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

[Colliam7]

What do all of you BP/W folks do for pockets?

Like a number of respondents, I attach pockets to my wetsuits. I glue AND STITCH pockets on both thighs. (Actually, I send the [marked] wetsuit and a couple of pockets to Superior Diving in MN and have them do it, but the outcome is the same.)

DIR style BP/W harnesses don't have a d-ring on the right side, so the pockets typically go over there to leave the left free

And, if I am not wearing a wetsuit with pockets already attached, I slip a pocket over the right side of my BP waist strap. So, the bottom line is that I always have at least one, and usually two, pockets.

The reason I have pockets on my wetsuits is that I put my WetNotes in them, along with a back-up light (if not on my harness), back-up cutting device, and spool.

 

[JamesBon92007]

@JamesBon92007 pocket shorts are probably the most convenient/easiest. If you own and travel with your own exposure suits, glue on pockets are great, and if you really need something on the BC you can put bellows pockets on there which is sufficient. DIR style BP/W harnesses don't have a d-ring on the right side, so the pockets typically go over there to leave the left free for stage bottles, but no reason you can't semi-permanently stick one on the left as well.
Frankly there just isn't much to put in a pocket, so when I'm diving OW, I typically don't carry one. Lights go on the shoulder straps, DIR style, a SMB/spool gets clipped to my tail d-ring *I use Deep Sea Supply sidemount tail plates on my harnesses in addition to the standard d-ring fwiw* as well as a navigation slate. After that, there really isn't a whole lot of stuff you need to take into the water. My buddy carries my backup computer, I wear a watch, my spool is knotted so I don't need an analog depth gauge *for following the rule of 130 if for whatever miracle you lose your buddy and computer*, and really that's about all you need for recreational diving.... Pockets can be for putting stuff in, but if I'm planning on collecting stuff, I usually bring a bag

I'm not familiar with DIR style but I used to hang a "goodie bag" from my weight belt but since I started using BCs on dive boats I like jumping into the water with my video camera, flashlight, etc in my pockets. Also, over the decades I have collected about 50 pounds of lead fishing weights which have all been melted down and cast into dive belt weights. It's nice to have a place to put stuff. It hasn't been much of an issue on dive trips but in Southern California I've picked up quite a bit of trash so I'll probably continue to bring the goodie bag here.

I was just playing around with the trim weights on my homemade back wing and it looks like I need a total of about 8 pounds on my shoulder straps. Now I'm going to have to make them ditchable. Either that or figure out how to get the lift more to the bottom of the tank. I think it's down about as far as I can get it now.

 

[Colliam7]

I'm one of the crazy, lunatic, suicidal divers who dove without a BC for about 43 years so for me the BP/W is the next closest thing to nothing. This is me around 1985

So, as you continue to evolve, we hope to see more pictures! Of course, based on your 1985 look, there is one thing we expect to see changed - that dangling console.

 

[JamesBon92007]

So, as you continue to evolve, we hope to see more pictures! Of course, based on your 1985 look, there is one thing we expect to see changed - that dangling console.

He he. Actually, my "new" back wing already has a hook for it but it will probably be relocated as it was still dangling a bit.

Lemmesee, aside from the new back wing (in progress) not a lot has changed--I can no longer fit into that particular wetsuit so I got one a little bigger but I'm still using the same hood, regulator, console, tank backpack, mask, snorkel, and dive knife. I got tired of the Venturi fins finally.

As for evolving, as much as my kids and grandkids take to water I'm expecting my great-grandkids to have gills.

 

[Colliam7]

Please give me your opinions about the best ultra light travel BCs

The best one is the BCD that FITS YOU well. (And, takes up minimal space and weight allowance in your luggage, relative to how you like to pack for vacation travel.) So, the choice is really a personal matter, for YOU. All we can do is tell you what works for US.

There is nothing wrong with the Cressi Travel Light for the traveling underwater vacationer. One very nice feature - unlike many BCDs, it actually has a reasonably small bladder - if you fit in an XS, it will give you 13.5 lbs of lift, while a Small will give you 18 lbs, which should be just fine for warm water diving. The problem with too many BCDs is that the lift is much greater than needed for a single cylinder, resulting in a moving air bubble in the BCD bladder which makes buoyancy and trim management a bit more challenging. As several have mentioned, the Travel Light is a jacket, rather than a back-inflate, but that shouldn't be a particular problem.

In checking prices, I see that Leisure Pro is selling the Cressi Travel light for ~$310. That is a hard deal to beat.

I happen to be one of those who uses a steel backplate, and 18 (or 30) lb wing, for recreational dive travel. My wife dives the same rig, as does my daughter and son-in-law (we often travel together). That works for each of us - the rig is streamlined, relatively light, compact to pack. But, we also don't carry much in our luggage when we travel to the Caribbean, so weight isn't a problem. . And, I carry my backplate and harness in my carry-on backpack, anyway so it doesn't count against the checked luggage weight limit. But, as I said, that works for us. It may or may not work for you.

 

[Colliam7]

Lemmesee, aside from the new back wing (in progress) not a lot has changed--I can no longer fit into that particular wetsuit

And, if you could - 30 years later - we would ALL want to know your secret!!! I know I can't fit in suits from that period in my life.

 

[teknitroxdiver]

Getting back to the weight specs, I went and weighed our gear with a luggage scale:

My DSS rig with a standard size stainless backplate and 30 pound wing: 8.4 pounds
My wife's DiveGearExpress package with aluminum backplate: 6.0 pounds.

 

[RayfromTX]

My Kydex plate and 20 lb wing 5.5 lb. My Zuma with a 34 lb wing 4.7 lb.

 

[ronscuba]

Oxycheq soft backplate with a DSS 17lb wing, under 4 lbs. Heaviest items are the stainless steel tank bands.

This is a real minimalist setup, but being a BPW, it is modular so you can add whatever pockets, padding, etc., you might need. Still might be too bare bones for some and as a BPW you do need some time to setup the harness and D-ring locations.

I don't wear a wetsuit or carry any weight in water above 80 deg. Colder than that I use tank band weight pockets with a 3mm.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Oxycheq soft backplate with a DSS 17lb wing, under 4 lbs.

Where was the Kana Stingrays video taken?