Anyone Using The Zeagle Covert XT?

[Cpt.Jack]

Hello,

Very new to scuba and just recently completed my basic certification. Im looking at gear and like what I see in the Zeagle Covert XT BCD. Anyone diving this equipment that would like to shed some light, good or bad?

 

[Tundrahog]

For what it's worth I finished my OW about a month ago and bought a covert XT. I've got 4 dives with it and so far, it seems to be rugged and haven't had any issues. I've ordered some molle pouches and attachment hardware to see what use I can get out of that. I'm going to follow this thread to get some thoughts from someone with more experience.

 

[Altamira]

Based on my 3 year experience with the Covert, I think you will really like the Covert XT. The XT has needed improvements over the Covert, and still has room to put additional Zeagle pockets on the waist strap if you want more space to put accessories. I added weight pouches to my top cam band which now come standard with the XT. Also, the ability to use the Zeagle weight pouches in the ditchable weight pockets is a significant improvement because you can hand the weight pouches up to the boat crew if you want.

 

[Jambalaya36]

A relative gifted me a covert xt for Christmas. Are your XTs having only one rear dump valve on the right? And do you have problems descending? Are you experiencing delays deflating?

 

[Tundrahog]

Correct only one rear dump valve. I havent had issues descending or inflating. Can you be more specific about the issue?

 

[Fishhy]

For what it's worth I finished my OW about a month ago and bought a covert XT. I've got 4 dives with it and so far, it seems to be rugged and haven't had any issues. I've ordered some molle pouches and attachment hardware to see what use I can get out of that. I'm going to follow this thread to get some thoughts from someone with more experience.

Now that you've had some time with it; can you please update us on what you did to customize it?

 

[The Chairman]

Check out Zeagle's Express Tech BC. That's the one I use and while I've never used their Covert line, it seems like the Stiletto. The Express Tech is quite streamlined and you can use plain 2" straps to streamline it even more turning it into a hybrid backplate and wing, only with a soft backplate.. Less is best.

 

[Tundrahog]

Now that you've had some time with it; can you please update us on what you did to customize it?

so a year and about 60 dives in, it shows little signs of wear and tear and has worked perfectly every time.

a couple pictures to show my current set up

so really only a couple addons. the light and scissor holders are not meant for diving and have steel snaps I just replaced both after a year (about 5-10 bucks ea.) but it keeps them handy and neat. the Zeagle pocket is nice, big enough for a spare mask or what ever I need, it also comes off the belt very easily if I don't need it. I like the d-ring on the left side, but I'm not happy with using it for the DSMB. I don't like things flapping about.

One thing I don't like about the BCD is the smallish d-rings on the shoulder straps I sometimes struggle reconnecting to them with heavy gloves.

 

[Doctor Rig]

I’ve had the Covert XT for almost two years and have both likes & dislikes. I like that it is a wing BC, which has good simplicity with both waist & trim weight pockets, all the while being pretty light.

When buying the Covert XT, I found the sizing strange. I’m 170 lbs with a 34” waist and the “small” was the correct size for me... odd, but the harness seems to sized correctly. I’m not sure about the bladder, a horseshoe shaped bladder. Diving with perfect trim has escaped me, it has been pretty good but not perfect. During a recent discussion with a Zeagle tech rep on my BC, he suggested (shifting) adding weights to my shoulder area to compensate for my heavy feet trim. From what I understand, a donut shaped badder is preferred over a horseshoe which would seem to be logical improvement for my heavy feet. I’ve been tinkering around with shoulder weights and have yet to find a satisfactory weighting combination.

For the most part, unless traveling, I’m diving a 7mm wet and have found with my Covert XT I occasionally have air in my bladder that is unbalanced (R vs L), which seriously complicates trim stability. Maybe it’s just me, but right now I’m thinking the Covert XT is not a good BC for me. Try one before you buy, if you can!

FYI... most likely my next BC will be a backplate and wing.

 

[gryan315]

As doctor rig said, the sizing is odd. I sized mine based on the original covert, and it seems like zeagle didn't account for the additional sizing of the molle webbing, so it can't be snugged up on my waist tight enough. It's nice having the attachment points, but I switched to a BP&W shortly after getting the XT. Two other issues with the covert is the tank mounting: zeagle's floppy back design is usually overcome (or at least minimized) by having two cam bands, but the covert only has one, with a second Velcro only strap, so it's not super stable. The cam band also only supports 7.25" cylinders, so no fat tanks.

It is a simple enough task to swap out those two straps for quality cam bands, but after feeling the stability of a backplate with a STA, the fabric back just won't cut it.