Backplate or Jacket

[mcdiver]

I have been diving with a backplate for 8 years now, and I love it.  However, I have recently done some diving with a new jacket-style BC.  You know, they are not bad, they have definately gotten better.

Anyone else care to share their experiences? The pro's and Con's.

[LKunze]

I guess I haven't tried a jacket again since I switched to a BP/harness 7 years ago.  For me the biggest pros of the BP/harness over the jacket are:
1.)Less clutter by not having anything wrapping around the front of the torso.
2.)Better horizontal trim. Jackets as I recall tend to be more prone to keeping you heads up like a life jacket.
3.)Clipping off lights/SPG etc. is more practical than on jackets because the D-Rings on jackets typically aren't adjustable. 
4.)The crotch strap is key in keeping the rig secure on a BP/harness as well.  I always had a problem with the jacket riding up when going slightly heads down. And if rolling left to right the jacket seemed to move.  It was never secure enough for me.
5.)The tank seems to be much more secure on a harness. When standing up on land the tank tends to sag way down from the weight causing the jacket to ride up in the front.  Not really an issue in the water but none the less I like the better stability that the BP offers. 

[arcFlash]

A BP&W pack smaller and I can change out the parts to suit the dive. DanG had a gear problem so I gave him a spare part for the day. You can't do that with jackets.

Jackets are still to puffy. I don't need all the padding and pockets.

[DetectorGuy]

I have not had the opportunity to use a BP/Wing yet. I did like so many people did: I bought the same BC that I did my OW class in. My decision was partly due to my own inexperience. Partly because I was comfortable during the first few dives with the BC I used for my OW class. I was also very un-educated about what was out there. The BC I purchased was not "top of the line" but (at least at the time) there was only one other from Aqualung that I still regret not getting. The one I wish I would have purchased was the Aqualung Black Diamond (about $800). I settled for an Aqualung Pro QD (about $650). To be honest, at the time, I thought the back plates and wings went "out of style" when Sea Hunt went off the air. This was clearly my lack of knowledge. I probably don't know what I am missing by not trying a BP/wing. I really like the BC and it does not slip and slide on me. I don't have a bazillion dives in, but I can't ever remember wondering if it was slipping or that I thought it was affecting my trim in the water. Maybe I am missing something... but if some of you haven't tried a BC in the last few years maybe you guys are missing out on a comfy dive. I have dove with a few people who had 7-10 year old BCs that weren't weight integrated and I can really see why you BP/wingers would think they are junky. They were back then. In fact I switched my whole gear for my buddies 10 year old set for a dive on Spectacle lake a couple months ago and I was wondering if it was going to leave me at times. It had velcro only at the cumberbund and pockets. It had no chest strap and no integrated weight. I felt like an octopus trying to grab everything that felt loose (all at the same time).

[mcdiver]

That is so true, we tend to purchase what we used in the Open Water Class.  Not that it is bad, but just the fact that we know it works.  The first BC I purchased was a nice jacket-style and had the integrated weight system.  I purchased the integrated weight system simply because as a guy, I have no hips, a have a little belly, but no hips, so I have a hard time keeping a weightbelt on.

I am not saying that one is better than the other, those that dive with me know my preference.  But now that I am required to occasionally wear a jacket-style BC, I am saying, "Hey, these things aren't that bad."

[nellamit]

I learned to dive in a non weight integrated BC. I quickly learned to hate weight belts with a passion. Weight integrated BC's were a huge improvment, but when I started buying my own equipment I bought a Halcyon backplate and haven't looked back. Our group of divers are heavily influenced buy tech/cave divers so we pretty much all dive backplates and long hoses. It is a gear configuration that works really well and sometimes I'm surprised that PADI and other agencies don't switch to longhose regs.

