Travel BCs budget $450

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ycc

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Messages
47
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Location
Hong Kong
# of dives
100 - 199
Me and my wife just finished our AOW and we are looking for out 1st bc.

We are both recreational divers and have no plan going tech, to keep things simple, we are not going with bp/w
Our main concern is comfort and durability, and light enough so that we could travel with it (coz we usually do our diving overseas)

I have been looking for a while and come up with some choices:

Mares Hybird/ Hybird Pure (Hybird She dives for my wife)
Sherwood Ventura
Aeris Jetpack

I like Mares as it looks really great, I tried other Mares model in fun dive before, not very comfort but ok, I think it is fair coz I have too little experience to compare with.
I seldom see people recommending Mares here, just wonder if Mares' bc are worthy.

Ventura is extremely light and simple, but I just cannot find shop selling it and therefore I have never see the real thing, one more bad thing is that it doesn't look good to me.

The idea of Jetpack just hit my need, I had my hand on it in dive shop but I never used it in water, it is my concern that these "multi-functional" stuff usually preform not so well comparing to the normal stuff, anyone used Jetpack and maybe share your experience with me?

Is there any good bc recommendation within my budget $450?
 
yeah what he said.... That statement pretty much contradicts the whole point of a BP/W. Stretch that budget a smidgen and you can get a new Deep Sea Supply Kydex plate with wing and be much better off.... MUCH better off.

Other than that the only one I'd really recommend is the Dive Rite Hunter Pac
 
A Hybrid Pure weighs 6.2 lbs. Not sure I'd classify it as a "travel" BC although they do. Obviously the low price is an appeal.

I've been toying with getting a travel BC also this year so here's some others to consider?

An Aqualung Zuma weighs 4.7lbs. with the weight pockets included. $435 retail.
Aqua Lung US - Personal Aquatic Equipment for Recreational and Professional Use - Zuma Comes in pink for your wife.

A Zeagle Covert weighs 3.9lbs. It's $429. Rolls up for travel. It also uses 1000Denier fabric, the others 420D so it should be more durable.
Zeagle Covert BCD

There's also the ScubaPro Lighthawk, it's only $239. Around 6lbs. though depending on configuration/size.
Scubapro Litehawk BC, Black

Another I've looked at is the Hollis Ride. It seems to be pretty much direct competition for Zeagle's Express Tech. I have yet to see one in person and I'm not sure how I feel about the bungied wing, they can trap air in some positions/inflation levels. Hollis Ride Wing Travel BCD

I'm not a fan of the Jetpack. I suppose if you had to check it there could be an issue with it/contents getting damaged. There's also a 2nd generation Jetpack now - fixed a few things wrong with the first one. At 8.25lbs. it seems a little on the heavy side? Also I think they expect you to use short travel fins with it - like the ones they sell. AERIS : Accel Fin

hth,
 
The three of us each have ScubaPro Go's, $499 however. They are great BCD's. 3+ years 140+ dives, 6+ dive trips plus many local dives without a single issue. My son did have an XXS Zuma which developed a hole as the fabric isn't very durable. Thankfully he grew enough to fit a XS GO.
 
yeah what he said.... That statement pretty much contradicts the whole point of a BP/W. Stretch that budget a smidgen and you can get a new Deep Sea Supply Kydex plate with wing and be much better off.... MUCH better off.

Other than that the only one I'd really recommend is the Dive Rite Hunter Pac

So many threads on BP/W. Some people just don't want one and it can be annoying when people try to force the issue. Plus you really do need someone knowledgeable to help you buy one and set it up.

My wife for example. She learned using my old Dive Rite Transpac. She liked it, but it was old and a little big on her. Come time to buy her her own BCD, she refused to use a crotch strap. In my experiences (my wife and I are both thin), without the crotch strap, the shoulder straps need to be tight and there in lies the problem. Tight BP/W shoulder straps are not comfortable and require adjustability to get in/out. She also is afraid of the hard metal plate.

At this point, I compromised, got her a Oxycheq soft plate with adjustable harness and DSS travel wing. Similar to a Transpac, but put together to eliminate the unnecessary stuff. Cost around the same as the OP's budget. It weighs around 5 pounds and can go lighter if you change the stainless steel hardware to plastic which is what the typical BCDs use.
 
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Ron, the crotch strap is 100% the most crucial piece of any scuba rig. Without it, it is literally impossible to have a properly fitted rig that is comfortable and easy to get out of. This is the biggest downfall of the jacket BC, most have no provision for a crotch strap and people then snug shoulder straps and it squeezes them and it is just a disaster.

Regarding fit, there are plenty of full blown diagrams and videos on how to properly adjust a harness, don't need someone to help you that knows what you're doing, just the ability to watch a youtube video and follow it.

For reference, Transpac is perfectly acceptable as an alternative, as is the Oxycheq soft plate, they are cheap and weigh nothing, I actually love those little things. One piece harnesses aren't necessary if you don't want one, I use the Deluxe harness from DR, have used the Transplate harnesses in the past. The main advantage is because it is a modular system if something goes wrong you don't have to throw the whole thing away, you also can adapt it to different diving styles much more easily. Buying any jacket bc at this point is just a waste of money, sorry but it just is. It isn't going to last as long as a modular system, it isn't going to be built to anywhere near the quality of most of them, and it is far less durable. I could get over it if you were saving money, but you aren't. $450 is a perfectly reasonable budget and you can get away with a better rig for less money if you wanted to.

Cave Adventurers - Cave Adventurers Harness, OxyCheq Wing and Ultra Lite Plate - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!

Best little travel rig out there right now. Slightly over budget, but barely *factor in free shipping and no taxes, and Edd will likely cut you a deal for buying two of them*, it's built to the highest quality, and will last you literally forever.

You can save $100/rig and go with the little Hog 23lb wing as well and you're at $370 per rig. Backplate, harness, wing, two cam bands, and a pair of sex bolts to keep the wing on the plate. Hard to argue with that.
 
Besides looking at both weight and how small the BC packs down to, another (and maybe more important) consideration is the lift capacity of the BC. Looking at the Scubapro Litehawk it has a 56 lb lift capacity which is ridiculously large for tropical diving. The Zuma has a more realistic but still large capacity of 34 lb lift. Usually the more lift capacity a BC has the harder it is to vent.
 
Shame you think a BP/W is only for tech diving. If I was doing purely warm water diving with little/no exposure protection, this: Dogbone Harness - Dive Right in Scuba, a small wing, and the 2 piece mini-STA (Highland/Oxy/etc.) would be my selection.....
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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