Advise for a travel friendly BCD

[msinc]

Another vote for the Scuba Pro Go. I have one and I really like it, not just because it is feather lite and great for travel, it is a very nice, comfortable poodle jacket to dive in. I have nothing at all against a BP/W and many folks around here have already made this "most necessary" of switches. The one thing they all have in common though is that they really seem unable to give a good solid viable reason to have made the switch....about all I ever hear is how "it gets you horizontal easier so you can swim better"....must be me, but I have no trouble swimming in any attitude with either of the poodle jackets I have. Running a close second in the excuse dept. is, "it frees you up so you can move around".....again, I have to be defective. I have zero trouble "moving around" any way I want/need to in my poodle jackets. Just my opinion, buy the one that you really like, but not necessarily the one that you believe will make other divers think you are "technical" because in the end...nobody really cares what others use.
Oh wait....I am not supposed to post like this until I have 2400 dives logged on this forum....better just go get a BP/W.

 

[MichaelMc]

The one thing they all have in common though is that they really seem unable to give a good solid viable reason to have made the switch.

Having rented jacket BCs I bought a BP/W because I did not like the amount of inflation affecting how firmly the jacket BC was attached to me. I went with a BP/W over other back inflates as it let me change any and everything about it after purchase, if the initial configuration did not meet my exact diving needs. With an extra plate and some webbing, it has evolved into two BCs sharing the same wing; a slick one for the pool, and a more accessorized and heavier one for the ocean.

To be clear, I did not 'switch'. Having rented both, I bought my first and current BC as a BP/W.

To look 'tech' would have been a silly reason. As an un-'tech' thought, bright webbing for the harness could help my buddies track me in low vis. Maybe I need a partial color change from boring black.

 

[msinc]

Having rented jacket BCs I bought a BP/W because I did not like the amount of inflation affecting how firmly the jacket BC was attached to me. I went with a BP/W over other back inflates as it let me change any and everything about it after purchase, if the initial configuration did not meet my exact diving needs. With an extra plate and some webbing, it has evolved into two BCs sharing the same wing; a slick one for the pool, and a more accessorized and heavier one for the ocean.

To be clear, I did not 'switch'. Having rented both, I bought my first and current BC as a BP/W.

To look 'tech' would have been a silly reason. As an un-'tech' thought, bright webbing for the harness could help my buddies track me in low vis. Maybe I need a partial color change from boring black.

Actually, I lied...but not intentionally. I do know one person that did give a very extremely viable reason to wear a BP/W...he dresses out about 350 pounds and his belly looks like if you stuck it with a pin he would explode. Otherwise, physically the rest of him looks normal lean and mean. He is a very knowledgeable diver and also a very experienced good diver, so of course he was one of the people I asked about BCD's when I was shopping. He said very simply, "they don't make a poodle jacket big enough to go around me, but I can always get more web strap." Made total sense especially if you saw the dude.
I also agree that looks are a very poor reason to do anything SCUBA....but, we as Americans make probably better than 90% of our decisions based on "silly" reasons. Funny thing, most of the local divers that recently switched seemed to "hold out" until they were able to ascertain that the BP/W didn't really force them face down like we see so often written and quoted. Once the first one got a BP/W and reported that it didn't really do that.....the rest swallowed the bait, hook, line and sinker.

 

[Streydog]

I am going to try a BPW for the following reasons. I have a Zeagle Brigade and it has been great but I find that I do not use many of the features it has. A lot of my diving is with steel tanks and I don't use weights, when I use AL's the weights slide around in the pockets when I roll. I do not use the other pockets unless I put trash I find in them. It also has more lift than I need for the warm water diving that I do. I am more concerned with space than the weight of the BC I am hoping to get everything in a carry on, I have done this once before with the Brigade for a short trip but my duffle bag was bulging at the seams and I was worried it might pop. The final reason I am trying a BPW is I got a great deal from Deep 6 using a coupon code I found on this site.

 

[Bali1]

I have really enjoyed my Halcyon Traveler rig. I put the weight pockets on for a bit more flexibility in weighting and after 2 years I can say it does exactly what I need it to and I find it comfortable. Then again I felt the same way about my ancient SeaQuest tropical BCD which was also very lightweight and minimal.

The key, as always, is to discover what YOU like or need to dive efficiently. The rest is just commentary.