i have a bca one, and so far so good. at the end of the year, when i pull the cord, it goes off!
ABS vs. BCA Avy bags
- Thread starter Summit74
- Start date
I have had both ABS and BCA. I use BCA now because I use all of their gear and it is "one stop shopping". I see they put a lot of effort into the sled world with their other Avy products since they entered the Airbag market.
Like everything there are pros and cons to each product.......but in general they both work amazingly well.
Make sure you not only have the gear, but you practice with it, your riding partners have it, and please take an accredited AST1 16 hour session as a minimum.
Safe sleddin
RS
Like everything there are pros and cons to each product.......but in general they both work amazingly well.
Make sure you not only have the gear, but you practice with it, your riding partners have it, and please take an accredited AST1 16 hour session as a minimum.
Safe sleddin
RS
Mike would be a good one to ask, he has done 2 avy classes for us and is great. I have a ABS pack for this exact reason, psi loss. Not sure if it is a valid reason or not but that got me thinking.
What if you filled them semi cold, say at even 20 degrees. You would have less loss when it got cold and I would think the canister could handle the little bit of extra pressure when it got warm. I don't even know if they can be filled cold or not, just crossed my mind.
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Covelli44
Well-known member
I apologize for leaving out in my post that even tho 82psi sounds like a large number, when you are dealing with numbers in the 1,000's it is not a big deal. As for filling them in the cold it is possible, although not practical because when you fill any bottle the compressing of the air rapidly produces heat itself, as you can feel the bottle getting warm. BCA allows an 800psi range and that is more than enough to compensate for the expansion, retraction of the heat/cold.
In short, there is nothing to worry about when it comes to the air bottles and the cold or warm air.
To all...thanks for keeping post on track, feel this post has great info for all. What do you all think of the different positions the packs put your body in when in a slide? ABS claims to put you in a prone position vs the turtle on its shell with other bags.
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cantrideinmn
Member
One benifit about the bca bag is the trigger is on the right side, this allows your right hand to stay on the throttle, and the bag is behind you so it won't obstruct your vision. If you happen to see the avalanche coming down on you, you could deploy the bag and still possibly ride out of the path of the avalanche.
Those 2 things and the price is what made me buy the bca bag.
Those 2 things and the price is what made me buy the bca bag.
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Covelli44
Well-known member
Don't want to get crazy here....but I think this may be getting down to the gritty details.
Prone means face down. I'd rather be on my back almost like floating in a lifejacket, feet first down sliding down a hill. I can see and plan for whats ahead. As for as being stuck like a turtle on its shell, I don't see that from BCA.
Again, I think this is getting pretty picky. Any bag is 100 time better than no bag. Ultimately I would like for none of us to get caught in an avy to try any of this out!!!!
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Have you ever had any issue with moisture and firing the bag in cold(-40 or lower) temps? this would be a big concern for me...especially if you dunk the whole bag in snow then take it inside and thaw it out for a bit then return it outside for a few hrs and then try firing it?...I am not bagging on any of the manufacturers..but I would worry with any cable operated mechanism freezing up or moisture in the recharge freezing up and stopping it from functioning......
Uhmm....ABS bags are made to have the trigger mounted on either side...they come on the left..but simple to move them to the right...both straps have exactly the same velcro setups that mount the trigger....
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sledsrock
Well-known member
Why not just get the BCA filled with dry nitrogen instead of compressed air? This will eliminate the temp/pressure flucuation.
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sledsrock
Well-known member
After all my research.....IMHO, the ABS is the best bag on the market.
Pro's - Been around the longest, 2 air chambers, Nitrogen charged, Pneumatic trigger.
Con's - Most expensive, Hassle of recharging the canister + hazmat cost, Pack weight.
BCA Pro's - Lower cost, Locally refillable, Lighter pack weight.
Con's - Has not been out as long, 1 bag instead of 2, Cable system, Compressed air charged.
I am not sold on the Pneumatic vs. Cable system one being better than the other. Also, you can fill the BCA with Nitrogen if you have it available to you.
In the end, I believe the BCA provides a great bag for the $$. Is the most expensive item always better?? Who knows........I do know any of the bags are better than not having one at all.
I have the Float 22 ordered, and if I am not happy with it or feel it will not do the job, I will upgrade to the ABS. I understand that Mike Duffy has done some R&D for BCA, I also believe I read a post that stated he uses the ABS.
Pro's - Been around the longest, 2 air chambers, Nitrogen charged, Pneumatic trigger.
Con's - Most expensive, Hassle of recharging the canister + hazmat cost, Pack weight.
BCA Pro's - Lower cost, Locally refillable, Lighter pack weight.
Con's - Has not been out as long, 1 bag instead of 2, Cable system, Compressed air charged.
I am not sold on the Pneumatic vs. Cable system one being better than the other. Also, you can fill the BCA with Nitrogen if you have it available to you.
In the end, I believe the BCA provides a great bag for the $$. Is the most expensive item always better?? Who knows........I do know any of the bags are better than not having one at all.
I have the Float 22 ordered, and if I am not happy with it or feel it will not do the job, I will upgrade to the ABS. I understand that Mike Duffy has done some R&D for BCA, I also believe I read a post that stated he uses the ABS.
