I just recently bought my first BCD, I was going back and forth between which one, but ended up with the Apeks Exotec, I knew I was going to transition out of the jacket style as I want to start my public safety diving path but I can't wait to test it out this dive season as it fits pretty comfy, feels a lot like the SCBA I'm used to at the fire house
I've never dove anything other than backplate and wing (and long hose primary donate). Some people call this a technical configuration - it's not. It's just the simplest, cleanest and most capable and that's why tech divers use it. I'd put every no-experience diver in a backplate and wing. I can't see even a single advantage to jacket BCDs. I've never understood the whole "pushes you face down on the surface" thing. Just lean back! Maybe deflate the wing a little if you really need to. I'd say never bother with padded/recreational/comfort harnesses if you are using a wetsuit or drysuit. Save your cash. I'd recommend just buying a traditional DIR style harness and if you really need some padding make some neoprene sleeves to go over the shoulder straps to give you the padding that a wetsuit would normally provide. I think HOG sells some pre-made? I think Halcyon sells a "cinch system" which should improve the ability to don/doff an otherwise DIR style harness. Really - simpler is better! More D-Rings, clips and padding is not better! Forget about any wing that has elastic on it (aka. bondage wings). I'm also on team Single Tank Adaptor. Some people say they're not necessary but I think they're more solid.
@trevortetzlaff there's many good options and it also depends on what area you're in as to what is cheapest... But I've never been disappointed by XDeep stuff. They have fancy ones (eg. Ghost), but honestly the baseline XDeep Xeos is all you need. If you're in Europe maybe look into Tecline or DTD too.
🔥 thanks for sharing the wisdom! Gonna get me in the water more often. Really appreciate it. Your comment got me to look deeper into baseplate + wing setups and it seems to be a clear winner as far as setups go. Not sure why jackets are so ubiquitous…
I just tried a wing style BCD the first time and I m sold and got my own one. I always felt squeezed when inflating an normal BCD. I still prefer the jacket style ones with integrated weights as it's more comfy for me than having the weights on a belt
I switched to a backplate wing from my hydros pro. I put it together myself using a backplate from dive gear express (highly recommend their gear), I added an Apex D18 bladder and 2 apeks cam bands. It's been great to dive with and don't see myself switching back. I feel the diving experience, buoyancy and freedom of movement is better. I don't like having a lot of stuff or material on me so it suits me. You're able to customize it the way you want it. With that being said the one thing I liked more about my hydros is the location of trim pockets and especially the ease of switching tanks. I find the backplate a little more difficult in that aspect. In any case, highly recommend trying it.
A lot of divers who dive BPW say they'll never go back to a recreational BCD. If you want a one and only BCD they're the most customisable. I'm more than happy to dive a recreational BCD but, all of my own BCDs are backplates
i learned to dive with a wing. i did a taster with the jacket but they let me choose what i used while learning. i bought the same wing when i began diving after the open water. the XDEEP ZEOS great lightweight wing
Just purchased an Apeks Exotec, and headed to Aruba at the end of Feb to try it out. Out of the water, it doesn't seem too different from my original bcd - the aqualung (seaquest) balance. Thoughts on the exotec?
I just made a bpw bcd I can tell you I actually like the jacket style, last year my buddy and I decided to call off a dive and surface. We had a fairly long swim back to the boat, I was glad I was using my jacket, just laid back and swam to the boat, my buddy struggled more than I did.
@hawaiimike2678 or maybe I just prefer the convenience of my lightweight bcd when travelling and the benefits of a wing don't justify the hassle of breaking down and changing the backplate thenflying with, on what are frankly quite easy dives. When it is end of life I'll probably replace it with a Aqualung Dimension. The steel backplate and wing can stay at home.
This comment was made 20 seconds in for personal review: I want to use BP n Wing bc I want to be more than a recreational diver. I want to get into cave diving and and my thoughts are that a BP and Wing is a system you keep for a long time and you can customise it to your needs.
