BCD's: Backplate & wing vs. Jacket-style

I constantly see online arguments about different buoyancy control device (BCD) configurations, and why one is “better” than the other. Truth be told, a BCD is a BCD… they all do the same thing. Sure, different styles will fit and feel differently, but the whole point of wearing a BCD is to help you control your buoyancy and position in the water. Most styles even work exactly the same, with similar inflation / deflation methods and locations. In recreational-level diving, wearing one style versus the other really isn't going to affect your diving, as long as you grow in comfort and proficiency with that piece of equipment.

This article is meant to compare and contrast a backplate and wing style BCD (also known as a BPW), and a more traditional jacket-style BCD. I’ll present basic information about how each style works and fits, some of their pros & cons, and then conclude the article with my own personal opinions. Different gear works best for different divers and their own personal styles of diving. What works for me, might not be the best option for you, and vice versa.

Jacket-style BCD’s are the more traditional configurations of equipment associated with beginning scuba diver training and recreational diving all over the world. As the name states, the BCD fits the diver sort of like a jacket, wrapping around the body and inflating along the diver’s back and torso. They typically have quick-release plastic buckles & quick-adjustment webbing features over the chest, belly and shoulder straps.

PROS:

• Very stable on the surface - Floats the diver vertically when positively buoyant on the surface (kind of floats upright like a fishing bobber!)

• Usually lots of pockets & D-rings for storing SMB, defogger, picking up trash collected during the dive, etc.

• Almost every dive shop sells them - as that’s (usually) what they train students in.

• Also very common in rental lines around the world, so if you plan on renting diving equipment when you travel, this configuration is typically what you’ll wear.

• Often jacket-styles are built with more padding and cushioning, so they can be more comfortable to wear, especially in warmer climates where the diver might not wear a wetsuit.

CONS:

• Plastic buckles are failure points! They can get brittle and break (and it's not pretty).

• Webbing adjustment points tend to loosen over the course of the dive as the material gets wet and stretches. This means the gear tends to “ride up” on the diver, and can float up way over the diver’s shoulders and crowd their neck/face, sometimes leading to feelings of claustrophobia.

• More difficult to maintain trim (flat, stable skydiver-like position) during the dive.

• More material means more positively buoyant… which typically means the diver will need to wear more weight to maintain neutral buoyancy.

• Less streamlined = more drag … which means it’s more work swimming from point A to point B. This leads to a higher gas consumption rate, which shortens your dives.

• Fit isn’t always perfect, especially for women. I’ve seen so many divers in kits too big for them, so they end up fighting the gear and not enjoying the dive as much.

• When something breaks (ie. a broken shoulder strap, buckle, leaking air bladder, etc.), you’ll often either have to send the entire kit to the manufacturer for repair, or replace the entire kit.

Backplate & Wing Style BCD’s are traditionally associated with technical diving, but in recent years have been widely accepted into the recreational field. These kits are completely modular, consisting of a solid backplate (made of aluminum, steel or carbon fiber), 2” webbing that acts as the shoulder, waist and crotch straps, a wing that provides the kit with lift, and a tank adapter to attach the BCD to the tank.

PROS:

• The BCD is fit and adjusted to YOUR body. There are different lengths of backplate available for folks with different torso lengths, but there are no “small, medium, large, xl” kits. The webbing is fitted to your physical build, so it fits exactly the same every single time and never loosens up mid-dive.

  • This makes this configuration an excellent choice for young/adolescent divers; as they go through growth spurts, they can simply take out their webbing, instead of having to buy a whole new BCD in a larger size.

• Since everything is modular, if something is worn out or damaged (ie. the webbing tears), only that component needs to be replaced.

  • For folks who enjoy artifact hunting, spearfishing, dive in harsher environments, or dive very often, investing in a BPW that can easily be repaired will extend the longevity of your equipment.

• Super easy to customize for your style of diving. Want to add an extra D-ring for your spearfishing stringer? Maybe you’re getting into technical diving and need to switch to a larger wing to accommodate for doubles. It’s really simple to tailor the kit to your specific needs.

• Streamlined design minimizes drag, making it easier to swim through the water.

• Typically a BPW consists of less material, so the diver won’t need to wear as much weight (especially if using a steel backplate-which is negatively buoyant itself).

• The kit is designed to hold you in trim (flat) in the water column when adjusted correctly.

• This configuration requires self-reflection: how do I feel in the water? Is my kit evenly balanced? Do I feel head/foot heavy? This is why I love putting open water students in a BPW; it requires them to think about their positioning and comfort, then make adjustments from there.

CONS:

• Having a crotch strap can take a bit to get used to, if you are used to and/or were trained in a kit without one.

  • However, once you get used to having one, a crotch strap significantly improves the fit of the equipment by keeping the tank closer to the diver's lower back, helping them stay stable and in control of the gear.

• More difficult to get into/out of, as a BPW traditionally doesn’t have quick-adjustment capabilities to loosen and/or tighten to webbing to get help the diver don or doff the kit.

  • Some manufacturers (such as Halcyon) have recently been addressing this issue, and building quick adjust systems that don’t compromise the strength and durability of the webbing (ie: don't involve plastic buckles).

• In a rescue scenario in which a diver must quickly remove equipment from an unconscious or injured diver on the surface, the webbing must be cut for a quick and easy removal. In a jacket-style, the plastic buckles offer a fast way to get gear off the victim.

  • If you chose to dive a BPW, I highly recommend attaching a low-profile cutting device to your kit. I use this DiveRite Line Cutter in case my buddy needs to cut my equipment off me in an emergency situation.

• Typically doesn’t come with many "accessories," such as pockets for storage, back & shoulder padding, etc. (these things can easily be added, but usually aren't included in the kit).

In my own opinion and experience, a backplate & wing configuration offers a diver lots of flexibility and customization that a jacket-style doesn’t offer. A BPW will grow with a diver’s experience, and can be used for many, many years in a variety of environments and settings. Since the kit is literally built for your body, the fit is way better (especially for women!), and thus it is far more comfortable in the water. There are plenty of brands you can compare the price of, but ultimately either style of BCD will cost roughly the same.

I train my students in Halcyon equipment, which is made in High Springs, Florida. This gear is pricey, but you truly get what you pay for. They’re made with high-quality materials, they have lots of customization options, and the staff is constantly re-designing and tweaking things to make their gear the absolute best it can be. There are other manufactures that build high-quality BPW's as well, such as DiveRite, who also build their products in the USA and are based in Lake City, Florida.

Whatever style of BCD you decide to use, the only thing that matters is that you develop confidence and get comfortable in your equipment. Figure out what works best for you! Sure, there are pros and cons to any configuration, but remember, we learned to dive for the fun of it, and so we could enjoy sights of the underwater world. Wouldn’t it be easier if we could just grow gills?

Happy diving!