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snowww1
Well-known member
BCA's canisters are filled with dry compressed air, not Co2.
Canister has a gauge with is a great feature. Fill it to 2700 psi and it will have plenty of pressure to inflate that bag down to a temperature of -30.
New Float 22 Throttle is designed for snowmobilers and the fit is excellent. Only 5.5 lbs with the canister.
When you purchase an airbag pack. Read the directions, watch the video and deploy it before use so that you are familiar with it. Check the gauge before every ride. Hope this helps.
Mike Duffy
Canister has a gauge with is a great feature. Fill it to 2700 psi and it will have plenty of pressure to inflate that bag down to a temperature of -30.
New Float 22 Throttle is designed for snowmobilers and the fit is excellent. Only 5.5 lbs with the canister.
When you purchase an airbag pack. Read the directions, watch the video and deploy it before use so that you are familiar with it. Check the gauge before every ride. Hope this helps.
Mike Duffy
BCA supports snowmobiling, ABS does not. Look at their affiliations..not one snowmobile related affiliation. Do 30 seconds of research before you pizz away your money on a company that has no interest in snowmobilig. Here, I'll save you the leg work...http://abs-airbag.de/us/community/professional-partners/ Oh wait, Jean Pierres ski and croissant shop is clearly a snowmobile related company..lmao
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HOOCH256
Well-known member
Couldn't have said it better myself, BCA will always have my money!
Sent from my super duper sweet iPhone using Tapatalk when I should be doing something productive!
Just picked up a 15l Snowpulse system. I sold my ABS pack as I was tired of dealing with the weigh and $$$ for canisters. I wanted a lightweight bag that would hold my shovel and probe and spare gloves and goggles... perfect bag for me.
I highly recommend looking into the Snowpulse bags.
http://www.snowbigdeal.com/avalanch...lse-airbags/snowpulse-prorider-15-airbag.html
I highly recommend looking into the Snowpulse bags.
http://www.snowbigdeal.com/avalanch...lse-airbags/snowpulse-prorider-15-airbag.html
That list on ABS site is listing people who use the ABS systems. Like Jackson Hole Mtn resort. Every patroller probably wears an ABS pack. ABS has partnered w Ski-doo and is making a sled specific pack. Just saying. A better point to be made might be BCA is an American company and ABS is German.
No avy pack inflated bag will protect you from trauma, sorry won't happen and the type of bag in its deployed state will not determine how you end up ontop of the snow. Having a bag inflated mostly assures that you will be ontop and not burried. It does not matter if your face down or like a starfish you are on top of the snow. People thinking cause you have an air bag on your head or behind your head that your going to ride the snow like a toboggan? In a size 2 to 5 slide you are going to feel like you were in a mashing machine cycle put on high by your worse enemy...you ain't gonna be giggling that is for sure..and it ain't gonna be fun!
The abs is the best because it has two bags, if one pops with every other system(and they will pop if they hit rocks, trees or other objects) you now have no bag. ABS has two for this reason. One is enough to float you
All bags are mechanical except for abs. These mechanical bits need you to replace o-rings after a pull. ABS does not. The cable was taken out of ABS in 1993 due to facts that they stretch, break, rust and are unreliable.
Nitrogen over oxygen, cleaner fuller fill at all altitudes. It also does not freeze as it is coming out...look at a co2 cartridge, see how it freezes, imagine you have water in your airbag line and now shoot freezing air into it...your line can freeze, nitrogen does not do this.
You can run abs trigger on either left or right with abs.
No matter what bag you have you have to have an extra canister(bca or snowpulse) or extra cannister and handle(abs) with you if you accidentally blow it off in the parking lot. The abs cannister and handle retail is $160.00 the cannister for bca and snowpulse is 235.00 plus you need to change o-rings in the mechanical systems of snowpulse and bca in the mechanical part that punctures the canister...abs you just forl the bags and screw in a new canister. ABS canisters are refilled by a proper machine that also scrubs and seals the bottle. $40.00 gets you a new canister and handle when you return an empty one to any abs dealer, the $40.00 is for shipping the cannisters and handles back to Langley BC are only refilling station in North America.
As with anything try on all the bags, blow them off, and choose your product. But do your homework and choose the one that suits your needs the best.
Or you could say ABS is a german company and all airbags are put together in Langley British Columbia as they come in parts and are assembled in Langley before being shipped to shops here.
BCA is made in china and shipped to and American Company before being shipped out...
either one is fair
BCA is one of the biggest backcountry skiing supporters and of areas! Both ABS, BCA and Snowpulse are about saving lives, not a skiers life over a sledder or vice versa. The all support the backcountry which is important and they all come from skiing over sledding since the ski industry has been using this technology longer...
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phatboyfilms
Well-known member
Abs here, but never been buried with it so can't say what's best. I do have a nice ABS bag(freeride 4L) im selling for a friend. Pm me if interested. Thx.
Best one is what is on ur back when u need it
, don't ever leave it in the truck thinking u won't need it today..
Best one is what is on ur back when u need it
, don't ever leave it in the truck thinking u won't need it today..
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