Yeah, backplate systems are the most customizable for long-term diving. Sidemount is a popular choice for tighter caves but backplates are the strongest all-rounder
#ASKMARK Hi Mark, thoroughly enjoy the videos and podcasts and look forward to many more informative videos & pods. My question is an extension of your recent ‘choosing a backplate and wing’ video, and I ask if you could present the pros and cons of side-mounted tanks, buoyancy, trim, best tank positioning and additional weighting, if any, whilst predominantly using a 7mm neo-dry suit in most temperatures. Like twins, is there a means to breathe from both tanks rather than switching between tanks? I welcome your opinion as I'm between buying a twin back-mounted wing and backplate or side-mounted. Thanks Mark. Enjoyable and safe bottom time to all of our global diver buddies🤿😃👌
Sidemount is more flexible in and out of the water in most aspects but it can be a bit more 'fiddly'. The only way to breathe from both simultaneously would be some kind of manifold or switching block. You would need to connect the two 1st stages which would limit your flexibility. I tend to stick to twins in cold water just because they're easier with heavy gloves and I don't delve into many tight spaces.
Unless you're diving with the BCD fully inflated underwater, you'll be fine. Remember your BCD is only there to compensate for any loss in buoyancy from compressing exposure protection and any excess -ve buoyancy from excess lead or heavy gear. The Dragon has between 14-24kg of lift depending on size. If you're properly weighted and not carrying a lot of heavy equipment then 17 Liters of lift should be plenty. My holiday wing only has 8.2kg of lift which is plenty when I'm correctly weighted and only wearing a thin wetsuit.
I bought a Cressi Travel light BCD last year so far I only did 20 dives with it, I'm really thinking of buying the Xdeep Zen Deluxe, should I go for it immediately or use my Jacket style for more dives first ? Appreciate your insight Mike
I personally love the Zen so I'll always recommend it. The deluxe will be a nice crossover and if it's in your budget, I would hang up my Travel Light. Most divers who transition to a wing-style BCD don't go back to jacket
A wonderful video again and very helpful, but I wonder which category is the bcd I got the Hollis S.M.S 75. I don't know if it's a kind of hybrid, I would guess since it allows sidemount and back mount (single and twins).
This is true, but the Hollis SMS 75 is truly also a back mount bcd, which is strange, why did they call it: SMS when it's sidemount and back mount. They should have named them: SBMS 😯
DIR is the way. No (chinese) plastic parts, just single 3 meter webbing (Halcyon) with metal D-rings and stoppers. Simple and robust setup, easily and affordably changeable. 3mm steel backplate for drysuit diving and for travelling aluminium backplate. Donut wings - smaller one (OMS) for single cylinder diving, larger one (custom made Halcyon) for doubles.
DIR is a brand agnostic and risk adverse attitude / philosophy. It's not tied to any one brand. Halcyon gear is good but tends to be pretty pricey in Europe (2-3 times the cost of comparable quality gear from other manufacturers, e.g. Xdeep, Apeks, Mares, OMS, Tecline etc, local gear tends to be more cost effective).
@@OisinHiggins Please elaborate your statement "risk adverse attitude / philosophy"? I personally see that agnostic approach is rather the otherway around and not taking too much or unneccesary gear with you that you most definitely do not need during your dive. It's riskier to have gear made out of plastic pieces and to have it break during the dive than robust gear. My choice of webbing in backplate is Halcyon due my empirical experience; the webbing is not too pricy compared to other brands on the market and the webbing itself is not too rigid to feel comfortable with drysuit or with wetsuit. Yes, Halcyon equipment is expensive here in Europe. I am talking about piece of 3 meter long webbing that costs in my local dive store 33 euros compared to DirZone's 25 euro? So 8 euro difference...
