Zeagle Brigade or BP/W?

[bent]

I am a person that researches the crap out of something before I buy it. My wife talks about how much time I spend doing that, but now it seems she started picking up the habit. So I have been researching BCDs for a while, and sometimes the more you learn about things, the more unsure you really are.

I haven't dove with a back inflate yet, but I do feel a little claustrophobic with the jacket style. I can't really say I fit the mold of a certain type of diver as I like to dive in all sorts of positions. I don't like to be held back by a reg or bc that doesn't perform well in vertical or any other position I feel like being in.

I'd have to say there is a very good chance I will do some tech. Not guns blazing and a ton of gear, but I do plan on venturing into that territory from time to time. Though I haven't ruled out any other products at this time, I currently feel drawn toward the Zeagle Brigade or a BP/W setup. I am not tech certified at the moment, but I would like a little growing room. Remember, I am not going all out tech. I simply want enough tech to get beyond the bounds of rec limits to be able to visit the deeper wrecks. I don't think I will have the drive or funding to go full tech.

So the questions is, what do you guys think is the best solution for this situation? Zeagle Brigade, BP/W, or something else?

Thanks for your input.

Marcus

[comet24]

If your going to be going doubles you want a BP/W. Add a stage bottle and you really want a BP/W.

You can get a BP/W with a smaller single tank wing and latter add a double's wing when you need it. You can swap wings easy enough to dive single or doubles and keep the same plate and harness. This is what I do now even though I have an extra plate.

[bent]

Originally Posted by comet24

If your going to be going doubles you want a BP/W. Add a stage bottle and you really want a BP/W.

You can get a BP/W with a smaller single tank wing and latter add a double's wing when you need it. You can swap wings easy enough to dive single or doubles and keep the same plate and harness. This is what I do now even though I have an extra plate.

How comfortable is the BP/W compared to a standard Back inflate bc? I wish I could try one out, but you never see them for rent.

[comet24]

I find them to be very comfortable. Once you get them adjusted your set and they are not hard to get setup. I was hesitant when I switched over. I tried the Transplate harness from DR first and hated it.

I now have a setup from Deep Sea Supply with a 26 lbs wing for singles and a 49 lbs for doubles. If all your doing is a single tank diving a standard BC is fine but when you move into doubles you really want a BP.

[fisheater]

I own both a Brigade and a BP/W (DSS plate, with plate weights & hog harness, Oxy wing).

I hate to say this, but my BP/W wins, hands down. It's just as, if not more, comfortable on the surface and there's no comparison on surface swims or with my underwater trim.

[it_mike]

+1 for bp/w vs. Brigade

Where in the US are you? Perhaps you can find someone willing to let you try their bp/w.

[bent]

Originally Posted by it_mike

+1 for bp/w vs. Brigade

Where in the US are you? Perhaps you can find someone willing to let you try their bp/w.

Jackson, TN. It doesn't take me long to get to Memphis or Nashville.

[IndyDiver]

Originally Posted by it_mike

+1 for bp/w vs. Brigade

Where in the US are you? Perhaps you can find someone willing to let you try their bp/w.

I had a brigade and a bp/w for a while. Sold the brigade and now only have the bp/w. So +1 on the bp/w for me too.

A lot of people who have a bp/w would be more than willing to go diving with you to let you try it out. This board, divematrix.com, and clubs like Chicago Scuba Meetup and Texas Swamp Divers would be excellent places to hook up with someone depending on your location. If you live north of Tennessee, it is probably pretty late in the year to do it, though.

Edit: Crossed posts. I see you ARE in Tennessee.

[DevilDiver]

Same story here......

I purchased a Brigade 5 years ago and loved it compared to my first jacket style BC (I still have the Brigade). When I changed over to BP/W I was a little concerned if it would make that much of a difference and of course it did. I have not dove the Brigade in over a year (I will still take it out to the lake every now and again, mostly to let students try something other than the rentals provided).

As far as traditional BC's the Brigade is one of the best out there but BP/W is by far the better option all around.

When I started I did not have anyone with equipment other than the basic rec gear and Scuba Diving Magazine to base my choices on and I purchased gear that did not evolve with me and my diving. Thanks to other divers and places like this forum I have found other options and opinions that have opened my eyes.

[Vercingetorix]

I used a Brigade during OW; enjoyed the rear-inflate. By dive #6, I had a BP/W with a steel plate and 35# wing (GolemGear). I've since added an aluminum plate. I use a hog harness; very cheap, very easy to maintain.

Those who have not used a BP/W may try to convince you that a BP/W is more difficult to don/doff than a BCD. Or that it causes you to be forced face-down on the surface.

Neither statement is true. I can "chicken-wing" out or slip it over my head very quickly to doff. And, on the surface, I've not been forced face-down unless I over-inflated the wing (the situation is the same with all rear-inflates). Sometimes I do overinflate the wing and lie back on it like an air mattress. Very relaxing while awaiting other divers to enter.