Just going to add my two cents.... Scubaboard is very BP/W heavy forum, there is nothing wrong with that. I use a back inflate BCD and like the trim characteristics of it. However, you were saying you plan on doing dive travel, so you should keep in mind that a back plate typically made of steel or aluminum. If you are going to be primarily a vacation diver (or even with a 50/50 split) you should focus on a gear that is airline friendly regarding weight.
When you really get out diving you will see that most divers are still using a traditional BCD, and there are several interpretations of where the buoyancy can sit when you are on the surface (generally underwater you want it behind you). I remember when the original back inflates came out they were called "butterflies" and were preferred by photographers because they didn't clutter up your model's cleavage (nothing wrong there
), but people did worry that an unconscious diver's natural position on the surface would be face down.
The type of diving you are going to do should dictate the type of gear. You have lots of good wreck diving near NY/NJ and with the heavy exposure suits a either BP/W or back inflate BCD would be good. Do you want to have integrated weights? I like to have some weight on a belt and some in my BCD, but I am a big guy and need a lot. If you are going to dive dry, you will need more than most integrated systems can hold.
The harness only idea is the way some old timers were taught and in a purist world will work... with a lot of attention to detail. As a newbie, you are going have a lot to pay attention to, so you might play around with that in the future, but nothing poops on a dive like being under weighted for the dive or over weighted. The BCD or BP/W just gives you the ability to add or drop what should be small amounts of buoyancy to make the dive more pleasurable. So I think a some type of buoyancy control is a good place to start.
Diving is two things: a pleasant leisure activity and a hole in the water into which you cast your money. You may decide to change half or all of your gear out after the first few seasons because as other have pointed out they should have (or shouldn't have) listened to someone else. If you have an experience friend that you trust and is doing the types of dives that interest you, borrow his gear and look what he and others are doing and using. Do go to the LDS and see what they say (yes they are going to try to sell you stuff- its their job), but they also have a vested interest in matching you with the gear that is right for you, so you become a loyal customer. And by the way, don't shop there and buy on line, that is just skeevey. If you see a price on line, give them a chance to match it or beat it, they often will.
