BC Advice

[aleem.k713]

Hello all, I am new to diving and looking for gear to buy. I have come across two BC's that I like but I don't know how to choose. I have only completed my open water dives as well. Of course I would want a travel friendly BC since I will do primarily vacation dives. Also I want a durable and versatile BC for warm and cold water. The two BC's are the Mares Hybrid Pure and the ScubaPro Equator. Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[REVAN]

BCs are overrated. If you're primarily diving warm vacation stuff, consider just getting a good tank harness and learn to weight yourself right for the dive. A harness will travel much better than a BC and save you a lot of money while improving your dive quality (less drag, less hassle). It could be an all around win.

When deciding on dive gear, figure out what you need the gear to do for you and then select the cleanest low-drag equipment that will do what you want. If you are going to travel, you will want something that is small and lightweight in the suitcase. It doesn't take many $75 overweight baggage fees before you get really pissed at yourself for not getting something more appropriate for traveling.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Hi Alkeem and congrats on your open water success and your introduction to diving.

Firstly you will get lots of conflicting advise here and people will start suggesting a BP/W (Back plate and wing) Yes they are great - I have two and worth taking advice on as they do allow better buoyancy etc. BUT I recognise that you might wish to stay within your comfort zone and stay with what you trained in.

Effectively all BC's are the same. Some advertise to be lighter weight for travel - but find out how much a normal one weighs. Look out for gadgets and gimmicks you may not want but add to the price.

Look into how much diving you're actually going got do per year. Are you always going got be tropical or will you get involved nearer to home? It's worth stepping back and thinking about this before you buy.

I'd say its best to try the fit before you buy having a BC thats too big or too small isn't great.

Good luck of your future diving

 

[archer1960]

Hi Alkeem and congrats on your open water success and your introduction to diving.

Firstly you will get lots of conflicting advise here and people will start suggesting a BP/W (Back plate and wing) Yes they are great - I have two and worth taking advice on as they do allow better buoyancy etc. BUT I recognise that you might wish to stay within your comfort zone and stay with what you trained in.

Effectively all BC's are the same. Some advertise to be lighter weight for travel - but find out how much a normal one weighs. Look out for gadgets and gimmicks you may not want but add to the price.

Look into how much diving you're actually going got do per year. Are you always going got be tropical or will you get involved nearer to home? It's worth stepping back and thinking about this before you buy.

I'd say its best to try the fit before you buy having a BC thats too big or too small isn't great.

Good luck of your future diving

This is a little of an aside, because I don't know anything about either of the BCs you're looking at, but try to check the fit BEFORE you buy it. I went by the manufacturer's sizing chart for Aeris Atmos BC (now made by somebody else, Oceanic I think), and it said I would be perfect in a large. But it turns out that I should have gotten a medium even though the chart said there was no way I would fit one. The large is too big in the waist, so that it is always loose on me even when I'm fully dressed for cold water in my 7mm wet suit. I think even in a dry suit, it would be cinched in as far as it could go to get it snug. In my wet suit, it moves side to side, and I sometimes have to push it back to the center to get my trim correct.

 

[tbone1004]

both expensive and overrated.... Go to a BP/W you won't regret it. Go outside of your comfort zone, mainly because after you switch, you will realize that it is more comfortable.... Deep Sea Supply is my preferred, though Dive Rite has their wings made in Schenectady if you want to support some local business.

 

[aleem.k713]

both expensive and overrated.... Go to a BP/W you won't regret it. Go outside of your comfort zone, mainly because after you switch, you will realize that it is more comfortable.... Deep Sea Supply is my preferred, though Dive Rite has their wings made in Schenectady if you want to support some local business.

What's a BP/W? The harness idea sounds good.

 

[tbone1004]

backplate and wing. Many threads on here about them. Best advice is to talk to Tobin at Deep Sea Supply and get his advice.

 

[KenGordon]

What's a BP/W? The harness idea sounds good.

A bp/w is a backplate and wing.

The harness only idea involves having no buoyancy compensator at all. This is how it was done when men were men etc...

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

What's a BP/W? The harness idea sounds good.

A back plate and wing consists of a metal plate, generic harness straps (weight belt webbing) that hold it to your body, a couple cam bands to hold the tank and a wing which is the BC part of the rig. The nice thing about BP/W are they are dirt simple in both looks/make up of the unit, and usability. Basically a BC just needs to do two things, hold the tank on your back and provide some sort of lift to offset heaviness at depth.
With BP/W all the components can be taken apart and switched out, replaced, repaired, moved around to suit the individual diver (D-rings). D-rings can be added or omitted as needed. Whereas conventional jacket BC's are a sewn together unit and no parts are really user changable and in many cases not user repairable. D-rings are fixed and can't be moved around. Jackets use a lot of plastic connectors which can become brittle and break in time. Jackets are also a lot more complex in their design and build, probably way to complex and convoluted for what a BC really needs to be. And then jackets are also expensive for what they are.
There are many great options for BP/W out there.
Like TBone said DSS is a good place or you can look online and many online retailers have great packages. Dive Right In Scuba has a package I believe under $400 for the whole thing.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Send me your email for a detailed article on BPW style rigs. I have photos and cover the harness, set up, adjustment, and options for weighting and storage. I've sent dozens of these out to many satisfied customers.
I'm actually about to start assembling one for a customer now to send to him in Tennessee.