Newly Certified Diver - Back Inflated BCD or Wing?

[MichaelMc]

BP/W is very suited to a (interested) beginner. You can get adjustable buckle shoulder straps if you prefer.

Other sources of BP/W wings are:
Deep6 Wings - Buoyancy
Store | Vintage Double Hose

They are rather future proof. First, they are about bullet proof. Second, you can change out components as you want, generally from many manufacturers. If you later get into twinsets, you would want a different bigger and wider wing, but could reuse the same harness and plate. As you noted, it is a modular system, and it is the modular system that technical divers use. And that various recreational divers use that like that modularity.

Sidemount is best done with a sidemount specific harness and wing. Sidemount is very nice, but might best be something to try after a bit more diving experience.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

From what I understand, sure, you can adjust the straps on a BP/W to accomodate a heavier wetsuit or drysuit, change the wing to provide more lift, remove the plate for travel, etc., etc.

Would you consider a 5 mil a heavier wetsuit? When in Hawaii, that's what I dive with a SS backplate and a little bit of lead in trim pockets.

Even in really warm water, I'm in a 3 mil so I can trim out (otherwise I'm leg heavy). With that, a aluminum BP is perfect for me.

 

[rmssetc]

Would you consider a 5 mil a heavier wetsuit? When in Hawaii, that's what I dive with a SS backplate and a little bit of lead in trim pockets.

Even in really warm water, I'm in a 3 mil so I can trim out (otherwise I'm leg heavy). With that, a aluminum BP is perfect for me.

I can't answer for the OP, but I get cold. A 5mm is my standard in Cozumel, in 80F water (+/- 2F). Even then, I'm chilly enough during a long dive (70 min+) that I use a heated shirt.

 

[David Novo]

I would definetely go with a BPW.
I initially bought a back-inflate BCD, just to sell it two years later and buy a BPW.

 

[lowwall]

For the next year or so I plan to dive 50/50 locally (10C) and by air travel (warm water), so both volume and weight are really important.

I'd be inclined to go for wings but are they suitable for a beginner diver? Are they really upgradable/future proof?

Yes and yes. My 12-year-old son was recently certified using a BP/W. If anything, they are simpler to use than an integrated BCD because they don't have all the pulls and straps to adjust every time you put it on. Leg through crotch strap, slide one arm in, then the other, then buckle waist belt and you are done. Or slide one arm in, then the other, then thread crotch strap over waist belt, then buckle waist belt.

And they are so much nicer in the water. Having a good chunk of your needed weight spread out over your back instead of around your waist means greater comfort and it's easier to keep in trim. Also using a metal plate and some webbing instead of buoyant plastic and fabric to support everything means you'll need less added weights in the first place.

And they really are upgradable. I started with a slightly too small backplate and fancy harness. After 10 years, my wing's dump valve cracked and the manufacturer was out of business, so I swapped in a new wing. A year later, I finally got tired of the harness hardware digging into my chest and swapped it for a basic webbing harness. A couple of years after that, I gave the plate to my son and moved my harness and wing to a larger plate. I could have left the harness, but he wanted his webbing to be a different color.

If you decide to go to backmount doubles in the future, the plate and harness stay the same, you just need a new wing and to add some hardware.

What are good options for lightweight wings? Local shops here don't have many options for wings, what online stores have a good return policy?
I'm based in US

The best combination of price and quality for wings is from Store | Vintage Double Hose . The problem is that VDH is a small business that can only afford to do limited runs of wings and they tend to sell out. They are out of stock right now, but if it will be a while before you need your wing, check with them before ordering elsewhere.

What I would recommend is the DIR package from Piranha Dive Manufacturing. Since you are planning on doing cold-water diving at some point, I'd get their stainless steel plate. It's around 4 pounds more than an aluminum plate which means 4 pounds off your weight belt and again makes it easier to stay in trim. A bp/w with a steel plate is still lighter than a standard bcd and of course much more compact. But if you are really desperate to cut baggage weight, aluminum is fine.

Pair that with a 30ish pound wing and a pair of cam bands and you will be set for both tropical and drysuit backmount diving.

