BCs: jacket vs back inflate vs bp/w

[DOkie]

Ok, I'll be the sole jacket style user. I dive with an old Scuba Pro Classic. Had it for a long time. I've had it made fun of, I've had it actually class my diving status with other divers (she must be new because of the jacket style bc), and I've had many, many other divers tell me that it's basically worthless. I've dove with back inflates, don't care for them. Dove with bp/w and don't care for that either. I simply like my old, beat up, faded pink color (used to be red) jacket style. I dive exclusively cold, deep wrecks and it works for me. I've had the opportunity to dive with a few underwater photographers who also prefer the jacket style because of your position in the water. I also enjoy the position on the surface. When in heavier waves on the Great Lakes (which is usually a chop) it makes it just a little nicer (at least for me).

The only advice that I can give is to give everything a try. Only you can decide what makes you comfortable under water. As someone else stated, you also have to take into consideration what type of diving you are planning on doing. My favorite BC does not accomodate doubles... So on those dives....

Probably haven't been much help other than expose myself as a "jacket wearer", but there are still a few of us out there... Good luck in chosing what you are comfortable in.

 

[djanni]

Of course there's modular back inflate BC's with switchable wings that use a soft backpac instead of a hard plate. Suspect you already knew that.

If I was diving double tanks frequenty I would probably want the hard back plate as it seems it would be more stable but since I've never dived doubles I really wouldn't know. I have dived a bp/w with singles. It was fine. Nothing special.

I like the Transpac, a softpac. Regarding stability... Trying to see if I could make the tank move I sort of arch my back and shake it as hard as I can and I can feel the tank move a little. You have to work at moving it though.

Trim weights put 2, 4 or 6 lbs up on your back. Trim isn't an issue. That obviously takes that much weight off your belt (if you choose to wear one).

DOkie... my wife would kill to keep her jacket and she's been diving it 5 years.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

I began diving in the 80s with a backpack and wing. After a year of diving a lot, 100+ dives I got a job at a dive shop. I bought a BC at cost, then later upgraded to a "tech" BC. Once I began making tech dives I soon learned that BCs tend to rip apart under the stress of double tanks. I went back to my beginnings and bought a bp/w and never looked back. The backplate holds a single tank as well as doubles much more stable than a BC ever could. It's nice to be able to turn over without the tank shifting. In over ten years of bp/w diving I've only had to replace the harness material once at a cost of fifteen dollars.

 

[ZzzKing]

There is also a buoyancy compensator forum here on Scubaboard where you might be able to do a search for any number of similar threads. Some of them have even broken it down into pro/con of each individual type, just like you're asking. The BC Forum will also produce a much more volatile discussion since they've made the Basic Forum a flame free zone now.

I've used all three types and prefer backplate and wing, back inflate and jacket, in that order. I currently dive a SS backplate with one piece harness for drysuit and heavy neoprene wetsuit diving. I have an ultra light soft plate with harness for light or no exposure protection diving. I use the same 30# wing for both setups. The pros of this approach are that it's easy to trim out, easy modification to accommodate different kinds of diving, light weight and compact for travel, and cost effective when compared to the other two types. A con might be the little extra time it takes to get the harness set up to fit well, especially if you don't like to tinker with your gear a little.

 

[LeadTurn_SD]

I began diving in the 80s with a backpack and wing. After a year of diving a lot, 100+ dives I got a job at a dive shop. I bought a BC at cost, then later upgraded to a "tech" BC. Once I began making tech dives I soon learned that BCs tend to rip apart under the stress of double tanks. I went back to my beginnings and bought a bp/w and never looked back. The backplate holds a single tank as well as doubles much more stable than a BC ever could. It's nice to be able to turn over without the tank shifting. In over ten years of bp/w diving I've only had to replace the harness material once at a cost of fifteen dollars.

Similar answer here. I began in 1976, BEFORE BC's as you would recognize them today were widely used. I first used a plastic backpack, no BC, just a "safety vest" that was for surface use (you can find similar vests used by snorkelers today). I later used an aluminum plate with bent, padded aluminum arms instead of shoulder straps and a waist strap (I think we called it a Hawaiian backpack, cannot remember). It had a stainless steel band on the back of the plate that tightened with a camlock to hold the tank.... I think they were only used in Hawaii, and disappeared in the early 80's?? Not sure, but have not seen them in recent years.... anyway....

When I returned to diving last year I looked around, saw lots of jacket style BC's being used, and thought that this must be the best way to go. I ran out and bought a whole new set of gear, including a new jacket-style BC.

My very 1st dive with a jacket style BC left this impression:

1. While they look cool in the dive shop, and feel very confortable with all that padding when you 1st try them on, once you put a tank in it and walk around.... it sags and droops. A lot. The tank's weight is not supported and transferred as well as a backplate does.
2. Underwater, although the jacket BC fits properly and was entirely "functional", it just felt "sloppy" when compared to the more basic rig I used in the late '70's.
3. Because of 1. and 2. above, I've recently "gone back to my roots" by converting to a simple "Hogarthian" rig: S/S Hammerhead backplate with 2-piece heavy S/S STA, 32 lb single tank wing (an Edge HOG wing), and basic single piece "Hog" harness.

I'm much, much happier. I wish I had done more research before buying the jacket BC (which is a perfectly fine BC and will be kept as a backup or "loaner" for diving friends, but is just not what I really wanted).

