Jacket BCD vs. Backplate/Wing

[fdog]

Wowsers. Obviously there hasn't been a good BP vs Jacket knock down in a while, look at all the pent-up energy expended in this thread!



All the best, James

 

[bkotheimer]

I am not saying there not out there but as to date I do not know of any divers that went from BP/W to a Jacket and claim that they did not like the BP/W. This assuming they gave the BP/W a good run (owning one) not going off a bad experience from either a borrowed one or rental.

I actually DID see such a post on SB -- once. I think it was the "pushed forward on the surface" experience. But to your point, I can't remember if they had rented or actually bought one.

Sorry, I think the last couple posters were trying to get closure on this thread. But I had to throw that in.

 

[TSandM]

I think it's wintertime, and too many people just need to go diving (myself included!)

 

[BoltSnap]

I think it's wintertime, and too many people just need to go diving (myself included!)

As I have told you before, you are the voice of reason!!

I am going diving tomorrow morning since it is a holiday here. I can't wait. We haven't dove in about 3 weeks due to bad weather.

Safe Diving!!!!

 

[40Fathoms]

I am a Back Plate guy, but I have to agree with the PAID Buyers Guide. It is all in how you are calling it "simple."

Take someone who has no experience with diving, give them these two pieces of equipment and tell them to put them on with no instructions. They will be able to put on and adjust the jacket style BC much more quickly than the Backplate and Wing.

Now, if by simple you mean (and Doc Harry you probably do) more streamlined, simpler construction, minimalist, fewer failure points, etc. Then of course the BP/W wins hands down.

Remember the audience of the PADI Divers Guide.

I agree with this. It boils down to the definition of the word "simple": simply in construction (BP/W) or simple for the inexperienced user, the probable target group of the article (JBCD). I'm for the BP/W option, BTW, having recently converted.

 

[randytay]

It's actually a bit funny because the article does state that pretty specifically yet in another section touts the Atomic Cobalt as the greatest dive PC available. So the message being sent to the average diver is buy a "merely adequate" reg, stay away from a "tech" BC and buy one of the most expensive computers around - which "the average diver" will probably use barely 30% of its features.

You mean I was not suppose to do that? &^%$^&^%$ I just.... nvm...

 

[randytay]

Another observation I have noticed over my few years on SB is that many BP/W users seem very passionate/aggressive about trying to convert others to using a BP/W while those that use either a Jacket or BI (and I know a BP/W is a BI) BC seem to be more "live and let live" about what BC folks use. Why do I say this? Simple. Check out most of the threads where a diver asks about what type of BC they should get and watch the responses. If a diver asks specifically a question like this about jacket bc's:

"I'm looking at getting my first set of gear and I'm trying to decide between Brand X BC vs Brand Y BC. Which would you go with?"

Within the first 3 or 4 posts, sometimes even the first post, someone will post and say something to this effect, "Let me save you the trouble of making a mistake by buying either of those. What you want is a BP/W. If you buy what you are looking at, you'll eventually sell it on e-bay and move up to a BP/W. Let me keep you from making the mistake I made and wasting your money."

I wish I had a dollar for every time I've seen that type of response! The thread will usually just turn into a "Why you don't want that and why you do want what I'm telling you." It becomes hard to even give the person the advice they were looking for because they get bombarded with getting a BP/W.

Now what happens when it's the other way. What happens when a person says this.

"I'm looking at getting a BP/W and can't decide between a Dive Rite vs this vs that. What do you guys think?"

You'll practically never, if ever, see the Jacket or BI users come on and tell the person they shouldn't buy a BP/W. They leave the discussion of which BP/W to buy to those who care or to those who have good input about BP/W's. They don't try and hijack the thread and turn it into why a Jacket/BI BC is better.

But the BP/W users just can't seem to be able to help themselves. They are overpowered by some force that makes them go all out to convert the poor misguided Jacket user who just doesn't know any better.

And the reason is simple: a BP/W person has had experienced in both, and is sharing that experience to help a new diver to save the pain and dollar.

If the situation is reversed, we don't get response from the vest/jacket BC folks because

1. they do not have experience of the BP/W or

2. they assumed the OP has more experience because they are already "moving up" to a BP/W setup while they are still using a jacket BC.

That said, my first BC was the Zeagle Ranger which I recently sold. Did I like it? Hell yeah! I still missed it. But you know what? I wished some BP/W guy or lady would tell me about the BP/W. I wished my CD/LSD shop owner would have told me about the BP/W because it would have saved me alot of pain and dollar if I would have just got the BP/W in the very first time.

And that is MY experience and opinion.

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

But then again.... I've lost count of how many BP&W threads get pounced on by 'jacket BCD defenders'.

So, the same issue can be raised in reverse.... why are jacket BCD defenders so very passionate/aggressive about trying to prevent the education of divers about the pros and cons of using a BP/W?

Could you please give three recent examples?

Since I don't check out many BP/W "only" threads, I need some "proof" to believe there are so many BP&W threads getting pounced on by 'jacket BCD defenders' that you have lost count.

 

[rivers]

I think it's wintertime, and too many people just need to go diving (myself included!)

i agree... i'll take a pool at this point.

 

[BDSC]

And the reason is simple: a BP/W person has had experienced in both, and is sharing that experience to help a new diver to save the pain and dollar.

Thanks for making my point!