I am looking for a new BC....I travel alot and a light weight BC is important....probably around 7 lbs. Currently looking at the new Seaquest Latitude XLT. Like the Jacket style. Any suggestions?
Travel BC
I am looking for a new BC....I travel alot and a light weight BC is important....probably around 7 lbs. Currently looking at the new Seaquest Latitude XLT. Like the Jacket style. Any suggestions?
Last edited by TravelnSJ; 02-17-2007 at 03:18 PM.
Its not jacket style but have you thought or tried a plastic backpack? For single tank tropical diving they are excellent.
http://www.diveimports.com/index.php...d&productId=20 Heres one for referance but theres no need to pay big bucks for one. Just get an old jacket that has one in it and pull it out buy a couple of metres of webbing and a buckle and add a cam band and your set. If you want to add D-rings you can and if you want a wing i know the small Oxycheq ones like this. http://www.oxycheq.com/Wings-SS.html work. Just feed the cam band through the top holes and attach to your tank.
http://www.scubaonline.com.au/online...&ProductType=1 Heres another link to one by Apollo down here. Couldnt find it on the International site but gives a bit of an idea.
Matt
Thanks Matt for the heads us.....I've looked at Deep Sea Supply and almost got the plastic back plate and small wing.....by the time I add pockets harness and all the goodies I like I am up to about 9lbs......I perfer a Jacket style and finding the travel BC's are a pound or so lighter...at least in comparing the Cressi Aqualight and Seaquest Latitude.....Do not know anything about Cressi....I have had an Aqualung cruise I like....but it is getting old!
If you prefer a jacket style then thats the one to get as a backpack or backplate will just bug you. When i dive in the tropics my rig is a backpack and wing with a UK4 clipped to a D-ring and bungied so it doesnt dangle similar to the DIR way. Have a safety sausage bungied to the tank and a small reel clipped to the waist D-ring. If i take a slate thats a wrist mounted one and computer and compass are also wrist mounted. Camera gets clipped to a chest D-ring if its not in my hand and for any night diving i run a canister light and thats on the waist webbing. You may dive entirely different but i hope this helps.
Matt
check out the XS Scuba travel model. it weighs 5 lbs and is priced reasonably. I believe the model is called the Champion.
Scott,
I know what you are looking for. I was a few weeks away from an 18 hour flight to a far off land and I had all my dive gear layed out on the floor in my front room and noticed that my BC was the biggest Item of the lot. I stopped by a friends scuba shop and bought a BC that was just a bladder, tank mount and a few straps to hold it all together. I could roll up the BC to the size of a paper towel roll. believe it or not I took my whole dive kit with me as a carry on, besides wieghts and tanks of course. the BC was a Mares Jubilee wing.
Mike
Last edited by Bubble Maker; 04-24-2007 at 02:19 AM. Reason: because
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I just bought a travel BC too, after a trip to Thailand and going over my weight limit by a few Kg.
I got an Oceanic Islander, was on special in the local dive shop; only S$450. Great value or money, its compact, light and back inflation.
James
Why not consider a "wing" type BC and use a light weight backplate (i.e. Aluminum) ? There is virtually no weight to a wing.
Aeris makes a Reef Rider jacket style bc that only weighs 6.5 lbs. http://www.diveaeris.com/p_bcs_reefrider.html
best travel BC i know of are the very old ZEAGLE's nothing on them but bladder and webbing. and a few clips
a good alternative is smallish bladder+plastic BP w/webbing and a few plastic D-rings.
not to forget a pouch or 2
very light
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