@@Garwanen DIR is about being risk adverse by removing potential failure points and having redundancy without having unnecessary gear for the dive, we're in agreement about that. This is usually achieved by the use of quality modular gear and duplication of critical equipment e.g. buoyancy (redundant bladder wing or drysuit and wing), computer/bottom timer & gauge, regulators, DSMBs and spools/reels, mask/mask strap. My point was that DIR doesn't necessarily mean strictly Halcyon, or OMS gear, thank you for clarifying these are your personal preferences. My point was that most manufacturers will offer a modular backplate & wing systems, and their components (bladders, webbing, tri-glides, d-rings, back-plate, inflator hose & head) can all be changed out when no longer performing without needing to scrap the full bcd jacket. Some manufacturers are more DIR / tech diving orientated than others and at various price points, I've found that Halcyon, OMS (and Apeks) are towards the upper end of the price point, and that similar 3m of Xdeep webbing is €15 rather than Halcyon's €33, similarly a single tank BP&W from Halcyon will be about €1,200 whereas the same from Xdeep will be €300-500. In relation to plastic components, yeah my preference is also stainless steel triglides, d-rings and continuous webbing too, however in my experience plastic components tend to get broken on the surface/boat due to falls, careless or rough gear handling. It's up to each diver to weigh the added convenience of donning and doffing and risk of breakage of plastic clips vs the security and increased difficulty in donning and doffing of continuous webbing.
@@OisinHiggins Excellent points, I appreaciate your reply. Also my empirical experience is that just investing to DIR setup or most expensive gear/brand does not make you better diver. Unfortunately there are lots of divers that think (and believe) costly gear makes them better divers or worse, ready to face conditions that they do not have education nor experience in. This is something that SDM could do episode over.
I'm always happy to go diving but I have a lot on right now. I'm renovating a house that I'm moving into, my wife is pregnant and I have a 1.5 year old to look after so I don't have a lot of free time at the moment
Wish that you mentioned that some bungeed wings are built so that the bungees do not force air out of the wing if punctured. Instead the bungee just provides structure to the wing to reduce the tacoing affect.
#askmark I hope my question will be noticed, even tho it is not under an askmark video:) Thanks for answering my first two questions. In a few months time I'll be moving to Norway and I don't really want to give up diving, so I was looking into drysuits, but there are so many options. Could you maybe break down the different types of drysuits and their (dis)advantages. I also would appreciate a recommendation for a budget drysuit that still isn't too much of a compromise. Thanks in advance:)
Sure, there are loads of brands depending on where you are. Scubapro Exodry, Waterproof D70, Fourth Element Hydra are all nice neoprene drysuits at affordable prices. Typhoon, Northern Diver, Otter are all good brands with budget ranges. I made a drysuit basics video a while back, it doesn't have specific models in it but, it might help: ua-cam.com/video/Gcy9bj4jxfw/v-deo.html
Wow, what a great tutorial as I intend to go with a back-plate and keep my AL Zuma as a spare.
I just recently bought my first BCD, I was going back and forth between which one, but ended up with the Apeks Exotec, I knew I was going to transition out of the jacket style as I want to start my public safety diving path but I can't wait to test it out this dive season as it fits pretty comfy, feels a lot like the SCBA I'm used to at the fire house
Quick answer: ASAP. You can even learn in a BP/W. Actually, you likely should.
I've never dove anything other than backplate and wing (and long hose primary donate). Some people call this a technical configuration - it's not. It's just the simplest, cleanest and most capable and that's why tech divers use it.
I'd put every no-experience diver in a backplate and wing. I can't see even a single advantage to jacket BCDs.
I've never understood the whole "pushes you face down on the surface" thing. Just lean back! Maybe deflate the wing a little if you really need to.
I'd say never bother with padded/recreational/comfort harnesses if you are using a wetsuit or drysuit. Save your cash. I'd recommend just buying a traditional DIR style harness and if you really need some padding make some neoprene sleeves to go over the shoulder straps to give you the padding that a wetsuit would normally provide. I think HOG sells some pre-made? I think Halcyon sells a "cinch system" which should improve the ability to don/doff an otherwise DIR style harness.
