• Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Briefing
  • In Depth
  • Travel
    • Americas & Caribbean
    • Asia Pacific
    • Europe
    • Red Sea & Africa
    • DIVE Travel Awards
  • Equipment
    • Kit Reviews
  • Learning
  • UW Photography
    • Featured Photographers
    • Featured Videographer
    • Underwater Camera Gear
  • Destination Guides
    • Egypt
      • Introduction
      • Sinai, Sharm & Dahab
      • Hurghada and the Bays
      • Liveaboards
      • Marine life
      • Wreck Dives
    • St Helena
      • Introduction
      • Topside
      • Dive Sites
      • Marine Life
      • Wreck Dives
      • Whale Sharks
    • Fiji
      • Introduction
      • Bligh Water, Lomativiti, Lau Groups
      • Beqa Lagoon & Kadavu Group
      • Taveuni & The Somosomo Strait
      • Mamanuca & Yasawa Group
      • Marine Life
    • Mexico
      • Introduction
      • Revillagigedos & Guadalupe
      • Sea of Cortez & Baja California
      • Cozumel • Riviera Maya • Isla Mujeres
      • Central Pacific
      • Cenote diving
    • Philippines
      • Philippines Introduction
      • Need to Know
      • Top dives
      • Marine Life
      • Coron Bay wrecks
      • Topside
      • Video playlist
DIVE Magazine logo

DIVE Magazine

Scuba Diving Luxury Travel Magazine

Review | Scubapro Go lightweight travel BCD

13 April 2017
4 minutes

By Mark 'Crowley' Russell

I have always been a big fan of Scubapro products – in large parts of the world they are the mainstay of the recreational dive world’s rental equipment: rugged, well-built dive kit designed to withstand the rigours of training, and so I was keen to give the new lightweight Scubapro Go BCD a try.

Unboxing the Scubapro Go

The first thing that came to mind once I unpacked the Scubapro Go I was sent for review is the material from which it is constructed. Scubapro have utilized 210 denier nylon which is the lowest rated material from which BCDs are constructed, and to compensate they have coated the exterior in Polyurethane which does give it an extra layer of resistance against abrasion, but it feels a bit ‘plasticky’ and I’d be hesitant of using it in environments where there was a chance of accidentally bumping into sharp objects.

That being said, the BCD does not otherwise suggest that the overall build quality is anything less than up to the same level as Scubapro’s usual standards, and where it excels is in the reduction in packing space, along with the light weight. The soft backplate means that it is foldable to the same dimensions as a sturdy walking jacket and is easily fitted into a piece of cabin baggage, saving a little bit of extra space in the hold luggage for other gear.

As an added bonus for travelling, the mesh used for the backpack and cummerbund is advertised as ‘water draining’ for quick drying, and it most certainly is. Just a few hours after the dive it was ready to pack again – very useful for the island-hopping travelling diver.

The rear tank strap and clamp is situated towards the bottom of the jacket to place the weight of the tank more around the hips than on the shoulders and, one assumes, to prevent compression of the soft backplate. The extra Velcro strap further up the jacket is, therefore, a welcome (and necessary) addition, and although it is much narrower than a second cam band, it is solid and keeps the tank exactly where you want it.

Some jackets with fully-flexible backplates do require a little extra care once they are fully set up, but the extra padding does not make the Scubapro Go feel as flimsy as some other travel BCDs, and hauling it on and off the boat presented no concerns that the material might tear. The padding makes the Go very comfortable to wear both at the surface and underwater.

The straps and cummerbund are well placed and create an excellent fit, although I would have liked the shoulder straps to have been a little wider, with a little more length to material underneath the swivelling shoulder clips. I am not certain they improved the overall fit in my personal case, however other divers on the boat with similar designs were quick to point out they preferred the swivelling clips.

Diving with the Scubapro Go

The power inflator mechanism works just fine but I do not like the placement of the inflator button, which is located on the same side of the mechanism – and right next to – the deflator. This is a common theme with all of Scubapro’s BCDs, but I vastly prefer a system where the inflator button is on the side of the mechanism and the deflator button at the top end of the hose. and maintain that this is a much better design.

