#28739
RAWalker - 4/10/2009 3:35 PM


In a BCD brand and model mean little as long as it is from one of the well known brands. That said I tend to stay away from the brands that overly regulate the price they allow dealers to charge. Manufacturers Authorized Retail price (MARP) This isn’t the same as MAP Minimum Advertized Price. The difference allows dealers to discount gear as long as they don’t advertize for less than what the manufacturer authorizes.


Also some internet retailers are fully authorized by manufacturers while others are not. This may have it’s reprocussions if warranty coverage is needed. You do need to be aware of these issues even when purchasing locally.


My advise about BCDs is fairly simple otherwise. Purchase a BCD that uses some form of back inflation and get used to using it from the get go. This type of bladder or wing has much better swiming characteristics than the jacket BC with it’s wrap around bladder. Jacket style tend to squeeze the diver when inflated. Many people prefer them because they will keep you higher out of the water on the surface. This type of use is a flaw at any rate since the BCD should only keep your head out of the water. Back inflator styles do this perfectly if you don’t over inflate them. If you do overinflate them they can tend to lean you forward unless you lean back considerably to counter.


Many people seem to go through a progression of BC first purchasing a jacket style then a hybrid Jacket back inflator and often later moving to a Backplate and wing design of the type used for tech diving. Their is no reason not to skip to the later styles. The Backplate and wing is more versatile as it is a modular system and can be altered and adapted to more types of diving environments. It does however require the diver to become more knowledgeable about the equipment and it’s proper set up for these varied environments. Hybrid back inflator jackets give you the same basics as a standard jacket style with the better swimming characteristics. These may be a better overall choice for a beginner since they require no more knowledge of the equipment than the standard jacket BC.


Hope this helps. Have fun shopping.