Mares

Mares Magellan BCD

Ultra-lightweight, completely foldable travel jacket BCD with no rigid backpack.

Travel-friendly

Lighter and more packable than a standard BCD of the same lift capacity, aimed at divers who fly to their diving.

Mares Magellan BCD
3.5Comparison Score
$499.95
Buy on AmazonBuy on Scuba.com
Released2019
Stylejacket
Weight-integratedYes
Lift capacity40 lbs
Backplatenone
D-rings5
Trim pocketsNo
Material420D Cordura
Travel-friendlyYes
Dry weight2300g
Fitunisex
SizesXXS-XL

"Lift capacity" is the manufacturer-rated buoyancy the wing/bladder can provide at the surface. Match it to your exposure suit, tank, and weighting, not the biggest number available.

Pros
  • Eliminates the rigid backpack entirely, folding flat for packing at roughly 2.3 kg (about 5 lbs)
  • 180N (about 40 lb) of lift covers most warm-water recreational diving needs
  • Concave ergonomic shoulder straps are designed for a more comfortable fit
Cons
  • No built-in rear trim pockets; trim weight must be placed on the tank band instead
  • 40 lb lift is on the lower end, better suited to warm water and lighter exposure suits than cold water or heavy steel tanks
Diver community sentiment
Mixed opinions

Professional gear-test reviews rate the Magellan positively as a lightweight, comfortable travel BCD with good lift for its weight class, though trim needs manual adjustment out of the box to feel balanced. Owners on Scubaboard who use it for recreational single-tank travel report satisfaction, but a recurring gripe is that the integrated weight-pocket velcro doesn't hold weights securely, letting pockets dangle when the rig is off the diver. More experienced posters pushed back harder, arguing Mares BCDs including the Magellan are "big, bulky" jacket-style designs and that its lift is overkill for single-tank recreational diving, steering buyers toward backplate-and-wing setups instead.

Scubaboard: Magellan bulk/BP-W comparison discussionScubaboard: Magellan single-tank scope discussionScuba Diving Magazine: Magellan ScubaLab Best Buy

Summarized from public forum discussion (Scubaboard, Reddit, and similar), not a survey we ran ourselves. See the linked threads for the original conversations.

The Mares Magellan is an ultra-lightweight, completely foldable travel jacket BCD that does away with a rigid backpack altogether, folding down for easy packing. Built from 420D Cordura with a 180N (about 40 lb) lift cell and an integrated quick-release weight system, it’s aimed at warm-water travel divers who prioritize packed size and weight over rugged, high-lift capacity.