BC for a 10 yr old

[gentlegiant]

We have a son and a nephew who are both getting certified and we are looking to outfit them over the next few months with the basic life support gear. We are looking for a cost effective and useable BC for each of them. We would prefer back-inflate and it would be great if this was BC that could grow with them for at least a few years. We will probably go through our LDS for the purchase, but my wife and I want a few extra opinions to think about.

[OneBrightGator]

A backplate will fit any diver and with $5 worth of webbing will grow with them forever, that would be my first recommendation.

If you're set on a "traditional" BC, Dive Rite will upgrade a Transpac for kids until the age of 16, and considering most boys are close enough to full grown at 16 it should last a long while. It's back inflate with your choice of wing size. Details about it can be found on thier website.

Ben

[gentlegiant]

I am in the process of changing over to a BP/wings setup and that was my first suggestion as well, but my wife is not sure she likes the setup. She wants the boys to have integrated weights (I explained the ACB system to her and it is still under discussion). I think that she may change her mind after I get my setup adjusted and int he water.

[WileEDiver]

Here's a little trick that someone shared with me that worked really well last time I took my daughter diving with me:

Instead of using a child's BC with the lift capacity of a helium balloon, we used an adult size BC (X-small in her case), loosened up the shoulder straps a bit and criss-crossed them and attached them in a "cross your heart" manner. This gave her a nice tight secure fit in what would have otherwise been a too-large BC. I wouldn't have her try a scuba unit remove and replace with this arrangement, but as I said, it worked really well.

[OneBrightGator]

Well, I would definitely try to hold out and try to convince her, a simple search here will bring up dozens of posts touting BP/Wings.

What's her/your reasoning behind mandatory integrated weights?

Also, I noticed your reference to ACBs and a search on those will bring up more than a few posts of people not happy with them. You might want to look at Dive Rite's system if you're stuck on integrated weights, if not my suggestion would be trim weights and a weight belt with just enough ditchable weight.

WileE: I don't think that is a good idea.

Ben

[ABQdiver]

My daughter just got certified this summer and the backplate and wings was my solution as well. My thinking is that its simple, effective and will/can grow to fit the growing body of the youngster.

She (my daughter) never thought twice about the set up since I dive one and is very happy, plus her trim is excellent.

[reubencahn]

My son was certified at age 10, 19 months ago. At the time we bought an extra small Scubapro Classic. It fit him ok and seemed to give some room to grow, but I think a bp is a far better choice. Kids have some difficulty in managing the bulk and weight of a tank. Without a really secure attachment it is more difficult. Unless you purchase a bc that your daughter will grow out of in six months, there will be some "slop" making her dives less pleasant. On the other hand, a bp can provide an absolutely perfect fit and can be adjusted whenever she grows.

[bubbleslan]

Like OneBrightGator said, I would suggest the Dive Rite Transpac II. It "grows" with the child. Actually Dive Rite just replaces the smaller components for larger ones for free (up to the age of 16), so as the child grows the BCD grows with him/her. It also has integrated weights, which you mentioned your wife wanted them to have.
Here is the link on Dive Rite's website.
http://www.diverite.com/kids/dvegear.htm