What to look for in a bcd

Im debating on purchasing my own dive gear and thought i would solicit input on what to look for in a bcd.

Same goes for the reg, etc

Just the basic setup

Thanks

Fit ! Fit! Fit! The BC needs to be comfortable & fit you well. Try on & out in the water as many different types as you can. After that, then the consideration should turn to the type of diving you want to do. Find one that fits the ticket there. Do you want a jacket style BC? A back inflate BC? A Backplate & Wing? Then start looking for the features you may want- integrated weights, D- rings, pockets, exhaust valves & so on

Here's my list of things to look for in a BCD:

• Fits well when properly adjusted.
• Provides an appropriate amount of lift.
• Is easy to add air to.
• Is easy to dump air from.
• Holds tank securely to my back.
• Has D-rings in all the right places (or can be adjusted to fit my preferences).
• If there are weight-integrated pockets, the pockets attach securely, won't fall out inadvertently, and will release readily when desired.
• The manufacturer gives the BCD owner reasonable repair/replacement options for bladder punctures.

For dive travel, I like a BC that packs down well or comes apart to help fit it into luggage.
I like to have a crotchstrap as an option.
I prefer BCs with two tank cambands.
I also prefer a standard power inflater that can: (1) be easily overhauled with standard o-rings (costs a few cents) or (2) be replaced entirely for about $20.
Others might have different preferences.

Edit: I like what Bubbletrubble posted so I'm going with that.





Warning: This question has been known to open a can of worms.

lock it down now - TStormDiver & Bubbletrubble have spoken all there is to be said on this topic. :cool2:

Go for the one with the most material and danglies. Preferably one that covers the most body mass (you'll be enshrouded in comfort). Jk, bubbletrubble hit the nail on the head.

Only thing to add to BT's list...make sure the D rings are stainless steel not plastic crap.

DMDavid:

Warning: This question has been known to open a can of worms.

Click to expand...

Yup - I'd say that what I would look for in a BCD is "less" rather than "more." For instance "D-rings in all the right places" ideally means "5-6 D-rings in specific places" as opposed to "D-rings everywhere you look."

For my money, less is definitely more when it comes to BCDs
- less straps
- less buckles
- less clips
- less doo-dads

As an English professor in high school once said when grading an essay I wrote "Keep in mind that more is not better. More is just more."

Make sure to (if possible) try on a good jacket BCD, a good back-inflate BCD, and a well-adjusted backplate & wing setup.

From there compare the features, comfort, future needs, and feel in the water, and figure it out.

I personally prefer (strongly) a backplate & wing setup mainly due to the cleanliness of the setup, adjustability, modularity, and packing (they break down very compact); but I have dove with many jacket BCDs and been perfectly fine throughout the dive and had a blast!


People on this board feel very strongly about their setups and preferences, so make sure to try everything out for yourself if possible.

A BC really has two basic functions: It should hold the tank in a stable position on your back, and it should provide sufficient flotation for the kind of diving you do. Both of those things are extremely important. A BC that does not fit well, or does not stabilize the tank, will make your diving life miserable. I prefer a BC that has SOME kind of rigid component to it, like a plastic or metal plate, to provide a stable platform for the tank, so it cannot slew much from side to side. All-fabric BCs allow a lot of tank movement.

The BC should cinch down around you to a degree which is somewhat uncomfortable on land, because any exposure protection you wear will get a bit smaller underwater . . . I like crotch straps, because having one means you don't have to have the shoulder and waist straps quite so tight, to hold the whole rig in place.

In dive gear, simple is often better, just because salt water is hard on things. Everything that moves can (and eventually will) fail, so for example, having a whole BUNCH of dump valves really isn't better than just have one you can operate when you are horizontal or head up, and another you can operate when you are head down.

BC makers often like to put all kinds of bells and whistles on their gear. But how something works on land (wearing it around in the dive shop without even a tank on it) is very different from how things work in the water. Pockets that look like great ideas can be all but impossible to access while diving. Tons of D-rings may look like a good idea, but if you put things on all of them, the things may get in one another's way, be difficult to locate and deploy in the water, and cause you to resemble a poorly decorated Christmas tree.

Dive shops often try to steer folks to their highest priced items, because the margins are better, and because manufacturers REALLY want them to sell those things. Do not be persuaded. Whether it's BC's, regulators, or anything else -- a new diver should start with modestly priced, basic equipment. If you find that you are doing 175 dives a year, you may want to trade up on some of your original choices. That's okay and unavoidable. But worse is spending a thousand dollars more than you needed to for starter gear, and then discovering you do six dives a year, and don't even particularly like the equipment you have to do them.