really having trouble decidin

[chewyjr15]

im having trouble deciding what bcd to choos. I will be diving in californai in the ocean where in the summer ocean temps are gonne be up to or below 50 degrees, also i will be dicing with an al80 but will eventually move up to a hp100 or 120. I am 6 foot 200 pounds.

THanks
!

also reliability and longevity are an issue i wan it to last a long time!

[NitroWill]

Well..could use a little more information from you..

What kind of diving? Whats your budget? Anything you've looked at and liked?

I think a lot of the BCs ST carries are pretty solid options. I just got my brigade from them which seems to have a huge line of followers - will let you know my opinion after tomorrow

[greyzen]

Don't feel alone chewyjr...

I'm 6'3"(ish) but kinda "fluffy" in the middle. I've been using a Knighthawk (size: XL) and I swear I should bump up to a XXL.
I like the overall look/feel of the Knighthawk (though the lumbar is a little hard on the back pre-water) and I like the weight system/pouch's/etc. of the unit.

It just seems like I can't strap the tank low enough to keep from smacking myself in the back of the head as soon as I get wet. The belting isn't too tight, I just don't know if its the brand fit, or the size of the thing... it seems to come up a little short for us longer torso kinda people.

[chewyjr15]

recreational diving and im looking at the zeagle brigade but i dont know if it has enough lift for me and none of my LDS carry them so i cant try one on.

[ScubaToys Larry]

It's going to fit exactly the same as a ranger, as it's a ranger harness, and there is no problem if you think it's for you... I can size you on the phone (you can customize the shoulders and waist panels to fit perfect) and if you don't like the fit - we even pay the shipping back.

As far as lift - that will be a question of how much weight you want on the BC. If you are going to use a steel tank - you are about 8 - 10 lbs negative there. The Brigade bladder has 35 lbs of lift - so if you put about another 10-12 in the BC, or about 20 lbs with an aluminum tank - you should be fine.

When I wear over that, I put the rest on a weight belt.

The whole thing is you don't want so much lead in a BC that it won't support itself with about 8-10 lbs to spare.

Give a shout if I can help!

[chewyjr15]

ok so i should be fine but if i need more than 20 pounds wear a belt is what you are saying?

[deepdiver47]

that is always an option and is what many people who dive in cold water do as their wetsuit thicknesses are huge.

You will love an integrated weight system

[chewyjr15]

So I should be just fine in a Brigade?

[ScubaToys Larry]

I believe so. I dive the brigade ranging from wearing 6 lbs of lead in it, to up to 26 lbs... But when using that much weight, I stick 10 on a belt and 16 in the BC.