Ready to buy gear, what about a BP/W

I'm a new diver, I don't kid myself, but I am also former military, and I tend to pick up and master technical details fairly quickly as a result of old training.

Now, that said, I've gotten much bigger than my military days, so much so that during my qual class, I barely squeezed into an XL sized Cressi BCD... so, now that I'm looking for equipment of my own, I like a BCD, but I'm worried about finding one in the right size, and then meeting my goals for weight loss and being stuck with a much larger vest.

I've heard about a BP/W rig, they are supposedly easily adjustable, and would meet my needs... the only thing I've heard is that they might take a little work on buoyancy (which stinks because I'm pretty good with that already)...

Anyway, any thoughts on using a BP/W set up for a new diver? I'm planning on working thru the qualifcation tree and doing more Tec stuff as I gain more experience, so all is not lost starting with this type of equipment.

Thanks.

PhatD1ver:

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I've heard about a BP/W rig, they are supposedly easily adjustable, and would meet my needs... the only thing I've heard is that they might take a little work on buoyancy (which stinks because I'm pretty good with that already)...

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A BP/W makes it easier to maintain buoyancy and trim. With much of the weight distributed along your entire back with the back plate, trim is easier to maintain. The no air bladder around your body, it will be more comfortable for a person of larger size.

We start our private students in backplates. They are just BCs -- the only difference is that it takes a little time to get them adjusted correctly in the first place, and then they are set. You are right that the BIGGEST advantage is that, if you change size significantly, all you have to do is adjust (and maybe trim) your harness.

Not sure how all would be lost if you did NOT do tech.

I don't think there is any extra work as far as buoyancy. Maybe it is a little different than a jacket BC, but many BC's are rear inflate. My original BC is an Oceanic Excursion II. It is a rear inflate and unlike some other rear inflate BC's (SP Knighthawk), it is a wing.

I really like the Oceanic. But at the same time, I have now started diving a BP/W for its simplicity. I have not found buoyancy to be any issue at all. Mostly just work on proper weight distribution.

If you are a really big guy and you held true to your weight loss goals, the BP/W would fit you all the while. All it would take is a little adjustments to the straps. Eventually, if you kept losing weight, you may need to trim some webbing off.

I built the BP/W for around $300, pretty hard to beat.

My experience with my conversion to a BPW was the learning curve was basically nothing. The only thing I play with is tweeking the crotch strap. I feel that I have better trim and buoyancy with my BPW than I had with my rear inflate Zeagle and a jacket. Having the weight of the plate over your lungs really helps to flatten your trim.

When my kids get certified I'll skip the jacket or rear inflate and get them BPWs.

They are extremely adjustable and surprisingly comfortable. Skip all the bling and padding and start with a basic harness with a continuous piece of webbing. You can add pockets and D rings as needed.

Also, people assume they are for tech divers. I am a recreational diver and see no disadvantage for me.

My 2 cents.


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Like others I had no issues with buoyancy moving to a BP/W. The only teething troubles I experienced were the expectation of how it would fit vs the realities - i.e. it didn't need to be really tight fitting, getting used to the crotch strap and adjusting that. The only other minor learning experiences i had was with the LP inflator and dump, it meeting the bladder at the top centre rather than at the shoulder in a conventional BCD. this meant when I rolled my shoulder to dump air for fine tuning the bubble was no where near the dump. After a couple of dives everything was squared away - I even got used to the new sound of the air bubble moving around the bladder which was a surprise but obvious really. Enjoy it!

People always seem to consider bp/w tech gear. They might have been in the past but not anymore. I dove a jacket for my OW class dives and about 5 dives later I tried out my buddies bp/w and I almost instantly felt 100% more comfortable in the water. Jackets were uncomfortable for me and I was constantly moving trying to readjust everything. With a bp/w, I stopped squirming constantly, relaxed more and all around enjoyed diving more. Plus, as you said, you can adjust it for you or someone else. My fiancee is like 5ft tall (being generous here) and my HOG bp/w will fit me (5'10, 195lb) as well as her in about 5 minutes worth of adjustments. It's a great piece of gear and even if you didn't plan on getting into tech stuff, it will work just as well for recreational.

I have a HOG stainless steel bp and a 32# wing and a Zeagle Express Tech bp and a 30# wing and both are inexpensive and work great. Think between the two I paid $600 which is what a single, fancy jacket style bcd would run you. 2 for the price of one and one is dedicated for travel.

I am a recreational diver who also dives a bp/w. I find that it fits much better and is easy to use. Also, since I am using a stainless steel backplate and single tank adapter, I am using a lot less lead weights.

Go for it and enjoy.

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I've made this offer dozens of times. I have an article on BPW's for.new divers students I send to anyone free of charge. All I need is an email as it is too big to post here or PM. If you want it shoot me an email. I will be back home this coming saturday. I'm doing advanced technical instructor training this week and internet access to send large files limited. As is my time to answer them. Days have been starting at 6:30-7:00 am and ending at nine or so. Tonite was an early evening. We only did 10 hours of discussion and diving today.
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I'll add my voice. I dove a BP/W as my 9th dive, borrowed. Before my 10th dive I'd made my own and bought another. Buoyancy was actually easier for me, primarily due to a better fit. I think, if you're already comfortable with buoyancy, you'll be fine. As others have said the learning curve for that aspect is basically nil. You will need to consider shifting weights around, probably, but it certainly won't be "harder" than with a vest BC. If you need a lot of weight you'll find the added benefit of reducing lead you carry nice too.

Fitting is the more likely "trouble spot" though I found it trivially easy to fit mine (comfortable for me, which isn't to say it's "right", just "right for me") after reading a couple threads on here and watching one video on youtube.

I say it's worth a shot and even better if you can find someone local(ish) to borrow one. That's how I got my first try of one... met a Scubaboard member who was willing to let me borrow for a trial dive or two.