The dump valves – which I tend to use underwater a lot more than the deflator mechanism – were easy to locate and use for both dumping air and buoyancy control.  

I have a small problem with the integrated weight pocket release mechanism which is, again, common to most of Scubapro’s BCDs. The pockets themselves are absolutely fine, very sturdy and zippered to prevent accidental weight loss, but the quick-release system does not have the ‘pull-and dump’ handles which are present on many other BCDs.

The pinch-clips are the same design that is used for belly-straps and while they are very easy to operate both as a diver and as a buddy, it does remove the obvious visual cue of prominent handles. There’s nothing that immediately stands out as ‘pull here to ditch weights’ so it’s a definite case of making sure the dive team is aware of what to do in an emergency which – as always – hopefully, we’re all doing anyway.

On the plus side, the weight system is very secure so there’s little chance of accidental pocket loss, and given that the BCD – as advertised – has very little inherent buoyancy, it does remove the need for excess ballast.

The side pockets are easy to access and are large enough to hold essential pieces of gear and a few slates but are quite narrow – especially if you use the integrated weights – and were a tight fit for my 1.5m-long DSMB. Ordinarily, I would clip this to one of the 6 aluminium D-rings so there is plenty of storage space overall (the strap that keeps my SMB rolled up was broken) so it’s an indicator as to pocket size, rather than a complaint.

Conclusion

I have to say that this BCD grew on me, and as a compact, lightweight travel BCD it’s a very good product. I would hesitate to invest in one as a general all-purpose BCD for regular use in different environments, but for the diver who travels once or twice a year for easy, tropical, recreational diving, the Scubapro Go would be a very reasonable choice.

Specifications

Material / denier: Polyurethane coated 210 denier nylon
Backplate: fully flexible
Integrated weights: yes
D-rings: 4 large, 2 small, aluminium
Max. lift: 10.2kg (XS) – 19.4kg (XL)
Dry weight: 2.4kg (XS) – 2.7kg (XL)

RRP: £339

  • About
  • Latest Posts
Mark 'Crowley' Russell
Mark 'Crowley' Russell
Crowley (known to his mum as Mark), packed in his IT job in 2005 and spent the next nine years working as a full-time scuba diving professional. He started writing for DIVE in 2010 and hasn't stopped since.
Mark 'Crowley' Russell
Latest posts by Mark 'Crowley' Russell (see all)
  • Komodo manta aggregations among largest in the world - 17 May 2022
  • Scuba diving drug mule found drowned in Australia - 10 May 2022
  • Ras Mohammed diving suspended due to shark attack risk - 2 May 2022

Filed Under: Equipment, Kit Reviews Tagged With: BCDs & Wings, Scubapro

Related articles

Scubapro free octopus offer returns

Scubapro free octopus offer returns

Scubapro launches new Level BCD

Scubapro launches new Level BCD

New Scubapro GO travel-friendly BCD

New Scubapro GO travel-friendly BCD

New Scubapro S270 entry-level regulator

New Scubapro S270 entry-level regulator

Scubapro’s new Aladin A2 dive computer

Scubapro’s new Aladin A2 dive computer

New Scubapro Hydros X BCD

New Scubapro Hydros X BCD

  • About
  • Latest Posts
Mark 'Crowley' Russell
Mark 'Crowley' Russell
Crowley (known to his mum as Mark), packed in his IT job in 2005 and spent the next nine years working as a full-time scuba diving professional. He started writing for DIVE in 2010 and hasn't stopped since.
Mark 'Crowley' Russell
Latest posts by Mark 'Crowley' Russell (see all)
  • Komodo manta aggregations among largest in the world - 17 May 2022
  • Scuba diving drug mule found drowned in Australia - 10 May 2022
  • Ras Mohammed diving suspended due to shark attack risk - 2 May 2022

Footer

sq kemps ridleys

FOLLOW DIVE

  • E-mail
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Want to access DIVE on your tablet or smartphone? Press the Apple, Android or PC/Mac image below to download the app for your device

Footer Apple Footer Android Footer Mac-PC

More from DIVE

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With DIVE Magazine
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions

Copyright © 2022 · Site by Syon Media