Travel BCD

[Eric Sedletzky]

@Brian G just going down the line
1. they are supposed to be stiff to make it easier/safer to get into and out of. If you don't like it on bare shoulders which I don't necessarily disagree with on land, then the neoprene sleeve or add-on shoulder pads are easier enough to deal with.
2. similar to above, unpadded crotch straps aren't very comfy in a bathing suit. My single tank rig has a padded crotch strap from Dive Rite that is super comfy
3. I actually have had to use that lever on a student before, but yeah, not a fan of that design in general....
5. why not remove the lower cam band if it's an issue? I have on some dive boats because of the tubes
6. I agree, though I do prefer horseshoes in doubles because it makes packing air to one side much easier for dealing with things like stage bottles
7. STA's=bad for packing, and the Dive Rite plates have a real heavy bend/spine to them, thankfully the DSS ones are flatter and pack really well.
9. In the water it shouldn't matter at all and if wearing a heavy ish weight belt the jackets actually usually are better because they lift at the hips. That said I just find them generally uncomfortable, especially at the surface

My DSS wing didn't want to play nice with my Freedom plate unfortunately but hopefully @Eric Sedletzky can help sort that out for the aluminum one

With the DSS wing on the FPC V4, try pulling off the cushions over the rail bars and just lay the wing over the tank bracket, instead of trying to put the wing against the plate with the bracket over it. Then you can either run the cam bands through the plate or right under the bar itself and through the cam band holes in the wing. I know there is the rubber wedge shaped tank wobble stopper to deal with on the wing but maybe you can just stuff it in between the rail bars or just cam band the tank down anyway and see what happens.

 

[Brian G]

Thanks for the reply @TBone. I'll try removing a tank band next time. @BDSC, the Litehawk for $250 not only doesn't have trim pockets, but it has a 56lb bladder, which I've heard can make a runaway ascent more of a problem. The new Litehawk has a more reasonably sized 29lb bladder. It looks like neither of them have proper quick-release weight pockets but you could use their accessory pockets for weights? They also both have that lever on the shoulder dump that gave me problems with my wife's Ladyhawk.

@Eric Sedletzky, thanks for your input. My DSS wing has already had the tank wobble stopper removed, so hopefully it will be straightforward to use it with your plate.

 

[BDSC]

the Litehawk for $250 not only doesn't have trim pockets, but it has a 56lb bladder, which I've heard can make a runaway ascent more of a problem. The new Litehawk has a more reasonably sized 29lb bladder. It looks like neither of them have proper quick-release weight pockets but you could use their accessory pockets for weights? They also both have that lever on the shoulder dump that gave me problems with my wife's Ladyhawk.

When I saw you post about the older Litehawk having a 56 lb bladder I thought you must be mistaken, but I went to the Leisurepro website and sure enough it says that. Just to let you know, that has to be a misprint. The newer Litehawk and the older one are almost identical when it comes to bladder size.

Yes, you can use the accessory pockets for weights. If you want them to be in a quick release fashion, all you have to do is unthread them and turn them upside down and put them back on. That way when you release the clip, any weights would fall out. I believe they sell separate weight pouches as well but not needed. Like I said earlier, it's no problem putting a 5 lb weight in each of the rear trim pouches and well as the accessory pouches. That would give you 20 lbs if you needed that much but you certainly don't. Not even close I would guess.

My wife also dives the ladyhawk and I have always had SP BC's. We've never had a single problem with any part of our BC's. I'll go back and see what you said about the shoulder dump.

 

[BDSC]

They also both have that lever on the shoulder dump that gave me problems with my wife's Ladyhawk.

OK. I went back and read what you said was happening with the shoulder dump. That's the first time I have ever heard of that happening. I have mine set-up with an Air II so it couldn't happen with the way mine is configured and the hose is connected.

 

[tbone1004]

@Eric Sedletzky I just stuck my DR Travel wing on there. It was one of the real old ones with the lower dump on the right and no grommets punched so I punched a hole in the webbing and basically permanently mounted it under the STA.

 

[adolan21]

I just bought a Zeagle Covert and used it for 8 dives last week in Mexico and I loved it. I just put an octopus clip on on one of the d-rings & hose clip for my SPG. I put a weight on one of the tank bands but I plan on getting Zeagle trim pockets when they come back in stock. Btw, I'm from Seacoast NH too!

 

[george_austin]

OxyCheq Ultra Lite Travel Plate + Dive Rite style cam straps + 10 ft of webbing + D rings, sliders
and buckle. 18# OxyCheq wing.

Done.

 

[Joseb111]

OR you can do away with a bc completely and get a hard pack. It only weighs 2 pounds, is pretty slim, and teaches you to perfect your weighting. I got mine by Aquatec for around $40. For surface floatation you just need to hold onto the signal tube you already have

 

[DreadnoughtNH]

So, first THANK YOU EVERYONE for all your input. It was very much appreciated.

I decided on the AL Rogue. AL had a representative in my town last week and spent a solid 2 hours with my local shop’s DM and I going over the BC. A lot of attention to details that I realized were important to me. Definitely not a cold water BC, but perfectly meets my needs (on paper). And whoa, did it FEEL a lot more free than my I3. Like going from wearing a heavy coat to being nude.

I’m off to Roatan at the end of the month so I’ll give another update on whether I think I made the right decision.

 

[TRobert]

ignore that. 10lbs of lead + 6.4lbs of gas in tank gives you a 10lb buffer to pick up some other stuff and give you some head room for your head at the surface. It's not the end all be all though, and 25lbs of lift is 25lbs of lift.

Travelpac would not be my first recommendation though. Too much padding which makes packing not as efficient. Unfortunately they discontinued the Hunterpac which was utterly brilliant

ignore that. 10lbs of lead + 6.4lbs of gas in tank gives you a 10lb buffer to pick up some other stuff and give you some head room for your head at the surface. It's not the end all be all though, and 25lbs of lift is 25lbs of lift.

Travelpac would not be my first recommendation though. Too much padding which makes packing not as efficient. Unfortunately they discontinued the Hunterpac which was utterly brilliant

I have a 100+ dives on the TravelPac and love it ... I've removed the shoulder pads, hip pads, and back pad as they really aren't necessary.