Women's BCD Suggestions

I recently certified and have the basics of my equipment fins, mask, wetsuit. I will inherit a nice regulator from my partner who is getting a new one since his is two years old and he likes new toys. So the next thing is a BCD. I have talked to several female divers on our last trip to ask their opinions and most preferred SCUBA PRO for the fit and number of pockets. I thought i would ask a broader audience their thoughts BCD's.

I am not a tall women and I am very narrow in the shoulders and ribcage. I wear a small CRESSI rental. I am looking for a BCD that will travel well all my dives will be dives in warm waters. I am looking for a BCD with integrated weights and lots of pockets including shoulder pockets.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a BCD that works well for them and why?

thank you,

Heather

Why do you want all those pockets?

For people who lie outside the average in size, I really think the backplate and wing system, with the continuous harness which can be infinitely adjustable, is the way to go. For someone with narrow shoulders, cross the straps. You can put weight pockets on the waistband for the small amount of weight you will need in warm water. Backplate setups come completely apart, including being able to take off the cambands, so they pack really well. For warm water diving only, you can use an aluminum or Kydex plate, which will reduce your packing weight.

If you really feel that you need pockets, get a set of X-shorts (or the equivalent) to put over your wetsuit. They're better pockets and more easily accessible than the ones on most BCs.

I am still getting my buoyancy under control along with gaining skills. I have found having some weights on my shoulders help keep me more horizontal over vertical. Pockets are also good for storing things like cameras. Most of the people I talked to mentioned they found pockets are important. Mostly I am thinking side pockets, shoulder pockets along with the integrated weight clip in areas.

I don't want more pockets than is feasible mostly the side and shoulder pockets.

TSandM:

Why do you want all those pockets?

For people who lie outside the average in size, I really think the backplate and wing system, with the continuous harness which can be infinitely adjustable, is the way to go. For someone with narrow shoulders, cross the straps. You can put weight pockets on the waistband for the small amount of weight you will need in warm water. Backplate setups come completely apart, including being able to take off the cambands, so they pack really well. For warm water diving only, you can use an aluminum or Kydex plate, which will reduce your packing weight.

If you really feel that you need pockets, get a set of X-shorts (or the equivalent) to put over your wetsuit. They're better pockets and more easily accessible than the ones on most BCs.

Click to expand...

A backplate / wing system will go a long way in taking care of your trim issues. Most likely, you won't have any need for upper body trim pockets.

You really only need two pockets. A left one and a right one. The best place for those pockets (for comfort, hydrodynamics and easy access) is on your thighs, attached to your wetsuit, drysuit or shorts.


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Another vote for a backplate and wing. Try one and see how perfectly it adjusts to you and how good your trim will likely be. I have a Halcyon Infinity with a small AL backplate, and it's awesome, but I think any bp & w would be perfectly fine. It has integrated weights and I have a weight pocket strapped on the harness which I use as a pocket. You could put a second pocket on the other side.

Halcyon Infinity | Halcyon

I have 2 pockets in my current BCD and they're bloody useless. I can't get anything in or out of them while I'm diving. I prefer to clip it all on when I dive. As for what BCD I use, I am in love with my Mares Keila. I also looked at the aqualung pearl, but I wasn't a huge fan of the wrap around cummerbund. I have a couple very tall and slim friends that dive with it though, and absolutely love it. It also has I believe 3 pockets total, and there are 2 non dump-able weight pockets on the back of it. I would agree the the integrated weights are massively helpful in helping get your trim right. If you are like me and can't stand the bp/w system (different discussion for a different day) and really want a standard jacket BCD I suggest looking into the pearl. And if you are insistant on pockets, I'd suggest you look into pockets you can attach to your wetsuit.

I got two pockets on the side of my BC and thought I would use them...boy was I wrong. After 70 so dives I just started using them and that was to put the extra weight pouches in for when I wear my drysuit because all my weight can't fit into the dumpable pockets. When you are at depth the pockets compress and if anything is in them it becomes very uncomfortable. I have a camera and it came with a strap and I just clip it to my d-ring on my shoulder strap. If and when I do buy again, pockets would be way at the bottom of the list when it came to BC selection

I bought a Cressi women's travel bcd and have used it for two trips in the last three months and love it. Travels really well, is lightweight, and very comfortable. You can get weight pockets for the back but I haven't used those as the integrated weights are fine. Only one big pocket but my previous BCDs had pockets and I never used them (prefer to clip things on to keep them more secure and accessible).

Good luck!

My wife and daughter have Zeagle Zenas and love them. Apparently the zipper front is very comfortable for them. The Zena (and Zeagles in general) have separate shoulder and torso sizing. They also come with tank strap weight pockets.

We just got our BP/W. My husband got a personal shopper when I finally decided to certify and became a "Scubaholic." We both had conventional BCDs, but I became frustrated with mine and his never looked like it fit him properly (once I knew what to look for). We began diving with a group that used BP/Ws and an instructor who started his students out with BP/Ws.

My husband got surprised with purchase over a dinner with our travel group. He was stunned and would have been upset, but everyone in the group had been diving BP/W and educated him. When we picked them up this past weekend, we got his initial fitting first. He was so comfortable in it that 30 minutes later, he forgot it was on him and had to be reminded. Now, my shoulder/torso length is so much better (a real sore point in my former BCD). He's happy with his Christmas present. He loves the "unclutteredness" of his new rig. He says he can't really gripe about what I spent on getting us set up. We view it more as an investment as we plan to further our diving experience. We've got several classes scheduled - deep diver, peak performance buoyancy and night diver will be worked on in Bonaire. Navigation will be done in a quarry. Navigation in Bonaire felt like cheating.

Just start with the BP/W. You'll save time and aggravation.