BP/Wing as your first BC?

[jonix]

They don't have to, but you managed to buy one of the most expensive available.

 

[Patrick]

evad,
Opinions are like elbows, everyone has a couple, including me. I dive all three types of inflation devices, jacket, back inflate and BP/W. I encourage you to dive a BP/W and if you do, you will buy one. BTW the Halycon Eclipse has intergrated weight pockets, no weight belt needed... almtree: Bob

Bob,

Weight integrated pockets are pockets that are permanently attached to a harness or BC.

Halcyon's weight pockets can be removed or attached to the harness. Every wing manufacturer that I know of has some type of weight pocket that can be attached to the harness.

Best regards,

Patrick
OxyCheq
---
http://oxycheq.com

 

[DivingPrincessE]

Johm-
There is going to be an equipment demo at millbrook this weekend (Sept 8th) . Maybe there will be some BP/W setups to try. I've been curious about this as well.

I've also wanted to know--do BP/W setups come assembled or do you have to put them together?

 

[D_B]

BP&W is probably one of, if not the most flexible pieces of gear you could own .. can be almost any BC you need or want it to be .. IMHO

 

[halocline]

You typically have to thread the harness, which can take about an hour, (or ten minutes if you've done it before) then maybe adjust it some after trying it out. Adjusting it consists of moving some "keepers" around to either lengthen or shorten the shoulder straps. Once it's done you don't have to mess with it, just buckle the waist belt and go.

The BP/W is not a "cure all" for diving, but the typical recreational jacket style BC is a terrible piece of dive gear which was designed to A) act as a surrogate life preserver for anxious dive students, and B) look good in a dive shop, and feel like a nice cozy vest when trying it on in the dive shop.

The only problem is, you're not diving in the dive shop. Under water the mechanics of the BC are totally different. It's not like wearing a backpack. A well designed BC would have a small bladder in the back, very simple webbing harness, no cumberbund (a truly stupid addition to BCs) and a simple way of attaching weights in a variety of locations. The old zeagle scout was a good example.

 

[rockjock3]

Welcome to the board and to diving. Don't confuse the overly vocal opinions of a few with fact.

Does that include you?

There are plenty of experienced divers who choose not to use a BP/wing, including myself. Nothing wrong with a BP and if I were doing tech diving, it would be the BC I would choose but I was not impress with them for the diving I do.

Work great and I use them for rec and tech diving (in 80degree 100+ viz).

They are a pain to adjust, require a weight belt and did not provide any advantages that outweighted the disadvantages for me..

Yea, the one time you have to adjust them. There are also many weighting option. Unless you carry more than 15-20lbs of weight most of them can be configured to not require any weight belt (steel plate vs aluminum plate, v-weight, plate weights, pouches, etc).

And from some of the comments I have seen here lately, they have gotten expensive.

No more than your quality BCs have. You can pay as little as $300-400 for a good BP/W. Not many decent BC much cheaper than that.

You may find you like it or you may not. .

You are only the second person I have ever run across that didn't like a bp/w once they tried it.

The best advise is still to rent/borrow several BCs of different types and find what suits you best. .

Now this is good advice. Yes, try them all WITH somebody that knows them. This way they can help with things like adjustments and proper use.

 

[Bob]

Patrick,
In Halcyon's 2007 product catalogue page 13, Quote: "Halcyon MC's Active Ballast Control system is an elegant solution for divers who want intergrated weight pockets on their MC systems. Avaible in two configurations ACB 20 (10 lbs per side) ACB 12 (6 lbs per side) capacity"
almtree: Bob

 

[victor]

Ok, I'm a fairly new diver. Learned in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and had a few more dives in Southern Cali. I've always rented/borrowed jacket style BCDs.

I live in fairfax, va... and don't plan on diving much around here. I vacation frequently and would do so in tropical areas.

-Johm

John
You say you are going to be diving in tropical waters on vacation dives.
Don't buy a steel BP as that will be heavy for traveling with, go with a light aluminium or composite wing.
It might be best to rent until you have tried out all the combinations on trips. On tropical vacations once you get your weight right you don't have much air in your BC so they don't bother you much.

Things I think you should buy.
Your own dive computer.

A dive skin or/and a 3mm wetsuit. 2 dive skins are better than one if you intend doing multiple dives in one day.

Your own regs, but remember to allow for the maintenance costs.

Weight belt versus integrated weights. Personally I recommend a weight belt with a descent metal buckle. Simple, works everywhere you dive, everyone knows how to get it off in an emergency. You won't have much lead on anyway (circa 10 lbs or less).

 

[Patrick]

Patrick,
In Halcyon's 2007 product catalogue page 13, Quote: "Halcyon MC's Active Ballast Control system is an elegant solution for divers who want intergrated weight pockets on their MC systems. Avaible in two configurations ACB 20 (10 lbs per side) ACB 12 (6 lbs per side) capacity"
almtree: Bob

Bob,

It is a fancy way to decribe a weight pocket. Personally, I never quite understood what "Active Contol Ballast" means when it is a weight pocket. In basic terms, it is a weight pocket with a ditchable feature that connects to a harness.

Originally, intergrated weight pockets were introduced by the BC mfgs when they put weight pockets onto the BCs in order to eliminate a weight belt. They were permanently mounted (sewn) into the BC.

Hogarthian harnesses do not have integrated weight pockets, you add pockets to them to it. Just as you can add them to adjustable harnesses.

If you or Halcyon elect to call that a weight integrated pocket, then my statement would be ALL other wing manufacturers that I know of have weight integrated pockets.

They are integrated into the harness or system once you put them on, but the historical definition of weight integrated pockets was something that was already and permanently attached to the BC or Harness.

My entire point is that adding a pocket to a harness is not something unique to one wing manufacturer. They all have them.

Best regards,

Patrick
OxyCheq
---
http//oxycheq.com

 

[dive_lover88]

I bought my bp/w after 32 dives in my dacor talon. Didnt like the confined wrap of the bc. Didnt turn back after getting the bp/w, though i had some work getting used to it.

Currently using a deepoutdoors freedom bp and a 32lb element wing. love it alot!