in a wetsuit and drysuit with and without gloves. There is no airtrapping and it is a joy to dive in.

The down side for me is Aeris's quality control. In all fairness they have been very good in taking care of problems, and they have made some necessary improvements. I am just a little disgruntled because they don't figure this stuff out first.

Here are some issues I've experienced: The first and most serious is the plastic tank saddle on the back. The tank band goes only through this piece and it is bolted to the inner pack which is strapped to you. The problem is it's plastic and only the screw head of two screws is all that connect the inner to outer. Mine cracked and I nearly had the tank come completely off on an entry. Aeris replaced my BC.

The replacement was supposed to be an upgrade and all they did was add a washer. I took the saddle off completely and got a S.S.single tank adapter like the backplate guys use. I bolted this through and now have two tank bands - very durable.

Another issue is the hollow plactic bolts that hold the adjustable shoulder straps. Junk, they split over time and I had a strap just come undone during a dive. These were replaced with s.s. machine screws and lock nuts.

A nuisance problem that I think is now changed is the velcro weight pcket flaps. They continually snag on any other velcro like glove wrist straps. I just live with it. I had trouble recinching the cumberbun underwater so I removed the entire velcroed cumberbun and simply threaded a 2" weightbelt in it's place around through the backplate. This works very nicely.

I have used this BC in all sorts of conditions and it really has held up pretty well. Most of my modifications would not be necessary for the casual diver, but if you really use your gear and don't mind reworking it to suit yourself, you will probably be happy with your purchase.

Good diving,
Dennis

thanks dennis,


Might i Ask what year your atmos xt is? by the velcro weight pouches i assume last years?


thanx
-kevin

Even the newest version has Velcro. It has clips too... but the Velcro is there as well. The good thing is, Aeris has a 30 day guarantee that you like it. (If you got it from an authorized dealer). If not you can return it. We have sold a fair number of them, and people who get them seem to like them... We will sell about 50 zeagles to each Aeris though... It really just depends on what you are looking for in a BC. Since you've already ordered one... might be a moot point.

The biggest complaints I've heard are limited pockets, bulky packing, single tank strap, not expandable or modular.

Asking for advice after making a decision sometimes reinforces the expression that ignorance is bliss!

Maybe just dive it and hope you like it!

Kevin,

I'm thinking my XT is about three years old. I got one when they were first introduced and the replacement one was about a year later. My weight pockets have velcro, but not the clips.

For what it's worth I used before, and still have a Zeagle Ranger. The quality of the Zeagle is WAY better (like Zeagle people really dive with their stuff), but I never liked the way it would trap air in the horseshoe bladder. I would have to get vertical periodically to even out from side to side. I like the Zeagle and they are still my favorite company, but the shop I worked for was not a dealer and frowned on me using it. When the Rep came around with the Aeris, I liked it instantly better than the shop's other brands. After using it, I prefered the Aeris in the water.

Now I pretty much just use my old Ranger for travel since it packs so nice. I know this sounds like mixed messages, but both BC's do the job and you can trim yourself out well. Anything beats a jacket BC loaded with bells and whistles, and new fangled what-nots. What ever you get, just wear it out.....

Dennis