What BC for drysuit?

[fishchaser]

I'm in the process of buying all my own gear (and am freshly certified this year), and I think that I may actually spend the big bucks for a drysuit (Bare ATR HD) and now I'm not sure what to get for a BC. I was originally planning on 7mm wetsuit and a less expensive jacket style BC, but now am clueless if jacket BCs interfere with the drysuit inflator. I'm guessing not, but that's just a guess.

Considering that I'm probably going dry, but would also want something to take to Hawaii/Carribean when I go, what type of BC would you recommend, keeping the costs probably under $400 (ideally, much less, like the many jacket style BCs for ~$200). Anything wrong with a jacket BC and drysuit?

Thanks,
Chad

[DiveCaptDean]

Hey Chad,
I doubt highly that i am alone when i say this....go with rear inflate system. You have already made mention that you plan to dive alot locally. If this is the case, then I promise you will be doing, by far, most of your diving in cold dark water. If you are going to have a dry suit, then you do in fact plan to dive locally. Invest in a package that will suit your local diving....then adjust it to suit the warm water trip diving. Keep in mind.....any equipment that you buy that is suited for our cold water environment can easily be used in warm tropical water..the opposite is NOT true......I started out with a Zeagle Ranger..i would assume that a few people on this site did as well. I have since moved on to back plate and harness..i would again assume that a few people on this site have done so as well. Now, i am not saying that a back plate and harness is the best way to dive in the tropics, but it is the best wayto dive locally...and it is easily adapted so that it can be used in the tropics. I would look at getting something like a smaller Dive Rite wing. maybe the rec wing....they are nicely sized and comfortable to dive with. to save money, you may try to find somethin used..or on ebay..or on a technical dive site like Deco Stop....

Keep in mind Chad..you did not pick an inexpensive sport...make the investment the first time.....maintain your equipment..and it will last you quite a while...if you buy garbage...you will not only pay from your pocket..over and over again, but you potentilally could pay with something far more important.....

I promise, if you ask, you will get alot of suggestions on equipment to use...listen....these people dive all of the time in our environment..

again...G/L
Deano

[dfreeman]

I started with a Sherwood Outback (similar to the Zeagle Ranger) and used it locally as well as the tropics until I wore it out. Have gone to a harness and backplate. Advantage of harness and backplate is that some parts do not wear out and the others are inexpensively replaced.

Plan to use harness and backplate in the tropics, just like several of my dive buddy's have.

The group that I dive with all started with different BCD'a and we all have gone to harness and backplate. Check out the pictures at Local Sites to see how they are rigged up.

Also, Once dry never go back. I have a Bare ATR HD and use it all year around. This has allowed me to dive in the north country every month for the last 2+ years.

Hope some of this information helps.

Doug

[scubert]

Like DiveCaptDean I started out with a Zeagle Ranger and a wetsuit. After I started ice diving I realized that the Ranger was too bulky for my tastes and started shopping for a backplate.
Eventually coughed up the $$ for a drysuit and am really happy with the overall setup. I have used both the zeagle and the b/p in the tropics and definately prefer the B/P. Just be prepared to answer a fair # of questions about it, even now divers are not really familiar with them. As an added bonus the backplate can be disassembled to pack much smaller than a ranger ever could.

[dfreeman]

Speaking the truth there Paul. But you will probably pay for that bit about the spouse.

Doug

[Omicron]

Go to a backplate, especially if you are serious about diving. In the long run, it's the only way to go. A backplate can be used for anything - the same is not true about other bc's. While any bc will work w/ a drysuit, you will appreciate the efficiency and minimalism of a backplate. They are the greatest.

Good choice on the drysuit as well - I love my atr hd.

[LKunze]

I'm with everyone else here. BP/Wing all the way. I started out with a Zeagle Ranger as well for my first year diving and switched to a BP/Wing a couple years ago. The difference is night and day. The BP/Wing is much more stable (no tank shifting), it's more streamlined and it trims out better than any BC you are going to find.

[Chris H]

Yeah, what they all said. I will never go back to a jacket style BC. I swithed for good last fall, after several hundred dives in convoluted BCs. If you will be diving dry, you will most likely need the SS back plate.

[fishchaser]

Thanks to everyone for their input. It definitely sounds unanimous.

I guess I'm still slightly hesitant because I'm at a different point in the hobby than ya'all. I have a hand full of dives under my belt, I have a newborn daughter, and I'm not sure how many dives per year I'm going to do, and definitely no ice dives in the forseeable future. I'm hoping for about 5-10 dives (days of diving) per year. I'd love to say more, but the facts/priorities probably won't support it for a while.

Also, I'm unsure about if this hobby interest will continue many years, therefore, I was trying to keep the initial startup costs down. Like when I learned how to fly airplanes several years ago, I didn't go out and buy a Leer Jet. Heck, I didn't buy any plane...I just rented. I've thought about just renting the scuba stuff, as Diver Dan's have a great rental rate, but the multiple day hassle of driving 30 miles RT to the LDS to pick up the equipment the night before, and another 30 miles RT after the dive is bothersome and would probably restrict my diving as opposed to owning the equipment. IF the hobby continues, I wouldn't have a problem RE-buying equipment to suit me better down the road.

So, when I first priced out starting costs to buy my own gear, it was around the $1200-1500 range, with wetsuit. Now it's starting to look more like the $3000-4000 range. I've started to mentally accept the price adder for the drysuit, simply due to comfort...less likely to use the equipment if I find myself cold all the time. I'm just having a problem with the sprialing startup costs.

So, since I'm clueless about this B/P thing. Could someone answer a couple questions about them? So, it seems these pieces are sold individually. Need a SS backplate, a harness and a wing? Is that it? What about a tank strap? Which brands/models would be recommended? (Deano mentioned a Dive Rite rec wing.) Can you still doff the tank and wing while in the water like other BCs to climb back in the boat? (Sorry for the newbie questions, but gotta learn somewhere/sometime.)

Lastly, would a back inflation BC be your 2nd choice, and a Jacket BC a distant 3rd, or not even considered?

Thanks again!
Chad

[Omicron]

For me a jacket bc wouldn't even be a choice. If I were to get a non backplate I would go w/ a back inflate type bc.

If cost is truly an issue, a well fitting jacket style bc isn't a terrible choice, just not (in a lot of peoples opinion...) the best choice. They certainly get the job done, but they just start lacking when you start getting really into diving.

As far as buying them - you don't have to play "collect the game pieces" =) A good shop should be able to hook you up with whatever you need...

A backplate and harness
A wing
A single tank adaptor
Tank cams/belts/buckles (whatever you call them...)

A single tank adaptor can be a Do It Yourself thing - just a piece of pvc pipe cut length wise and bolted to your plate will do it. For tank straps, I'm partial to the scubapro ones - they are very good, but anything will do - more personal preference.

For the backplate/wing/harness, that's another huge debate Dive Rite makes quality gear at reasonable prices. Halcyon also makes good gear, but can be pricier. OMS is another manufacturer of them...more personal preference and what your wallet can take.

When playing around in a pool, I've completely taken my gear off and put it on underwater, and done it at the surface w/ no problems.