Vest to Wings - Questions before i buy new BCD

Hi,
Thinking about getting the Hollis Ride BCD.Have a couple of questions.
Most of my diving is vacation diving in the tropics, so a simple low profile BCD would be ideal.I have never dived with a wing system. I have two Mares jacket type BCDs but looking for a low profile wing system.

Wing BCDs:
1. Can you still use a normal weight belt. How ditch able is a weight belt under a harness,crotch strap system.(i usually have 2-3 KGs max but would like to still use a weight belt). I assume you put on the weight belt then the BCD.

2. How easy is it to remove a BCD while in the water(i.e after a dive , on the surface , take off BCD and hand to tender/boat). There appears to be no quick release buckles on the Hollis Ride BCD. Is this normal for a wing system. If so how difficult is it to remove the BCD in water. how do you adjust shoulder straps.

3. There is no chest strap between the 2 shoulder straps (like a vest BCD) . Is this a problem with the shoulder straps moving??

Any other wing type BCDs i should look at. Price is not a concern. Functionality,weight are an issue. I will only be diving single tanks. I am not a tech diver

Thanks in advance .

Kev, a wing type BC also known as a back plate and wing, back inflate, etc is no harder to remove in the water than any other BC in my opinion. There is a slight learning curve but if shown how to properly adjust it and configure it it is not terribly complex. Realize that if you do decide to go with one that you are likely to not need as much weight as you do now since the BC itself does not have as much inherent buoyancy as your current set ups. The Hollis Ride specifically and the BC it appears to be designed after, the Zeagle Express Tech, use a soft back "plate" and are easily adjusted by simply pulling the waist belt snug. A great design for a simple BC that will travel well and pack easily. Both have interchangeable wings though the Zeagle offers more choices.

You can use a normal weight belt or attach integrated weight pockets. Like you I prefer a belt and it goes on UNDER the crotch strap, not over it. Loss of weight at depth is much more of a concern to me than the extra half second or so it takes to pull the bc buckle and then the weight belt buckle. The other option is to simply add a quick release buckle to the crotch strap in front and then you just undo it and pull the weight belt buckle.

Again you do not need quick releases on the shoulder straps with these two particular BC's. As soon as you undo the buckle they loosen up as far as your hip d ring placement will allow them to. On a std hogarthian rigged BPW the shoulder strap are left loose enough to allow you to get an arm out and the crotch strap is what actually snugs the rig down.

You do not need a sternum or chest strap unless you have very narrow or sloping shoulders. They do not move when the unit is adjusted correctly.

This brings me to the next point about these units. You do not have to try and fit into them. They are set up to fit you. They are as close as you can get to a custom sized BC. Most mfg's BC's are made with a size range to fit a certain percentage of the population and my own experience has been that in reality I am not in that percentage. As are many others. These two BC's and the std BPW systems are the baby bears in the Goldilocks story of diving. Not too big, not too small, they are just right because you custom fit them to you. And after that they fit, every time.

I am not aware of any other systems like these two. There is a BC made by Seasoft that is adjustable to a wide range of divers but it is limited in that some of it's features are not nearly as customizable as the Zeagle or the Hollis. I don't know what the cost of the Hollis is but the basic Zeagle ET is around 270 retail and adding $30 worth of hardware is all you need to do. I posted a review with pics of mine here: Zeagle Express Tech Buoyancy Compensator Review

It shows the actual unit I was diving at the time. I have since added a larger wing since I am using heavy steel tanks with it most of the time.