Travel BCD

Alex

I have pretty much decided to get a Seaquest Passport - are there any downsides that you've noticed (except for the colours!)?

Thanks

Mel

We did a non scientific study/test at the dive center where I work regarding the weight and volume regarding BCD’s. We did this just because some of the staff said that they would never change to backplate and harness style BCD jus because they heavier and more bulky than a regular BCD.

The conclusion was that any aluminium metal backplate harness style with single tank wing weighted a lot less that any regular BCD and it also takes a lot less space when packed. The DiveRite TransPac II & Rec Wing and OMS IQ pack and 32lbs single tank bladder was a little bit heavier and bulkier than the Halcyon Eclipse setup.

When teaching OW-courses I use a traditional BCD but when I go pleasure diving and taking pictures I use the backplate harness style just because it’s actually more comfortable and I better balance and buoyancy then.

Another option is the Mares EDV75 Aliikai for men. Despite the fact that Mares gear is not make for permanent use and breaks down after 100 dives but this one is what you can use in the tropics. packed together you can stuff it in your jeans and it does weight nothing. I have seen them all but this one packed together is unbeatable. Unfortunately it is not coming with the requested inflator hose but i guess you can adjust this.

Kind Regards

Steffen Binke

www.steffenbinke.com

hello, all.

 

I was wondering if any of you might have suggestions for a small BCD with one or more D-rings suitable for travel...? A bonus would be if the inflater had a second-stage on it.

 

My BCD is wonderful, but it's huge. I need to start finding ways to make my bags smaller and lighter.

 

The second item I'm wondering about is a 7 or 8mm wetsuit with integrated hood. any suggestions?

 

thanks!

Hi Eric

Contact Rusty Berry at SSA in Montclair ( http://www.scubaschoolsofamerica.com/) He can get you a handmade BCD with the requested second stage on the inflator and also works on rebreathers as well. you can choose colours and get your name stitched in. Cost are way better than most of the big brands

One of the lightest and best BCD i have ever tested.

Best Regards

Steffen

Aqualung Zuma. 2kg. If you wait a month you can see our side-by-side comparison of lightweight BCs (now in Diver Mag) on www.divernet.com

You should also look at the Cressi Travelight.

And you've also got the Scubapro Geo and the Zeagle Express Tech (which is basically a plastic backplate and a couple straps). The real advantage to these is that they fold up very small for transport. I looked at them, then weighed my old Sea Quest Balance w/o the weight pockets (which I don't use) and with the Atomic SS1 on it and it weighed 5.7 pounds (also with retractor for computer). So, weight isn't that big a deal. However, it is a bit large to cram in a small bag. I'm probably going to stick with it for the foreseeable future. The Zeagle could easily fit in a carry-on once broken down.

Mike

I used a Alluminium Back Plate with a Zeagle 24lbs wing from the Zeagle Scout. Actually I bought the Zeagle scout and used its wing and tank straps. It very compact and doesnt weight much at all. I attached a couple of Zeagle weight pockets to add weight if I am diving in cooler water. I find this rig awesome in the tropics as I dont use any weight with an ally cylinder and its very streamlined. It packs down very flat in my dive bag too. You have to love the custom fit especially if you big person like myself. I would have to buy a XL traditional BCD and the amount of lift in those things sometimes be over 50lbs. This is far too much for a single tank and basically adds to alot of drag.

I dont like the alternate second stage on the inflator for a few reasons. They dont breath as well as a good second stage. They are hard to service and hard to get parts in remote locations (espically the special inflator hose). Find them restrictive when used in sharing air (hard when your turning your head to the right). Would consider them hard to use when sharing air and trying to dump at the same time.

Another thing I dont like is those really cheap slimline occys. Honestly would you feel comfortable if you had to use one of these things if the situation calls?

Regards Mark

I've got a backplate and wing but use the Oxycheq Ultralight Backplate rather than a metal plate in order to save weight. I've got it set up with a Dive Rite Transplate Harness and Oxycheq Wing. Both for ease of packing/traveling and for comfort underwater, I wouldn't give it up for anything.

Here it is: http://www.divernet.com/Diving_Gear/group_...ly_with_me.html

Here it is: http://www.divernet.com/Diving_Gear/group_...ly_with_me.html

It would have been interesting to see how some BPW stood up against the travel BCD's in the test.

Regards Mark