The next major piece of equipment I need to purchase is a BCD and on recommendations, based on versatility, from my instructor and others I'm leaning towards the DiveRite. My question to you all is why is the DiveRite style BC considered for technical diving while a jacket is not?
See, I told you it was a newbie question!
Thanks in advance,
Ron
:newbie:
Mattboy already explained some of the reasons why DiveRite BC (along with OMS, Halcyon, Oxycheq, Apex, DSS, Hollis, ad infinitum) is considered to be technical diving gear.
Most technical divers use double-tanks as their main air source (not counting pony bottles and decompression bottles) and double-tanks don't mount too well on jacket style BCs. These setups are best mounted to a rigid plate of some sort (steel, aluminum, plastic).
DiveRite also has the Transpac which is generically known as a soft plate. This Transpac is very versatile - a jack of all trades but alas master of none. With an adaptor kit, it can be rigged to carry double-tank configuration but because the plate is soft, it's...well...not rigid, so the double tanks can shift a bit on your back instead of staying put. On the other hand, with another adaptor kit, you can do sidemount (one tank on each side of the body). Then with another adaptor kit, you can mount a rebreather to it. For single tank diving, it's extremely comfortable but gives you the freedom of movement ala backplate/wing BC. But its raison d'etre is that it was designed to carry a heavy rig in reasonable comfort because it distributes the weight of the rig the way a mountaineering backpack does. Dive Rite invented this style of BC after having to hump & drag their rigs up and down mountains and in & out of caves.
So, what does one do? If you're a hard core tech/rec diver who does both types of diving on a regular basis, then get a BPW and set it up for double tank rig. Use the Transpac for single tank rec diving or sidemount diving/rebreather diving, or when you anticipate some serious humping to get to your dive site.
The nice thing about the Transpac and the backplate/wing system (by anybody) is that you can change out the wings for proper lift applications. If you're diving single-tank recreationally and not harvesting shellfish or anything heavy, then a wing that has lift capacity of 18-lbs to 30-lbs will do just fine. If you're going to harvest shellfish then maybe a 40-45lbs wing would do too (or use a lift bag). If you're going double-tank then you'd need a wing with 50+lbs lift depending on the size and type of the double tanks. Not with the Transpac, but with a typical BPW system, you can also change out the harnesses as well. Simplicity? Single, continuous 2" webbing (aka Hog harness). Quick adjustability? Trade out the Hog harness for a quick release/quick adjust harness. Modularity is the name of the game with the BPW system.
