Coming back into the fold, but .....

[Stoo]

Be aware that shopping from a US on-line retailer often has "hidden" costs like brokerage fees and so on. And in the unlikely case that you need some warranty help, you need to ship the thing back to the US. It's not perhaps an issue if you are going to be a tourist diver exclusively, but supporting the local dive shops is how you are assured of having a source of fills too...

I use a bp/w exclusively up here because I use a drysuit and doubles exclusively. The bp/w leaves the valves clear. My suit has pockets as well, so bits of random gear gets stuffed into those pockets.

Down south, I use a Zeagle Scout travel vest. It's small, and light. It has a couple of pockets for stuffing a SMB and spool away as well as pockets for trim weights alongside the tank. I am blessed with being sinky, so with a 3mm full suit, all I need is a couple of 3 or 4 pound weights back there. If you need a real weightbelt, then it may be that something with weight integration might be more suitable.

Dan's and other shops may have some ability to offer you a "try before you buy" in a pool... As you point out, fit is everything...

 

[Suzie H]

I love my Zeagle Ranger, and have used it for many years. My husband likes the Stiletto.

 

[Musicgirl]

Welcome from another Canadian. I bought my latest BC from Dan's. I like his shop. There are somethings worth buying vs renting. A reg and mask would be my top 2 items. Because rental regs are never serviced as they should be and a mask is very specific in fit. Also, I do find comfort can be a big deal for new divers. So a wetsuit (yes, even in tropical waters) might be worth looking into.
There is a new company in Toronto that specializes in women's wetsuits, your wife may want to check it out. It's called Truli Wetsuits. I swear I have nothing to do with them except that I'm dying for a visit home so I can get to the shop. I want one very much and they are so new they are not in Asia yet. I like supporting local business too. I find rental wetsuits never fit right, especially for women.

 

[KDAD]

Wearinga bp/w around the lds showroom and diving it are two different things. Under water it disappears and you hardly feel it. If you are able to try one out you won't be disappointed. Or you can take our word for it.

 

[Hoag]

Welcome back.

First of all, thank you for your service.

As for BCs, I am a "Destination Diver" (from Ontario too) and I have a travel BC. Currently I am using a Cressi Air Travel, but I have had an Oceanic BioLite in the past. I took the BioLite on one trip and sold it. There was no one thing that I didn't like about it, just a enough little things that made me look elsewhere. It is extremely light weight, but the bladder did not seem to me to be very durable. If you like that basic design, then I would consider looking at an Aqua Lung Zuma. It is similar to the BioLite, but when I compared my BioLite to a friend's Zuma, the Zuma seemed to be a little more robust.

My LDS (in Kitchener) is a Zeagle dealer, and having looked at Zeagle BCs, I think it is safe to say that if (when) I eventually replace my current BC, I will likely go to a Zeagle.

You ask about whether to go with a Back Inflate or a Jacket type of BC. I personally prefer back inflate, but if you have any uncertainty, go in to a (few) dive shops and try on some different BCs. Find out what feels comfortable to you. Like you said, "what's the point if it doesn't feel good?". You might find that you like one style and your wife prefers a different one.

Good luck with whatever you ultimately choose. Welcome back and once again, thank you for your service.

 

[cardzard]

Welcome to the place for everything scuba.

 

[kfish64]

Mucho thanks to everyone for the advice and comments -- I'm now TOTALLY confused. Just kidding, but the varied comments have at least made some things clearer.

My LDS (Tim's in Barrie) is, I think, a Sherwood and Zeagle dealer. Notwithstanding some negative threads I've read elsewhere, I have nothing but positive memories of my Sherwood gear (mask, reg, BC, gauges). I'm going to look at Tim's for the new Sherwood SR2 reg, the new Vision computer, and maybe a travel BC (the Axis). As for Zeagle, I'll look at Tim's for a travel BC -- maybe the Scout or Covert. The bonus is that I'm hopeful I can test drive a couple BC models in their pool while my wife is doing the pool sessions in her OW course.

@Musicgirl -- agreed on the wetsuit point. I don't see us going very deep in the beginning (likely < 60 ft) but who knows what depth that first thermocline will show up, right? We'll definitely check out Truli in Toronto for the boss' suit.

@Hoag -- thank you. Yes, I'd checked out the Aqualung Zuma online -- good looking, good feature list, good for travel, good reviews. There's a LDS about an hour away who deals AL, so I'm going to check it out in person. It's also this shop that has a Scubapro Litehawk that I tried on when I first visited. Very nice, very comfortable, though I'll admit the weight integration of the Zuma is a welcome bonus. The Litehawk was a great price; we'll see what the price is for the Zuma, the Axis, the Scout/Covert, and maybe 1 or 2 of the Cressi BCs. I'm going to forego both Oceanic BCs

@Stoo -- "I am blessed with being sinky". I hate u ;-). I still have flashbacks to my drysuit days of my 34 lb belt + ankle weights. My hips hurt just THINKING about it. But I digress -- I agree 100% WRT supporting my LDS. Though I was leaning that way all along, my limited online window shopping at US sites has simply reinforced to me that buying local will be the way fwd -- I haven't found anything online that's even close to a good enuf deal to make me go that route. Tim's in Barrie, and Adventure Sports in Newmarket will be my LDSs of choice, and Dan's in St Catherines (it was such a great place, very knowledgable staff, large selection -- just gave me "that feeling" of being a top notch facility).

The boss did her free "discover scuba" this past weekend at the Outdoor Show in Toronto, and it was an unqualified success!! She's all-in to take her OW course, once we coordinate the timeframe -- she wants to do her checkout dives down south, so as soon as we can sort out the timeline of our next trip, we'll backup from that and see what Tim's has available for the classroom and pool sessions. WOOHOO!!

 

[Hoag]

@kfish64, I forget the name of the shop, but there is a dive shop in Bracebridge that has a lot of variety IIRC. I'm not sure what brands they carry.

 

[Stoo]

If your wife did the Discovery thing at the Outdoor Show, she was under the care of the folks at The Dive Academy in Oakville. They are a top-knotch outfit, and much closer to you than Dan's. In Burlington, you have Float 'n Flag, which is also a good operation.

 

[Kurt Rodgers]

Does anyone know of an adapter for the corrugated inflater hose on the Oceanic Jetpack to change the generaic inflater to a SCUBAPRO Air 2?