women's B.C's

[Mithril]

hey again ladies! I was wondering what women's B.C's you think are the best, i'm in the market for one of my own, ive been renting one thats ok but have heard somewhere along the line that the zeagle brand is really good for women? I need one for both warm and cold water diving that is good for my curvy shape (weight integrated- forget those weight belts!) ive had a good look but i feel spoilt for choice since there is quite a few on the market and now i'm all confused... Lol

[tx.lakerat]

Zegale makes some great womens bcd's my sister own's one and loves it. All the women on staff at our shop dive the zegale stilleto. you might want to check those out as well. They aren't make for "women" but have great cut's to fit very well - and can be mixed and matched (with bladders and shoulders) to custom fit you. VERY nice feature!

[Disneymom]

Mithril, I was having the same problem. I narrowed it down to 2 - the Genesis Athena and the Zeagle Zena. What I don't know for sure is if either of these are cold-water compatible. What I do know is they were both exceptionally comfortable, and my first choice would've been the Zena, but I was made a 'too-good-to-pass-up' deal at a LDS (that I needed to build a repoire with anyway) on the Athena. I'm happy with my choice, it is a great BC, very comfortable. If either of those suit your needs, you can't go wrong.

[creggur]

My wife has the Zena and loves it... Having said that if you are going for a more conventional style BCD I would look at the Brigade. You get the heavy duty straps and D-rings from the Ranger with a 35lb lift wing. And it's actually less expensive than the Stilleto. Since it is modular they can do a custom fit for you. I love mine, and I think lucidblue has one, maybe she can chime in here for a womans perspective on it.

Oh and Zeagle has the best IMHO integrated weight system out there..
Good luck..

[94GTStang]

My fiance has a Seaquest Eva and really likes it. However it is discontinued but they replaced it with the Seaquest Diva which is slightly better than the Eva. I'd also recommend checking out the Tusa Selene

[Liv7301]

Originally Posted by creggur

My wife has the Zena and loves it... Having said that if you are going for a more conventional style BCD I would look at the Brigade. You get the heavy duty straps and D-rings from the Ranger with a 35lb lift wing. And it's actually less expensive than the Stilleto. Since it is modular they can do a custom fit for you. I love mine, and I think lucidblue has one, maybe she can chime in here for a womans perspective on it.

Oh and Zeagle has the best IMHO integrated weight system out there..
Good luck..

I dive with a Brigade and so far have been very happy with it. Being a plus size girl I definitely benefited from the custom fit options with the waist/shoulders. Also I love not feeling the midsection squeeze since it is a back inflate. It has helped with my trim because I tend to be a low-butt swimmer if you know what I mean and the back inflate has helped even a lot of that out. There are actually several other women I know that dive with Brigades and have similar happy experiences. I believe DallasDiveGirl is one of them. Hope this helps!

[Zenagirl]

The best BC to recommend to you is the one that fits you well....regardless of brand, or what any of us wear.

I dive a Zeagle Zena, but I don't think it's the best choice for cold water diving in a dry suit. If you're going to wear a 7mm wet suit, then a Zena would be fine. Some folks don't like the corset (zip up) design and prefer a cumberbun, so you'd definitely have to try it out for yourself. Personally, I hate the cumberbun design as I find it impossible to cinch it down enough to keep my BC from riding up....thus the Zena is perfect for me since it has a corset and fitted to the entire torso instead of just the waist.

Whatever you do, don't get hung up on "womens" or "mens" suits. Try on as many as you can and pick based on fit and comfort.

[Subaqua]

Hello,
i did not have a chance to try the Zeagle models, but I have the Ladyhawk (scubapro) and I really like it. I dive mostly in cold water, but sometimes in warm water. It's not too big to pack when travelling. Between the choices that I had (men and women BC), it was the one that felt the most comfortable.

Good luck to find the perfect BC for you!

[MelC]

I ended up buying a Dive Rite Transpac and I love it. It has a great adjustable fit to it, no squeeze and, most important to me, it is swappable for different wings etc. Since I live in Canada but dive tropically a couple of trips a year I wanted to make sure i had that versatility. It comes with integrated weight pockets that mount on the waist strap. I travel with the 30lb Travel Wing and it packs up nice and small. I almost went for the Zeagle Zena though and I know others who have it who are really happy with it.

Mel

[dallasdivergirl]

I have a brigade and love it in the water. I rarely have much weight or air in it at all.

One thing I noticed this last weekend in my first shore dives was that my lower back was getting sore either from walking with the tank or I had the waist too tight. Those bones stick out for me in back.