Cressi Light Jac

Cressi Light Jac

Features

Cressi's Back Jac General Purpose back-buoyancy BC has been such a hit that Cressi decided to design a lighter, vacation version. The Light Jac has a simplified harness made with 420 denier nylon, a high-lift back-buoyancy air cell and an elastic bungee system to maintain a streamlined profile. The BC comes with a Lock Aid integrated weight system and features a remote exhaust valve on the right shoulder, rare for a back-buoyancy BC. Three pre-bent stainless steel D-rings and one drop pocket plus a pair of snap-lock rings handle extra gear.

Performance

The Light Jac offers a lot of adjustment with its long shoulder straps and adjustable cummerbund. The elastic sternum strap is well-positioned and does a good job of keeping shoulder straps pulled in. However, this BC has a tendency to be uncomfortably high-waisted, especially on tall divers. Otherwise, the thick padding and wide straps provide a comfortable and secure fit when wearing thin wetsuits or diving bare-backed. The BC carries way more buoyant lift than you'll probably ever need for tropical diving, but it doesn't seem to get in the way. The remote right shoulder dump is a really nice feature that we found on only one other back-buoyancy BC in this review (the Ranger LTD). Weight pouches load easily; a finger ridge, sort of a guide, is helpful when inserting the buckles. Weight pouches also ditch easily and are easy to hold onto. The drop down pocket is large enough for a light and a slate, but the Velcro opening is tucked up under the weight system and can be a little hard to find.

Bottom Line

The Light Jac, with a full hard pack with bolt holes for mounting doubles, and almost as much lift as the original Back Jac, can almost be considered a Tec friendly traveler.