Hi all,
I'm finally getting my first new BCD and regulator setup and I've decided on the XDeep Zeos. My dive shop has the 38lb in stock but I see that it also comes in a 28lb.
I'm 5'5, 125lbs. I get cold very easily so most of my diving is tropical. I think the coldest I've been to date was Hawaii at 76/77 degrees. I wear a 5-4-3 wetsuit and usually combine it with a 1.5mm vest and hoodie, even in 80+ degree water.
Looking at my dive log, I was weighted at 8lbs in Hawaii earlier this year and 8 kilos is Costa Rica a couple months ago. Both were in your standard, rental BCDs. Now that I look at that though, I'm questioning the unit of measurement. I know the numbers are right but it doesn't quite make sense I'd be the same for lbs and kilos. But I did spend a few dives in each case trying to dial in my correct weight.
I live in the desert southwest. Almost all my diving will be travel diving so a good travel setup is important. That being said, I could be convinced to do some California diving at some point in my life, probably with a 7mm wetsuit so I'd like something that will work for that as well.
The other question is aluminum vs steel for the backplate. Aluminum seemed like a no brainer for me because of my travel-easy requirement. However, the dive shop suggested I consider a steel backplate after I told them how much weight I usually wear.
I think the 38lb is overkill for me. Before deciding on the BP/W setup I was looking at back inflate BCDs with between 30-35lbs of lift but those have to cater to a wide variety of people and situations. For me, part of the appeal of a modular setup is dialing the kit in to exactly what works for me without the unnecessary. Everyone with the Zeos at my dive shop has the 38lb and their opinion is that I should go with that because it will work for everything I'm doing now and give me a safe margin if I do decide to do some cold water diving with a warmer exposure suit in the future (i.e. future-proofing).
My gut feeling tells me the 28 will be great but I'm hoping for some other opinions and recommendations.
Thanks all!
I'm finally getting my first new BCD and regulator setup and I've decided on the XDeep Zeos. My dive shop has the 38lb in stock but I see that it also comes in a 28lb.
I'm 5'5, 125lbs. I get cold very easily so most of my diving is tropical. I think the coldest I've been to date was Hawaii at 76/77 degrees. I wear a 5-4-3 wetsuit and usually combine it with a 1.5mm vest and hoodie, even in 80+ degree water.
Looking at my dive log, I was weighted at 8lbs in Hawaii earlier this year and 8 kilos is Costa Rica a couple months ago. Both were in your standard, rental BCDs. Now that I look at that though, I'm questioning the unit of measurement. I know the numbers are right but it doesn't quite make sense I'd be the same for lbs and kilos. But I did spend a few dives in each case trying to dial in my correct weight.
I live in the desert southwest. Almost all my diving will be travel diving so a good travel setup is important. That being said, I could be convinced to do some California diving at some point in my life, probably with a 7mm wetsuit so I'd like something that will work for that as well.
The other question is aluminum vs steel for the backplate. Aluminum seemed like a no brainer for me because of my travel-easy requirement. However, the dive shop suggested I consider a steel backplate after I told them how much weight I usually wear.
I think the 38lb is overkill for me. Before deciding on the BP/W setup I was looking at back inflate BCDs with between 30-35lbs of lift but those have to cater to a wide variety of people and situations. For me, part of the appeal of a modular setup is dialing the kit in to exactly what works for me without the unnecessary. Everyone with the Zeos at my dive shop has the 38lb and their opinion is that I should go with that because it will work for everything I'm doing now and give me a safe margin if I do decide to do some cold water diving with a warmer exposure suit in the future (i.e. future-proofing).
My gut feeling tells me the 28 will be great but I'm hoping for some other opinions and recommendations.
Thanks all!