How do you determine if you should go to a bp/w or stay with a jacket BCD?

[islanddream]

The more I read on SB, the more I wonder if I should migrate to a bp/w. I've got over 100 dives now and have a SeaQuest Diva BCD that I've had since I got certified. I use 8 lbs of weight when wearing my 3mm wet suit in tropical waters. Buoyancy is good; AOW and Nitrox certified; deepest dive is close to 130 ft. I really like my BCD....it's comfortable, has integrated weight pockets (which I like), has enough places to attach stuff, etc. I have no desire to be a tec or cave diver. Is it my imagination that as recreational divers become more experienced they move to a bp/w? If so, why?

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I have both types. If you are not going to be hanging stage bottles off your side and you want to stick to recreational diving and you like your BC.... SAVE YOUR MONEY. You will get much more benefit on spending the money on a dive trip, not dive gear that will make very little difference in your diving...

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Just stay with what you got, if it works and you like it then that's all you need.
When it finally wears out and is completely faded and frayed and the bladder leaks air everywhere and there is so much aquaseal smeared on it to fix leaks that it looks like a total POS, then replace it.
At that time you could look into a BP/W and see if you like it.
Borrow one or rent one first.

 

[T-Wrecks]

Backplates and wings have a lot of benefits, particularly when it come to trim, or "being horizontal in the water". By design they foster this behavior infinitely better than a jacket BCD. They are also extremely compact for travel, and have nearly zero bulk. the harness that holds your plate and wing in place is adjustable, so if you gain or lose 50 lbs, your gear will still fit like a glove. This fact, and that a plate is made of metal, means the rig will probably outlive you.

A backplate is the very definition of integrated weight, but if ditchable weight pockets are a concern, there are plenty of options that will attach to a harness.

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

If your comfortable with what you have, you trim out horizontal and it packs well for travel it is very hard to justify the cost of a new rig. Some people just like to buy gear, nothing wrong with that (support your LDS, blah, blah) but its not always needed and there are plenty of things to spend dive dollars on.

 

[phoenix31tt]

I was happy with my bcd, but decided to go bp/w based on all my research.

Turns out after I used the bp/w and got that new experience I began seeing all the issues with a traditional.

For me the reasons I wont go back:

1. Simplicity
2. Less cumbersome (although some back inflates can claim the same)
3. Reduced buoyancy
4. Customizability
5. Lighter and easier to pack

Sent from my Nokia Lumia using Tapatalk

 

[OkByMe]

I'll second that. I have a Sherwood Avid and it is perfect for recreational diving. I also have a Transpac/rec wing for carrying a bunch of tanks and gear.

DumsterDiver... I have side-mounted with the Avid. The bubble in the BCD is real compact and carries single back gas and 2 side 80's very well. I won't go into detail about the easy mod unless someone is interested.

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Try diving a SS BP and minimal (20-30lbs from the sound of your rig) wing--the plate will be around 6lbs, and without the BCD's inherent buoyancy I doubt you'll need the extra 2lbs, so you can skip the weight pouches. Ask around and you'll likely find one you can rent/borrow somewhere. Personally, I like the ones that don't require an STA because that's one less component, but YMMV.

As to why, you'll likely find it feels better to have less balast distributed evenly over your center of buoyancy than to have 8lbs riding on your hips, dragging them down, to say nothing of how much nicer it feels to have a minimal amount of material attached to/sticking off you underwater. Do you need one? No. But you might like it.

 

[kmurray719]

The more I read on SB, the more I wonder if I should migrate to a bp/w. I've got over 100 dives now and have a SeaQuest Diva BCD that I've had since I got certified. I use 8 lbs of weight when wearing my 3mm wet suit in tropical waters. Buoyancy is good; AOW and Nitrox certified; deepest dive is close to 130 ft. I really like my BCD....it's comfortable, has integrated weight pockets (which I like), has enough places to attach stuff, etc. I have no desire to be a tec or cave diver. Is it my imagination that as recreational divers become more experienced they move to a bp/w? If so, why?

It's not your imagination that divers ON SCUBABOARD seem to move to a bp/w. I have seen this phenomenon from people who don't move to tech diving nowhere but here. I own a bp/w and love it, so I'm not knocking them. I tried a bunch of jacket BC's and none of them really fit me well. The bp/w could be adjusted for my small shoulders and less than small hips, and the crotch strap keeps everything from riding up. My SS plate puts the weight where it works best for me, and I love the simplicity and freedom of just a harness. But the "everyone should get a bp/w" mentality is not as widespread in the diving population in general as it is here on SB, and I would venture to say that most recreational divers, even ones with a good amount of experience, either don't know what they are, or think they're just for tech diving. Unless you're uncomfortable in your current BC, or have trim issues with it, there's really no specific reason you should be considering getting a bp/w.

 

[Bopper]

It's not your imagination that divers ON SCUBABOARD seem to move to a bp/w....

...But the "everyone should get a bp/w" mentality is not as widespread in the diving population in general as it is here on SB, and I would venture to say that most recreational divers, even ones with a good amount of experience, either don't know what they are, or think they're just for tech diving.

Exactly.

I started off w. a jacket style, then moved to a rear-inflate BCD. Then I kept seeing all these comments that rave about BP/Ws here on ScubaBoard. The idea sounded horrible to me. But the praise for them just kept coming. So I decided I had to at least try one. So I put one together...and I was right...horrible idea for me. I tried it out in a pool and it was just too uncomfortable and for me the benefits that I was supposed to get just weren't worth it. It was too uncomfortable to put on and take off and generally wear on the surface, and I didn't feel any more "free" than I did diving my rear inflate, and I didn't drop much balast.

HOWEVER, I must say, if you're going to be a serious diver, I would recommend that you somehow manage to try one. Either pick one up at a screaming price (read: Craigslist) so that you can re-sell it w/o a loss (if you don't like it) or find another diver that will lend you one. I think there are enough serious divers diving them to not consider them a fluke or just hype. Either you're going to find out what your preferences are or, at the very least, you might get a lesson in how internet forums function.