Andy,

If you would like to have something you will use for your entire life of diving and not have to break the bank, I would say go with a backplate and a wing. You can get a backplate with all of the straps and buckles for about $150 USD and a wing for about $200-250 USD. That is about $400 USD, which is less expensive than most of the BC's out there.

This setup will work for easy warm water tropical dives as well as technical dives in the cold North Atlantic and everywhere else you can think of. They are easy to pack and are lightweight and compact. You can get the backplate in Stainless Steel, Aluminum or even hi-tec plastics.

You can get your wing for single tanks, double tanks and even some that work with both. Your local dive shop is going to try to sell you something different that they can make more money on, BUT this is the way to go.

If you have any questions, let me know and I am sure I can help, if not I know one of the other divers here will be able to.