The negatives of bp/w

[DevonDiver]

How much weight could I ditch going from the dimension to bp/w?

Take your Dimension to the beach. Fully empty the BCD. Put lead in the pockets until it sinks.

There's your difference...

 

[fisheater]

Take your Dimension to the beach. Fully empty the BCD. Put lead in the pockets until it sinks.

There's your difference...

Then add the weight of the backplate. That'll be how much less lead you'll need.

 

[fnfalman]

This to me is the primary drawback of a BP/W, that does not have a work around. In lakes, quarries, springs and a calm ocean it does not matter as much. But if the ocean is kicking up you can be miserable.

That's why you wear a snorkel. Or inflate the BPW fully and then lie on your back well out of the water.

---------- Post added April 26th, 2013 at 08:22 AM ----------

That mostly depends on you.

A jacket BC is stable underwater in nearly any position even when there's a bunch of air in it. A BP/W with a bunch of air in it will try to keep you horizontal (think of hot air balloon with a basket hanging under it.) Horizontal is nice, except when you want to flip partway upside down and a little sideways to look at some small critter hiding under a rock.

I have zero issues with standing on my head or go sideway with a BPW. I do that plenty of times trying to spot critters for photographers.

If anything, because the tank is practically glued to my back, I can get into any position and not having to fight the tank shifting my balance/center of gravity about.

 

[DevonDiver]

A BP/W with a bunch of air in it will try to keep you horizontal (think of hot air balloon with a basket hanging under it.) Horizontal is nice, except when you want to flip partway upside down and a little sideways to look at some small critter hiding under a rock.

The BP&W would need to be full of air to have that effect. When do we ever fully fill a BCD when submerged (if properly weighted), as you say?

As Dale says, I have no problems adopting any position I want. If the BP&W has 'less' than a bunch of air in it, you have a nice bubble of buoyancy. With body positioning, you can control where that bubble migrates to. The bubble then holds you nicely in that position. Unlike a jacket BCD, air has more freedom to migrate in a wing - providing ultimate ability to choose where you hold your buoyancy. At least, that's what I've encountered over the last 12 years diving a BP&W...

If you do that in a BP/W, it will flip you forward on your face, unless you lean back and find where it's balanced.

Oddly, I've never encountered this in any of the BP&W that I've dived. I did notice it with my (horrible) Dacor Rig3 back-inflate that I used to own though...

When I'm at the surface for an extended time, or if travelling on the surface, I just tilt back and lie on the wing. It acts like a mini-raft... very comfortable, very relaxing and very elevated from the surface. I could lie there all day and watch the clouds...

 

[USFpsychDiver]

I don't miss the pockets; turns out I didn't need to be carrying all that crap with me on the dive anyway. Anything I need to take with me clips nicely to D-rings, with elastic bands to hold things close if needed. I use the same steel plate and harness diving doubles in a drysuit and, with an STA and smaller wing, singles with no exposure protection at all. The amount of additional lead I carry varies: none in a drysuit and steel doubles; none with a single AL80 and no exposure protection in fresh, none diving a single steel with no protection in salt; I add four lbs in cam band pockets diving an AL80 in salt. If I'm diving a single AL80 in fresh in my drysuit I need another 14 lbs of lead, 18 in salt, more in really cold water with a thicker undergarment. I don't find adjustment an issue, however, given how inexpensive a plate and webbing are, I'll probably get another so I can leave one set up for singles, one for doubles.

The only place I see a jacket as easier is donning; the shoulder straps don't loosen and tighten easily on the BP/W so it's sometimes a bit of a struggle getting the straps past a big computer on one wrist and a compass on the other.

 

[chrpai]

I don't miss the pockets; turns out I didn't need to be carrying all that crap with me on the dive anyway.

so it's sometimes a bit of a struggle getting the straps past a big computer on one wrist and a compass on the other.

I do a lot of treasure hunting in lake treasure hunting in Lake Travis and I still don't have a great solution. As for the compass and computer, have you tried turning them to the other side of your arm until you are done donning then turn them back?

 

[rhwestfall]

the negatives?

Having to debunk all the crap that is spewed about them when people see them...... (okay, that is a lie - I love talking about gear )

 

[Jim Lapenta]

One thing I actually like to do is while wearing a BPW with double Lp 85's and a dry suit is to swim sideways like I'm watching tv lying on the couch. Or to do barrel rolls in the same set up. No problem. And swimming at 50 ft while lying on my back looking up is pretty cool as well.

 

[DevonDiver]

The only place I see a jacket as easier is donning; the shoulder straps don't loosen and tighten easily on the BP/W so it's sometimes a bit of a struggle getting the straps past a big computer on one wrist and a compass on the other.

Seriously... count to 30 and see if a solution presents itself...

 

[Jim Lapenta]

Maybe like looping the computer and compass thru a d ring, donning the rig, then put the comp and compass on? Or comp, compass, bottom timer, and wrist slate like I do.

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