BC suggestions and tips

[imwright1985]

i have a zeagle and havent heard too many negative things about them, (it fits your primary outline of what your looking for) If you havent tried back inflate or BP/W i would try using one before you buy, i love mine other than when i have to float on surface but am getting used to laying on my back while floating. there are plenty you can find for MFG's for any style and aslong as its a major mfg shouldnt be too bad for durability. since your planning on traveling with it i would recommend a soft tank mount area like the zeagles have or something that folds up nice and small like my friends one model seaquest(he doesnt have dring # you want though)

 

[drdaddy]

Blue Steal,

You're in SoCal so get with Deep Sea Supply and get hooked up with a good rig. It's going to be closer to $500, but a good bc is good investment that pays itself off in the long run. There's nothing more miserable than a crappy BC system.

Be careful. "Closer to $500" is more like $800 to $1000 by the time you walk out of there with a BP

AquaLung-SeaQuest, ScubaPro, Oceanic, Sherwood, etc. all have great BCDs that are being used all over the world. Jacket style (hated by BP guys) are very popular, but some also like the back inflation. Many shops are clearing out last years models. I would suggest looking at the SeaQuest (AquaLung) Latitude or the ScubaPro Glide. Read online and then go to a shop and look. Be honest about your budget-limits. Avoid online stores because most cannot be sold with any warranty. You'd be better off buying from Craigslist and taking along an experienced friend.

I don't know why people badmouth other people's choices. Contrary to what you may read here, the majority of experienced divers use a BCD, not a BP. And there's nothing wrong with a BP if that's what you prefer. The caution I was raising above, about costs, is that with a BCD, it's pretty much all there. With a BP, it's easy to with just one more thing, upgrade, or gadget, or strap, or .... , things that can wait until you really want to go the BP route.

 

[NorthWoodsDiver]

Be careful. "Closer to $500" is more like $800 to $1000 by the time you walk out of there with a BP

you can get a single tank package with SS plate for like $480 which includes everything. I don't know what you could add to a DSS plate to walk out with $1k of stuff unless you got a doubles wing or a travel plate too and maybe a couple spools. But for just a BP/W $500 is a good estimate

 

[fnfalman]

Thanks for the tips fnfalman. Can't spend that much right now, as the trip to COZ has set me back quite a bit. Hope to see you out on the Great Escape August 29th.

Then keep on renting and save up for a good BC or otherwise you'll get a mediocre BC now and then buy another good one later. Double waste of money. And I'm still hoping to be able to get on the Great Escape for August 29. Still too far out for me to plan.

PS I just ran through a single tank configuration setup on the DSS website and the cost is $470: SS backplate, 40-lbs LCD wing (you can go with a smaller wing if applicable but wing costs are pretty much the same), HOG harness.

 

[vladimir]

Be careful. "Closer to $500" is more like $800 to $1000 by the time you walk out of there with a BP

Actually, "closer to $500" is $460:

https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?page=rigs

This is what I have and it is complete.

 

[TSandM]

The most important things about a BC are that it fits you, is comfortable to dive in (not to wear around the dive shop) and it keeps the tank stable on your back. If something doesn't fit properly, or allows the tank to slop around, it's going to be uncomfortable and make diving difficult.

A lot of us recommend backplate systems because they allow truly customized fitting, and because a plate keeps the tank still on your back. But they do require that you find a place to put weight (camband pockets, waistband pockets, or belt) and they do obligate you to find somewhere to store the small items we like to take with us. (Most people use pockets on their exposure protection for this purpose.)

DSS makes extremely nice equipment and has superb customer service, but if you truly cannot afford to buy that gear, you can look at Golem Gear or Apeks, both of whom have periodic specials that bring single tank setups way down in price. You can also consider buying some or all of the setup used -- plates and harnesses, in particular, are very low risk used purchases.

If you want to buy something you can try on in a shop, I'd recommend that you be sure to try it on with the exposure protection you are likely to be wearing most often, and if possible, with a tank in place. Cinch the thing down around you, and then bend over and lean from side to side, and see if the tank shifts. It's not a perfect test, but it will alert you to significant instability.

I'd reconsider the need for six D-rings, myself -- what are you going to hang from them all? But the two cambands is something I wouldn't compromise on, based on the number of times I and others have had tanks come loose and end up on our butts.

Don't overbuy lift. Even in cold water, 30 lbs of lift ought to be plenty for any single tank you are going to buy.

One thing you might consider is to post in your local forum, and see if anybody has gear you might be interested in that they could lend you for a dive or so. The best test of whether gear works for you is diving it, and you might find some new dive buddies that way, too.

 

[fnfalman]

I have a small cargo pocket on my BPW's waist belt but I can count on the times I use with the fingers of one hand. A couple of times when people's trim weights fell off and I grabbed for them and stored them in my pocket. I can easily do without a pocket.

SMB can be clipped to a D-ring. No need for a spare mask unless you cave dive or wreck dive. Even then , it's probably better to make a little lanyard and connect the mask to a D-ring.

 

[BDSC]

Be careful in buying a BPW! Every person that I know who bought one wished they hadn't.

 

[4sak3n]

Be careful. "Closer to $500" is more like $800 to $1000 by the time you walk out of there with a BP

...

I don't know why people badmouth other people's choices. Contrary to what you may read here, the majority of experienced divers use a BCD, not a BP. And there's nothing wrong with a BP if that's what you prefer. The caution I was raising above, about costs, is that with a BCD, it's pretty much all there. With a BP, it's easy to with just one more thing, upgrade, or gadget, or strap, or .... , things that can wait until you really want to go the BP route.

Be careful that you don't fall prey to what you accuse others of.

I'd say that the bit I highlighted is pretty darn close to, if not outright, badmouthing other people's choices. As others have pointed out a good BP/W system will come nowhere near $800, never mind $1000.

Whilst you do have a point that it is easy to start paying more and more and more for BP/Ws (but this only happens if you don't know exactly what you want) it doesn't help to exaggerate and use false information to try and scare away someone. That exaggeration is a very thin line between an alternate viewpoint and badmouthing.



Edit: and to the OP I would heartily recommend a BP/W because I dive a DSS rig and adore it but, if you really can't stretch your budget to get one, I would recommend a Seaquest BCD.

Their middle of the range options like the Pro QD are excellent value for money but all of their BCDs, from the bottom of the range to the top, are all very well made, durable and last forever.

 

[TSandM]

Be careful in buying a BPW! Every person that I know who bought one wished they hadn't.

?????

Here in the PNW, they are EXTREMELY common, and not just in GUE or UTD trained divers. They just make SENSE where you need a lot of ballast. I don't know a single person who has bought one and gone back to what they were diving before.