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Specifications
| Style | Back Buoyancy |
| Warranty | Two-Year Limited |
| Size/Buoyant Lift (in lbs.) | Regular-34, Big-34 |
| Integrated-Weight System | Yes |
| Dry Weight | 5 lbs., 4 oz. (Size R) |
| Price | $440 |
| www.watermark1.com | |
Features:
- Designed to fit all divers with only two sizes
- Rear-positioned ripcord weight system
- Unique backpad with additional support for lumbar area
- Removable crotch strap
Performance:
The TravLite positions its two integrated-weight pouches alongside the tank. Each zippered pouch takes up to 14 pounds of ballast. Since the pouches are behind you, they have to be loaded before you climb into the BC, making it harder to heft the rig onto your back. That also means you can’t remove weights before climbing out of the water. Both issues made it harder for test divers to use this system compared with the other integrated-weight systems. However, ditching weights couldn’t be easier. Just pull the single yellow handle on the right shoulder and all ballast drops. The TravLite offers a comfortable fit with an uncluttered chest area and nice padding in the lumbar area. It comes with a removable crotch strap but no cargo pockets. Test divers found the soft pack and dual tank-strap system caused the rig to wobble, and together with the positioning of the ballast weights sometimes created a roll effect.
Bottom Line:
Test divers liked the design and feel of the TravLite, but the lack of stability was a drawback. It also carries about 2-and-a-half pounds of inherent buoyancy, among the highest of this year’s tests.
| June 2010 Issue Scuba Lab Review Quick Links | |
|---|---|
| General-Purpose BCs | |
| While they can be used for any type of diving, general purpose BCs are designed primarily for temperate- and/or cold-water diving with 7mm wetsuits or drysuits. General Purpose BCs tend to offer lots of buoyant lift across their size ranges along with heavy-load integrated weight systems. They often have large cargo pockets and larger D-rings for attaching additional gear. | |
| Aeris EX100 | Aeris EX200 |
| Aqua Lung Pro QD | Aqua Lung Pro LT |
| IST J-1000 Alpha | IST J-1200 Hydro D |
| ScubaMax Versa 3000 | SCUBAPRO Seahawk |
| SeaSoft Sealion | Sherwood Tortuga |
| Zeagle Tech 10 | |
| Travel BCs | |
| Travel BCs are lighter and more compact than General Purpose BCs. Many are designed to fold or stow in handy storage pouches for easy globe-trotting. Travel BCs tend to offer less buoyant-lift capacity and smaller weight pouches to suit warm-water diving scenarios. | |
| Aqua Lung Zuma | Cressi Aquapro 5 |
| SCUBAPRO Geo | SCUBAPRO Litehawk |
| SeaSoft Travlite | Zeagle Express/Deluxe |
| Women's BCs | |
| Women are shaped differently than men, so it makes sense that a women’s BC would be shaped differently too. Women’s BCs are often cut higher along the waist and are more expansive in the chest area. Straps and adjustments accommodate shorter, narrower torsos, and power inflators are ultracompact to fit comfortably into smaller hands. | |
| BARE Curve | Sherwood Luna |
| Tusa Selene II | |
