I recently purchased a Genesis Tropic BC. I wanted something to travel easy and thought this back-inflator would meet my needs. One LDS tried to dissuade me because I dive cold water and they said it wouldn't do. I've completed 10 dives- 4 in Michigan Quarries and 6 on Catalina Island.

The BC will hold 30lbs of soft weights but less of hard, depending on size/shape. The size was fine for both fresh and salt water with two layers of neoprene. I really like the inflator buttons. Well shaped and easy to access. With weights in the rear trim pockets, I really liked the horizontal orientation. Maintaining bouyancy was easy and it fills and dumps nicely. I did not dive without weights in the rear trim pockets, so the surface orientation may be different for others, but I did not find it to be uncomfortable as some have suggested with a back inflator.

There are lots of adjustments so a comfortable fit was readily achieved. The pockets are rather small, but I rarely use them, so that is okay with me. There are not as many d-ring attachments as more expensive vests, but there are a few, and there are retractor attachment points, so setting up gear worked well for me.

Overall, I am very happy with the purchase and glad I went with this over some more expensive models I considered. I'm headed to the Keys in 10 days and expect that it will be every bit as comfortable in the tropics.