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I have been doing some reading and would like to know what the difference is
in a BP/wings, A Back Inflation BCD and a jacket? What and Why is best for a Sport Diver? A Technical Diver?
I have been doing some reading and would like to know what the difference is
in a BP/wings, A Back Inflation BCD and a jacket? What and Why is best for a Sport Diver? A Technical Diver?
A bp/wing = back-plate and wing. It's a two-piece design consisting of a metal plate (steel or aluminium) with some holes in it that you use to screw your wing (air bladder) and your tanks onto. The harnas is also threaded onto the back-plate and it is made of seat-belt material. You can see a picture here: http://www.gue.com/equipment/backplate.shtml
This design is prominent in the technical crowd because it is strong and can support large tanks and large air-bladders without sacrificing stability (a big problem when you're taking 75+kg of gear with you) or squishing your chest (in other words, it's more comfotable). Some people believe (and argue) that this design is the only thing that works. It does work for recreational divers but if you're only diving light gear you have other options:
The traditional (since the early 80's anyway) design is the jacket. This is what most recreational divers are still using. It's modeled on a life-jacket and has the advantage of offering pockets and quick releases and light weight etc. It's stable with small tanks but it's no good for large tanks, doubles or stages. The plastic bits are too prone to breaking and they're not stable enough for heavy gear (ie. if you tilt a bit you're likely to roll all the way over).
There is another choice. The back inflate jacket. It's a hybrid design combining a jacket with a built in wing. The Seaquest "Black Diamond" is one example http://www.sea-quest.com/pages/bc/bc_bdia.html . In my mind they're a better (although bulkier) jacket but still shoot short of the advantages of comfort, durability and stability that the bp/wing offers especially with heavier gear. They're also much more expensive than a bp/wing so it really makes one wonder why anyone would choose for this.
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Originally Posted by Chien
