Ask Joe & Larry

Which should I buy first, a BCD or a Regulator?

Buy them both!! Right Now!

Just kidding... In fact that is a very common question from new divers, and my answer might be a little different than what other people say. I'd say buy the BCD first.

If two people walk into our shop that both need to rent regs and BCD's for the weekend, either person can use any reg we have. But they might not be able to wear the same BCD. Maybe one needs a small, and one a large.

Also, when it comes down to it, all regulators work about the same. You put the second stage in your mouth and breathe. But BC's have a lot of different, unique features. Some have integrated weights, some have a pull dump, maybe one or two bottom dumps, maybe a shoulder dump. Also some are wrap-around vest style inflation, some back flotation. Some may have an integrated octo on the power inflator, and there are a host of power inflator configurations. Not to mention, there are now Women's BCD's that fit most women much better than a standard mans bcd.

Will all this variation, it is very helpful to be more familiar with your BC than your reg when it comes right down to it. Also, if you own your BCD, you can start customizing up the way you wear your gear. You'll know how far down to mount the tank for comfort. Then you can put a clip here, a retractor there, and a knife attached on this thing. Then you'll know where everything is - and you can just hook up any regulator to the system and it will still feel the same.

Admittedly, a reg setup is a pretty easy sell in a dive shop.."That's your air supply.. don't trust that to rental gear!" I've heard that many a time in a shop.. but the reality is also the cheapest reg setup will set you back about $400 - and for less than that you can have a top notch BCD. And a top notch reg setup with octo and computer could run up to $1000 plus pretty easy.. (no wonder they push the reg first normally!)

Not that there is anything wrong with getting a reg setup first.. Just to me, it makes more sense to get the BCD first so you can become more comfortable in it, then get the regulator setup later.


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