I tried to do a search but didn't see anything on this. My wife and i purchased our first drysuits. Now we are looking at future upgrades to our BCD`s. Is there any design or options to look at that make a BCD work better with a drysuit? Currently she has a Scubapro LadyHawk and I have an Aqualung Dimension I3. Thanks for any input
Both of your BCDs will work fine with a drysuit, assuming they are not too small while wearing the drysuit. I've seen people, up here, use both.
It was briefly touched upon above, there are two schools of thought when it comes to buoyancy and the drysuit:
1. Use the BCD for buoyancy just like you do when diving without a drysuit and add enough air (maybe argon) into the drysuit to keep you warm and avoid squeeze.
2. Use your BCD at the surface to hold you up, while underwater solely use your drysuit for buoyancy.
I've seen people argue until they are blue in the face as to which is best. Neither are wrong or right. My advice is to learn both and use what works for you. he first method doesn't take long to learn if you practice with it. The second method is easier to learn in the beginning. I fall in the first group.
Your BCD needs to have a enough lift to hold you at the surface without additional help. Many, but not all, XS BCDs do not have enough lift with all the weight drysuit divers use. A couple people, up here, have no issues with their small Ladyhawks holding them up when diving with their drysuit. When it comes to weight read John's posting above.
Enjoy your drysuits. It is nice to get out of the water and be dry, especially when it is snowing or just simply cold outside.