There is really nothing "wrong" with jacket style BC's. Had I not experienced the difference with my previous diving, I just would have "dealt with" the sloppy feel and been perfectly happy to be diving. But my previous experience made me believe that there should be something "better", and I've found it with the BP/W.

When it comes to BP/W are a lot of options with backplates, wings, basic Hog harness, so-called "deluxe" harnesses, addon pockets, etc., etc. But I recommend keeping it as simple as possible. You'll be more streamlined, more secure, save money, and be more comfortable (believe it or not) with a basic Hog rig. Don't buy a wing that is larger than you really need. Remember, in the early days of diving there were no BC's. I recently watched an old movie of Cousteau and his dive team diving the wreck of the Brittanic (in the late '70s I believe) with triples and no BC's or wings of any kind!

Good luck, and have fun with whatever style BC you choose!

 

[rstofer]

I used a SeaQuest ADVi that I purchased in 1988 - a jacket style. It worked fine and still does. There is little suggestion of squeeze because the cumberbunn and straps float somewhat; at least it is minimal and not objectionable. And then only when overinflated on the surface. This BC got around in the early years. Not so much, lately.

For reasons related only to ballast, I decided to move to a steel HP100 tank and a bp/w. This will reduce the weight on my belt substantially. In fact, I also decided to move to a DUI weight harness instead of the belt.

I will gain in streamlining and lose in pockets. I like pockets! It was my habit to take my dive tables and a dive planning slate on every dive. This will be a real PITA with the bp/w and weight harness. Oh well, I can't read the tables without glasses anyway. I'll figure out something for the slate.

I think you get most of the advantages of the bp/w with a back-inflate BCD but I also think you carry around a lot more flotation than you need and incur the penalty of additional drag for all the bulk. Of the BCD types (jacket or back-inflate), I think back-inflate is the way to go for both bulk and trim but I have never used one.

Probably the least expensive of the bp/w's is the one from Deep Sea Supply (DSS) www.deepseasupply.com That's the one I bought and I ordered the Pro harness rather than the more spartan Hogarthian rig.

Just wearing the bp/w and tank makes a believer out of me in terms of comfort. It's a lot easier to move around in the bp/w than in the jacket BCD. If you don't mind the additional bulk, there are shoulder pads for the harnesses. I'm not sure they are necessary.

The DSS rig is competitively priced with good back-inflate BCDs. It is certainly worth considering.

Caveat: as I said above, I haven't had the bp/w in the ocean yet. Maybe at the end of the month.

Richard

 

[Anti-Hero]

I dive a BP/W because thats what the other cool kids were diving.

 

[Sas]

I just read a thread about bp/w for new divers and it got me thinking, so to avoid a hijack, i've decided to create a bit of visual polution for SB.

I did my training in a jacket style bc like most people and I figure a bc is going to be one of my first gear purchases. (my instructor mentioned during one of the classes that bcs would probably be the first thing most of us would want to buy as we'd almost always have problems with fit in rental gear (3 out of the 4 students were of the female persuasion) and i had problems cause of a not great fit). So my question is this: what are the pros and cons of jacket style, back inflate and bp/w?

at the moment, i think i'm kinda leaning toward the back inflate style but who knows what i'll think once i've tried enough to know what I want.

With BCs, there are a few differences between the types (that you've mentioned) so I think it would be worthwhile spending a while trying out lots of types to see what you like. I personally much preferred a rear inflate BC over the jacket style - though have never tried a BP/W so can't comment on them but will probably try one soon. Anyway given my experience with trying out different BCs when I was buying my own I found the pros and cons to be the following:

Jacket BC - Pros: lots of selection at shops so fit is easy + when I was new it was easier to stay vertical on the surface
Cons: squeezed me a fair bit when inflated, harder (but not impossible) to be horizontal at depth

Rear inflate - Pros: no more being squeezed when inflated, much easier to stay horizontal when diving, much more comfortable
Cons: When I first started diving with it it was harder to be vertical on the surface and I would fall facedown or backwards, basically I just stopped inflating it to the max and the problem was solved. Another thing when I was new was that I would put too much air in it as I couldn't feel it inflate like the jacket styles I had worn before - however I got used to this very quickly. So apart from the first few dives, I see no real cons with my rear inflation bc (I have a Scubapro Ladyhawk FWIW) and I love mine

With BP/W I have not tried one but I am planning to get one when I set up twins. But will try out a few different types first. Most people I know rave about them. I have heard the pros (but not experienced myself so just repeating what I have heard) are that with stainless steel you can move weight from your belt onto your back so trim is easier, they are cheaper, they can be modified easier, and are in general more comfortable. Don't know cons sorry, most people I know seem to love them...

But yea, you might hate rear inflation BCs and love jackets so try out a bunch Lots of people will tell you you *must* get a BP/W or you *must* get <insert scuba gear here) but it is more important to get what you feel comfortable with, not what everyone else says. As you have to dive in it! Good luck with your BC

 

[Dive Rite]

So my question is this: what are the pros and cons of jacket style, back inflate and bp/w?

Hi Oreocookie,

Check out our Solution Finder under the question 'Is a jacket BC or a harness BC right for me?' This should give you some ideas about the pros and cons of the two styles.

Best,
Ag

 

[diveandclimb]

I used a rental jacket for a while but found them somewhat uncomfortable. Since I plan to do my AOW soon I decided to spring for a back-inflate. I have a Sea Elite Tek-X and have dove it once and liked it.