What is the best and lightest BC for traveling? Cressi Travelite??

[tbone1004]

@ronscuba our students are required to have stiff paddle fins, are only allowed to frog kick, and learn in a Halcyon Eclipse.... several other universities do the same. Never been an issue for any of us

People keep saying it's not for everyone, but they never really say why... care to offer a reason why? Why is gear and technique that is required for the highest levels of diving, "not for everyone" that is at a level below that? Conversely, why is it that you seem to think that gear that is either ideal for some people at the beginning recreational levels an appropriate suggestion when that gear is insufficient for the top levels of diving?

 

[Hoag]

2.2Kg=4.85#
Cressi Air travel is 5.5#

But the Xdeep ghost is a travel BP/W thing.

Yup. That's is what I said. Pretty much the same. Only about 10 oz difference. If you are so close to the airline weight limit that 10 oz will put you over the limit, then maybe you should be looking at more places than just the BCD to cut weight.

 

[dmaziuk]

Yup. That's is what I said. Pretty much the same. Only about 10 oz difference. If you are so close to the airline weight limit that 10 oz will put you over the limit, then maybe you should be looking at more places than just the BCD to cut weight.

If you're 300 grams over on the luggage scale, turn your bag sideways and/or shift it to the other corner of the weight plate. Those things can easily have +/- a kilo between e.g. far left and near right corners.

 

[Hoag]

If you're 300 grams over on the luggage scale, turn your bag sideways and/or shift it to the other corner of the weight plate. Those things can easily have +/- a kilo between e.g. far left and near right corners.

So the two BCDs are well within the margin of error of the airport / airline luggage scales.

 

[dmaziuk]

Well... both my bathroom scale and our gym "0.01 lb accuracy" scale do this. I won't vouch for it, but I'll be surprised if the airport ones don't.

 

[Lorenzoid]

People keep saying it's not for everyone, but they never really say why... care to offer a reason why? Why is gear and technique that is required for the highest levels of diving, "not for everyone" that is at a level below that? Conversely, why is it that you seem to think that gear that is either ideal for some people at the beginning recreational levels an appropriate suggestion when that gear is insufficient for the top levels of diving?

It's not for people who would prefer gear and technique that matches the way they were originally trained. Some people just don't want to be bothered with something new to them. If it looks or feels unusual to them or requires a learning curve, they don't want that.

 

[tbone1004]

It's not for people who would prefer gear and technique that matches the way they were originally trained. Some people just don't want to be bothered with something new to them. If it looks or feels unusual to them or requires a learning curve, they don't want that.

I wouldn't say that's a good reason, that's the "well that's the way we've always done it" type of justification which I do not consider a valid argument. It's a reason, but not a good one. If everyone thought like that, we'd still be hunters/gatherers

 

[teknitroxdiver]

It's not for people who would prefer gear and technique that matches the way they were originally trained. Some people just don't want to be bothered with something new to them. If it looks or feels unusual to them or requires a learning curve, they don't want that.

Considering the skills (lack thereof) of the average new diver, doing much of anything "the way they were originally trained" is a bad idea.

 

[Lorenzoid]

I wouldn't say that's a good reason, that's the "well that's the way we've always done it" type of justification which I do not consider a valid argument. It's a reason, but not a good one. If everyone thought like that, we'd still be hunters/gatherers

You're preaching to the choir. But you asked why some of us keep saying "it's not for everyone." I know several divers who want nothing to do with the kind of gear I dive in.

In the scuba Utopia I envision, everyone receives their OW training in a BP/W and stiff paddle fins, and they live in blissful ignorance of any other way.

 

[ronscuba]

@ronscuba our students are required to have stiff paddle fins, are only allowed to frog kick, and learn in a Halcyon Eclipse.... several other universities do the same. Never been an issue for any of us

People keep saying it's not for everyone, but they never really say why... care to offer a reason why? Why is gear and technique that is required for the highest levels of diving, "not for everyone" that is at a level below that? Conversely, why is it that you seem to think that gear that is either ideal for some people at the beginning recreational levels an appropriate suggestion when that gear is insufficient for the top levels of diving?

Tbone, I see you are a tech instructor. Your student requirements of stiff paddle fins, frog kicks and using a BPW in a tech class makes 100% total sense. Recreational OW classes typically do not have these requirements because recreational gear is adequate for recreational diving. If you want to make the same requirements for your recreational OW classes, I have no issues with it.

My issue is sometimes opinions are delivered harshly and the person is made to feel stupid because they bought the "wrong" gear or recommendations don't fit the question. In this thread a new recreational vacation only diver wants advice on a travel BCD. I believe someone recommended going sidemount. At least they were polite about it, but is a sidemount BCD really a good recommendation for the ops question ? Is the Cressi Travelite BCD dangerous or a bad choice ?

My sister and brother in law absolutely do not want to use a crotch strap. No changing their minds on this. IMHO, the crotch strap is a vital part of the BPW. It stabilizes everything and allows the shoulder straps to be comfortably looser. I could spend more time trying to convince them, but why become a nuisance ? They are happy with their jacket BCDs which they have been using their entire 15+ yr dive career and are good solid divers.

My wife wanted a jacket BCD because that is what she used in class. I convinced to use a soft backplate and wing, but she also refuses to use a crotch strap so I got her an adjustable harness with quick releases due to her shoulder mobility issues.

The fact I can share the scuba hobby with them is way more important than convincing them to change their gear preference. Our scuba conversations center around where we will be going on our next scuba vacation and basically never about gear.

I never said recreational jacket BCD's were ideal. I dive a BPW with 1 piece harness. I think recreational divers do not necessarily need or appreciate features that top level diving does.

Divers like you and I are gearheads who like to research and buy the best. However, there is a lot of gear choices out there. Most will work perfectly fine for recreational diving needs. We can absolutely make recommendations listing pluses and minuses, but paying attention to the Ops current needs is sometimes passed over because we assume they will eventually dive like us.

Hey, I need to drink coffee in the morning to help me wake up. What coffee do you recommend ? I can buy Maxwell house at the supermarket, Dunkin Donuts ground at their store, Starbucks whole bean and grind my own, 100% Pure Jamaican Blue Mountain Certified import whole bean and a burr grinder because blade grinders generate heat which takes away some of the coffee flavor. What should I buy ?