Really - simpler is better! More D-Rings, clips and padding is not better! Forget about any wing that has elastic on it (aka. bondage wings).
I'm also on team Single Tank Adaptor. Some people say they're not necessary but I think they're more solid.
Do you have a backplate and wing setup that you recommend? I'd like to go that route.
@trevortetzlaff there's many good options and it also depends on what area you're in as to what is cheapest... But I've never been disappointed by XDeep stuff. They have fancy ones (eg. Ghost), but honestly the baseline XDeep Xeos is all you need.
If you're in Europe maybe look into Tecline or DTD too.
🔥 thanks for sharing the wisdom! Gonna get me in the water more often. Really appreciate it. Your comment got me to look deeper into baseplate + wing setups and it seems to be a clear winner as far as setups go. Not sure why jackets are so ubiquitous…
I just tried a wing style BCD the first time and I m sold and got my own one. I always felt squeezed when inflating an normal BCD.
I still prefer the jacket style ones with integrated weights as it's more comfy for me than having the weights on a belt
Built my own Hogarthian BP/W, skeletal Al BP, donut double bladder, saved a mint, easily repairable, customisable
They're surprisingly cheap compared to 'rec' BCDs and fully customisable
I switched to a backplate wing from my hydros pro. I put it together myself using a backplate from dive gear express (highly recommend their gear), I added an Apex D18 bladder and 2 apeks cam bands. It's been great to dive with and don't see myself switching back. I feel the diving experience, buoyancy and freedom of movement is better. I don't like having a lot of stuff or material on me so it suits me. You're able to customize it the way you want it. With that being said the one thing I liked more about my hydros is the location of trim pockets and especially the ease of switching tanks. I find the backplate a little more difficult in that aspect. In any case, highly recommend trying it.
After getting my OW in May, I went straight to a BP/W DIR setup. Best decision of my life.
Привет! Вы только укрепили моё желание переходить на жесткую спинку)
I just got my open water cert and I'm trying to decide if I want to go straight to a BP/W or not. Great video
A lot of divers who dive BPW say they'll never go back to a recreational BCD. If you want a one and only BCD they're the most customisable.
I'm more than happy to dive a recreational BCD but, all of my own BCDs are backplates
What is the name of the "buckle" that can be seen at 11:25 in the video? The one that give a DIR style 2-inch webbing a little flexibility?
That one is a Mares XR SF2 Loop. There are quite a few similar designs such as the Agir Harpa and the Tecline Chinch
i learned to dive with a wing. i did a taster with the jacket but they let me choose what i used while learning. i bought the same wing when i began diving after the open water. the XDEEP ZEOS great lightweight wing
Yeah, the Zeos is a strong platform. It's great when divers are introduced to backplates so early so they know that the choice is available
@@ScubaDiverMagazine I only have one issue… it has no storage 😅 but my dry suit has had pockets attached to the legs so it’s no longer an issue
I prefer thigh pockets anyway, I struggle to reach pockets up around the rib cage
Thank you for another great video
Just purchased an Apeks Exotec, and headed to Aruba at the end of Feb to try it out. Out of the water, it doesn't seem too different from my original bcd - the aqualung (seaquest) balance. Thoughts on the exotec?
I just made a bpw bcd I can tell you I actually like the jacket style, last year my buddy and I decided to call off a dive and surface. We had a fairly long swim back to the boat, I was glad I was using my jacket, just laid back and swam to the boat, my buddy struggled more than I did.
The real answer is to pick the right kit for the dive. I use a wing for drysuit diving at home and a jacket BCD for traveling.
Sounds like you both need more dives tbh
@hawaiimike2678 or maybe I just prefer the convenience of my lightweight bcd when travelling and the benefits of a wing don't justify the hassle of breaking down and changing the backplate thenflying with, on what are frankly quite easy dives. When it is end of life I'll probably replace it with a Aqualung Dimension. The steel backplate and wing can stay at home.