[jasondbaker]

I originally started with a typical BC (seaquest balance) and graduated to a backplate+wing.  I have no problem recommending a back inflated BC like the Balance to someone.  That's probably as close to a backplate+wing as you can get.  I ultimately switched to a backplate because I wanted a more stable rig.  You just can't customize a BC and get the same level of solid stability.  The backplate is also very compact for traveling.

Now here are some of the few disadvantages of the backplate setup:

-- You probably need both a steel and an alum backplate if you dive in MN and the Caribbean so plan to spend a little more. One type doesn't generally fit all environments.
-- Backplate harnesses are a pain to configure. Once you dial the harness settings in you don't want to have to change it.  But this means that you can't share the backplate easily with another diver. Not a problem for me but it could be a problem for some.
-- No pockets.  This is a pain when diving in warm destinations and I need to store little camera items.  I have pockets on my drysuit so this isn't an issue when diving regionally.

[DiverQueen]

I first bought a Back Inflation Zeagle Escape, but then I noticed it only had dump valves on the left hand side (same place the computer and inflater valves are....)  So it was a bit difficult for someone new to buoyancy issues and other challenges of diving.  My favorite now is my Aqua-Lung Maverick weight integrated Jacket B/C.
But it's nice to use the Zeagle if I am loaning the Maverick to a Newbie!! 

To each his (or her) own preference!

[willadams67]

I use a back plate and I use my weight pockets to store things in. If I am using dubbles I dont use weight pockets but my dry suit has pockets.
Depends on how you like to be in the water. when diving you dont want to be head up. not efficient to swim that way. I have both a BC and a few BP's I never use my BC except to loan out.

[Kirk]

I learned to dive with a jacket style BCD.  Thus a number of years ago when I decided to buy my own gear, I bought a jacket style BCD, for I knew they worked.  It was a used Zeagle Ranger that was being sold by a local dive shop on consignment.  I could never get it to fit right, so I ended up selling it (for at least as much as I paid for it) and bought a stainless steel backplate, a single tank wing, and a single tank adapter.  I much preferred the fit of a backplate with webbing, for it was adjustable to any body type.  I also liked how it was both less buoyant and caused less drag. 

A couple years ago I went to Kauai Island, Hawaii for a wedding, and decided to do some open water dives.  I ended up renting a jacket style BCD, for that was the only type of BCD available.  I hated it.  The fit was horrible, and it kept riding up on me, trying to push my head and torso towards the surface.

When I started diving doubles (LP Pressed Steel 104s), I used the same stainless steel backplate I used for single tanks, but with a Halcyon 55 pound horseshoe wing.  I now no longer dive a single tank, and have since given up the stainless steel backplate for an aluminum backplate with a 3 pound tail weight, which together weighs about the same as a steel plate, but reallocates the weight to just where I want it when diving double tanks (this change is not really necessary, but it works for me).  This backplate, with the 55-pound wing, works just fine with a pair of heavy doubles, and an aluminum 80 stage bottle and two aluminum 40 deco bottles.  I use this setup exclusively unless I’m diving sidemount, when I use the Dive Rite Nomad system, and the lighter LP Faber 108s.

I really wish more instructors would outfit students during open water training in a backplate / wing configuration.  If students are in gear that actually fits, they may find the experience far more enjoyable, and may actually go diving again.  Having a bunch of backplates with wings in one’s rental stock is a lot more affordable as well.  If a harness wears out on a backplate, you salvage the hardware and replace it with a few dollars worth of material; yet if a harness goes out on jacket style BCD, you have an expensive piece of garbage.  Backplates never wear out; and if the outer cover of a wing has a zipper, any leak in the bladder can usually be easily fixed with a dab of Aquaseal.  Also if an open water instructor spends some time with the student getting the backplate to fit just right, that student is more willing to buy it (believe it or not, adjusting one’s gear can be a bit daunting to a new diver, and having it done just right can really make a sale). And most important, in my opinion, is that a backplate / wing system can evolve with the types of diving of a diver and one’s training.  - Kirk