More Options! & Now Black Hardware! Hogarthian Harness (Dir) for Backplates

This is about $110 with a steel plate, they will even put it together for you. Or you can spend around $40 more to get the nicer looking (but identical function) version made by HOG. Give Piranha a call, they will be happy to walk you through the options and help you figure out what you need.

Hog Basic Hogarthian Harness w/ Backplate , Piranha Dive Shop |

Add the VDH or the following HOG wing and a pair of cam straps and you will be around $400 for a BCD that will outperform and outlast any conventional fabric BCD.

32lb 360 Black / Red Wing w/Bungee Loops , Piranha Dive Shop |

Sidemount is a different issue. You can buy adapters that let you use a standard backplate and possibly your wing for sidemount, but it will be less than optimal.

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

Neither.....both....maybe....

As a new diver, you don't know what you don't know. The best thing you can do is beg, borrow, rent, steal, whatever as many different set ups as possible and blow some bubbles somewhere. There are so many variables it's impossible to know what is right for you. If travel is a priority, they do make travel oriented bcds as well. Also, what is right for you now may change in a week, month, year or never.

A huge problem with the industry in the loss of the brick and mortar store is there is no way to try gear out. We have a shop in OKC that will let you rent any bcd on the shelf and they will apply the rental cost to the purchase if you decide to buy it. They don't carry any BPWs though and their prices are high. They also have just a few brands. The first time I dove a BPW setup was the one I bought used. I do prefer it to a jacket type, even for lessons where you spend lots of time on the surface, but it is dialed in to me.

My "go to" rig is a transpac soft plate with a wing. It's fairly easy to travel with, but It does not weigh much less than a standard bcd the way I have it set up.

I'm a fan of a BPW setup, but some people don't like the lift all on their back. Same with a rear inflate. If you spend much time on the surface they can tilt you forward until you figure out where to put your weight and how much air to put in the wing.

The learning curve for a beginning diver is huge, especially when it comes to equipment...and if the dive bug bites you at all, youre gonna always be looking at new stuff. Generally speaking, a healthy crack habit would be a cheaper hobby. Just accept the fact now that there will always be another piece of gear quietly singing its siren song in the back of your mind. I sold a kidney on the black market to get my Shearwater computer, but it was soooooo worth it. My Scubapro regs just cost me a piece of my liver. With any luck, a rebreather will just cost me a lung.

Good luck in your search. Safe travels and safe dives,

Jay (50+ year old, slightly used, non smoking, lung for sale, works as it should, inflates, deflates, red/pink in color, size large, too many alveoli to count, has Nitrox processing option, ....make offer on left or right, all or part. Will throw in one testicle for the right offer)

 

[happy-diver]

Grab a Freedom Plate, check it out, it's contoured to your back, it's beautiful it fits

Stainless steel, that's the only way

 

[Hoag]

Neither is inherently a bad choice.

My recommendation would be to hold off on your purchase for a while. Rent a back inflate BCD (or a few different models if you can) and a BP/W and go diving. See what works best for you and what you like.

We can offer suggestions, but in case you might not have noticed, SB leans very heavily toward BP/W. Both back inflate BCDs and BP/Ws have their own specific advantages and they both have their own specific limitations. Give both a try and then choose what you like best.

 

[wetb4igetinthewater]

I can't answer for the OP, but I get cold. A 5mm is my standard in Cozumel, in 80F water (+/- 2F). Even then, I'm chilly enough during a long dive (70 min+) that I use a heated shirt.

Same. 75 degree water after an hour even with hood, I get cold. I wish I took my K-01 hood with me to Maui earlier this year, instead of my DUI one (which I'll use in warmer waters, got to have something to make sure no bugs swim into my ears on night dives).

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I did my open water check out dives (#1-4) and my first post-certification dive (#5) in a rental jacket BCD. I then bought a BP/W and used that configuration beginning at dive #6. Here I am 647 dives later and it is still the best dive gear decision I ever made.

Since that point I've NEVER been in a jacket BCD in open water. I have used them in the pool when assisting as a Divemaster but never in open water.