This comment was made 20 seconds in for personal review:
I want to use BP n Wing bc I want to be more than a recreational diver. I want to get into cave diving and and my thoughts are that a BP and Wing is a system you keep for a long time and you can customise it to your needs.
Yeah, backplate systems are the most customizable for long-term diving. Sidemount is a popular choice for tighter caves but backplates are the strongest all-rounder
#ASKMARK Hi Mark, thoroughly enjoy the videos and podcasts and look forward to many more informative videos & pods. My question is an extension of your recent ‘choosing a backplate and wing’ video, and I ask if you could present the pros and cons of side-mounted tanks, buoyancy, trim, best tank positioning and additional weighting, if any, whilst predominantly using a 7mm neo-dry suit in most temperatures. Like twins, is there a means to breathe from both tanks rather than switching between tanks? I welcome your opinion as I'm between buying a twin back-mounted wing and backplate or side-mounted. Thanks Mark. Enjoyable and safe bottom time to all of our global diver buddies🤿😃👌
Sidemount is more flexible in and out of the water in most aspects but it can be a bit more 'fiddly'.
The only way to breathe from both simultaneously would be some kind of manifold or switching block. You would need to connect the two 1st stages which would limit your flexibility.
I tend to stick to twins in cold water just because they're easier with heavy gloves and I don't delve into many tight spaces.
Hello iam using a Mares Dragon BCD and i want to switch to Mares XR rec Tek , iam heavy and I fear that 17L is not enough.
Can you advice le ?
Unless you're diving with the BCD fully inflated underwater, you'll be fine. Remember your BCD is only there to compensate for any loss in buoyancy from compressing exposure protection and any excess -ve buoyancy from excess lead or heavy gear.
The Dragon has between 14-24kg of lift depending on size. If you're properly weighted and not carrying a lot of heavy equipment then 17 Liters of lift should be plenty. My holiday wing only has 8.2kg of lift which is plenty when I'm correctly weighted and only wearing a thin wetsuit.
I bought a Cressi Travel light BCD last year so far I only did 20 dives with it, I'm really thinking of buying the Xdeep Zen Deluxe, should I go for it immediately or use my Jacket style for more dives first ? Appreciate your insight
Mike
I personally love the Zen so I'll always recommend it. The deluxe will be a nice crossover and if it's in your budget, I would hang up my Travel Light. Most divers who transition to a wing-style BCD don't go back to jacket
A wonderful video again and very helpful, but I wonder which category is the bcd I got the Hollis S.M.S 75.
I don't know if it's a kind of hybrid, I would guess since it allows sidemount and back mount (single and twins).
SMS stands for Side Mount System doesn't it?
It's not an appropriate BCD if you are not doing sidemount.
This is true, but the Hollis SMS 75 is truly also a back mount bcd, which is strange, why did they call it: SMS when it's sidemount and back mount. They should have named them: SBMS 😯
DIR is the way. No (chinese) plastic parts, just single 3 meter webbing (Halcyon) with metal D-rings and stoppers. Simple and robust setup, easily and affordably changeable. 3mm steel backplate for drysuit diving and for travelling aluminium backplate. Donut wings - smaller one (OMS) for single cylinder diving, larger one (custom made Halcyon) for doubles.
DIR is a brand agnostic and risk adverse attitude / philosophy. It's not tied to any one brand.
Halcyon gear is good but tends to be pretty pricey in Europe (2-3 times the cost of comparable quality gear from other manufacturers, e.g. Xdeep, Apeks, Mares, OMS, Tecline etc, local gear tends to be more cost effective).
@@OisinHiggins Please elaborate your statement "risk adverse attitude / philosophy"? I personally see that agnostic approach is rather the otherway around and not taking too much or unneccesary gear with you that you most definitely do not need during your dive. It's riskier to have gear made out of plastic pieces and to have it break during the dive than robust gear.
