mictrik
Contributor
I like the Stab Jacket (Original ones were of smaller profile) they are very streamlined when slightly inflated and since I almost never put air in the thing its fine. If I pick things up that are negative such as artifacts found or the Treasure chests I tend to find from time to time then I may add some air. The jacket as previously stated allows the air bubble to travel from back to either side allowing easy trim in any position. This is probably the best solution for photography and also for those people who were trained in the pre BC days and weight themselves as if they do not have a BC. In those days "weighting out" was critical as was the physical strength and stamina of the diver. Not having a BC is the most streamlined rig especially if you have covered doubles.
Now the Back plate and wings is another excellent design that was introduced in the early 70’s with the Atpac; this unit also featured an integrated weight system and an enclosure for streamlining. The advantages to the back inflate is access to your chest area and hanging stuff there. Also the harness can be adjusted for a more exact fit than a jacket (anything is more adjustable than a jacket) The back plate is a very strong solution for attaching heavy double steel tanks and as we all well know, having an air bubble at your back allows for excellent horizontal trim. The rear inflate, especially with large wings are more difficult at the surface but if you don’t over inflate you should be able to find a comfortable head back position but not as easily as with a jacket.
When the jacket was introduced by Scubapro (around 1977) the old horse collar and rear inflate (atpac) went away fast. The jacket was vastly superior to the horse collar and the Atpac was said to be dangerous for a few reasons. Most of these "danger” issues could of easily been remedied but the jacket design took everything by storm so basically the rear inflate went away with the collar. Now in the past 12-15 years the back inflate has come back with a vengeance and seems the choice BC for tech guys, probably for good reason though I am not as convinced as many others. I like both designs but prefer the jacket. I think that if you are a bit abdominous then you may find a jacket uncomfortable when inflated; otherwise it’s a good choice for anyone. If you are a tech diver you can wear a harness for all those clips that attaches to the jackets back pack; this is what was done in the 80's by many wreck divers. Now on the surface in large waves while trying to get back on board a boat the jacket rules in my opinion. I was once coming off a dive in conditions of very large waves (not fun). Many divers with rear inflate wings had allot of trouble at the surface waiting to get back on board the boat. I saw one diver attempt to wait just below the surface on the anchor line and another one had so much trouble that I helped him by taking his weight belt (like 40lbs, lol) off and tying it to a rope connected to the boat. I faired far better in a Scubapro Double Black Stab jacket; the more I inflated the higher my head was so I let everyone get on before me. I know many of you say don’t choose a BC for the surface and for the most part I agree but the jacket is excellent at both…
Now the Back plate and wings is another excellent design that was introduced in the early 70’s with the Atpac; this unit also featured an integrated weight system and an enclosure for streamlining. The advantages to the back inflate is access to your chest area and hanging stuff there. Also the harness can be adjusted for a more exact fit than a jacket (anything is more adjustable than a jacket) The back plate is a very strong solution for attaching heavy double steel tanks and as we all well know, having an air bubble at your back allows for excellent horizontal trim. The rear inflate, especially with large wings are more difficult at the surface but if you don’t over inflate you should be able to find a comfortable head back position but not as easily as with a jacket.
When the jacket was introduced by Scubapro (around 1977) the old horse collar and rear inflate (atpac) went away fast. The jacket was vastly superior to the horse collar and the Atpac was said to be dangerous for a few reasons. Most of these "danger” issues could of easily been remedied but the jacket design took everything by storm so basically the rear inflate went away with the collar. Now in the past 12-15 years the back inflate has come back with a vengeance and seems the choice BC for tech guys, probably for good reason though I am not as convinced as many others. I like both designs but prefer the jacket. I think that if you are a bit abdominous then you may find a jacket uncomfortable when inflated; otherwise it’s a good choice for anyone. If you are a tech diver you can wear a harness for all those clips that attaches to the jackets back pack; this is what was done in the 80's by many wreck divers. Now on the surface in large waves while trying to get back on board a boat the jacket rules in my opinion. I was once coming off a dive in conditions of very large waves (not fun). Many divers with rear inflate wings had allot of trouble at the surface waiting to get back on board the boat. I saw one diver attempt to wait just below the surface on the anchor line and another one had so much trouble that I helped him by taking his weight belt (like 40lbs, lol) off and tying it to a rope connected to the boat. I faired far better in a Scubapro Double Black Stab jacket; the more I inflated the higher my head was so I let everyone get on before me. I know many of you say don’t choose a BC for the surface and for the most part I agree but the jacket is excellent at both…