My choice of webbing in backplate is Halcyon due my empirical experience; the webbing is not too pricy compared to other brands on the market and the webbing itself is not too rigid to feel comfortable with drysuit or with wetsuit. Yes, Halcyon equipment is expensive here in Europe. I am talking about piece of 3 meter long webbing that costs in my local dive store 33 euros compared to DirZone's 25 euro? So 8 euro difference...
@@Garwanen DIR is about being risk adverse by removing potential failure points and having redundancy without having unnecessary gear for the dive, we're in agreement about that. This is usually achieved by the use of quality modular gear and duplication of critical equipment e.g. buoyancy (redundant bladder wing or drysuit and wing), computer/bottom timer & gauge, regulators, DSMBs and spools/reels, mask/mask strap.
My point was that DIR doesn't necessarily mean strictly Halcyon, or OMS gear, thank you for clarifying these are your personal preferences. My point was that most manufacturers will offer a modular backplate & wing systems, and their components (bladders, webbing, tri-glides, d-rings, back-plate, inflator hose & head) can all be changed out when no longer performing without needing to scrap the full bcd jacket. Some manufacturers are more DIR / tech diving orientated than others and at various price points, I've found that Halcyon, OMS (and Apeks) are towards the upper end of the price point, and that similar 3m of Xdeep webbing is €15 rather than Halcyon's €33, similarly a single tank BP&W from Halcyon will be about €1,200 whereas the same from Xdeep will be €300-500.
In relation to plastic components, yeah my preference is also stainless steel triglides, d-rings and continuous webbing too, however in my experience plastic components tend to get broken on the surface/boat due to falls, careless or rough gear handling. It's up to each diver to weigh the added convenience of donning and doffing and risk of breakage of plastic clips vs the security and increased difficulty in donning and doffing of continuous webbing.
@@OisinHiggins Excellent points, I appreaciate your reply. Also my empirical experience is that just investing to DIR setup or most expensive gear/brand does not make you better diver. Unfortunately there are lots of divers that think (and believe) costly gear makes them better divers or worse, ready to face conditions that they do not have education nor experience in. This is something that SDM could do episode over.
Do you do dive meetups?
I'm always happy to go diving but I have a lot on right now. I'm renovating a house that I'm moving into, my wife is pregnant and I have a 1.5 year old to look after so I don't have a lot of free time at the moment
How yo choose the size off backplate ?
How do I get Tecline equipment shipped to the U.S.A.? I really want one of the peanut wings.
They're working on it. I spoke with them about a US Distributor and they're working out the red tape and logistics.
Thank you for this Video. 👌
Wish that you mentioned that some bungeed wings are built so that the bungees do not force air out of the wing if punctured. Instead the bungee just provides structure to the wing to reduce the tacoing affect.
#askmark I hope my question will be noticed, even tho it is not under an askmark video:) Thanks for answering my first two questions.
In a few months time I'll be moving to Norway and I don't really want to give up diving, so I was looking into drysuits, but there are so many options. Could you maybe break down the different types of drysuits and their (dis)advantages. I also would appreciate a recommendation for a budget drysuit that still isn't too much of a compromise. Thanks in advance:)
Sure, there are loads of brands depending on where you are. Scubapro Exodry, Waterproof D70, Fourth Element Hydra are all nice neoprene drysuits at affordable prices. Typhoon, Northern Diver, Otter are all good brands with budget ranges.
I made a drysuit basics video a while back, it doesn't have specific models in it but, it might help:
ua-cam.com/video/Gcy9bj4jxfw/v-deo.html
NO ONE talked about rotate like wash machine if you inflate wing BCD, solve this issue first
I like your shirt
#askmark
How is Sean doing?
Shaun is good. He's working in London now so he has a nasty commute twice a week but, he and his family are good.
An ad every 3 minutes? No thanks
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