Intro to Backplates and Wings
This thread is to help beginners or those interested in backplates and wings (BP/W) understand the concept and design features. I will try to cover the majority of your questions in this guide. However, this guide is not fully inclusive and it is written to provide an entry level knowledge of their design and function.
There are four main components of a BP/W. They are the Plate, the Harness, the Wing, the Tank Attachment (STA or Bands). Below we will discuss each in detail. The BP/W is designed to be a modular unit. This means in most cases you may take any plate, attach the harness and wing of your choice, bolt it to a tank by whatever means you choose and go diving. In general you may source different parts of the system from different manufacturers to complete the unit. This is opposite of your standard BC that you would buy, which is sold as an entire unit, without the ability to modify parts of the system to your liking. In this guide I will attach photos, you will also see a few name brands mentioned. I am not affiliated with any manufacturer or facility. I will do my best to represent all designs equally and without bias.
The Backplate:
The backplate is the central component of the entire BP/W system. It is a formed piece of metal, plastic, or other material which has holes and slots placed equally around it. We will start with the holes/slots in the center of the plate. These holes are normally spaced 11” on center apart from each other. This facilitates the attachment of the tank which we will discuss later. Some plate designs have two equal distant holes, and some have a hole drilled at the top and a slot design at the bottom. Such as here:
Now the slots on the top center and bottom outside corners. These slots are designed so that the harness can be attached to the plate.
This slot which is sometimes narrower than those of the harness is for a Crotch Strap.
These slots are designed for the attachment of cambands.
The plate does not have to have all of these attachment points. You might find plates that do not have slots for cambands. That is okay. You might also find plates that have a bunch of holes drilled around the outside, these will be discussed later in this guide, they are more of a preference and serve no direct purpose to the original design.
This thread is to help beginners or those interested in backplates and wings (BP/W) understand the concept and design features. I will try to cover the majority of your questions in this guide. However, this guide is not fully inclusive and it is written to provide an entry level knowledge of their design and function.
There are four main components of a BP/W. They are the Plate, the Harness, the Wing, the Tank Attachment (STA or Bands). Below we will discuss each in detail. The BP/W is designed to be a modular unit. This means in most cases you may take any plate, attach the harness and wing of your choice, bolt it to a tank by whatever means you choose and go diving. In general you may source different parts of the system from different manufacturers to complete the unit. This is opposite of your standard BC that you would buy, which is sold as an entire unit, without the ability to modify parts of the system to your liking. In this guide I will attach photos, you will also see a few name brands mentioned. I am not affiliated with any manufacturer or facility. I will do my best to represent all designs equally and without bias.
The Backplate:
The backplate is the central component of the entire BP/W system. It is a formed piece of metal, plastic, or other material which has holes and slots placed equally around it. We will start with the holes/slots in the center of the plate. These holes are normally spaced 11” on center apart from each other. This facilitates the attachment of the tank which we will discuss later. Some plate designs have two equal distant holes, and some have a hole drilled at the top and a slot design at the bottom. Such as here:
Now the slots on the top center and bottom outside corners. These slots are designed so that the harness can be attached to the plate.
This slot which is sometimes narrower than those of the harness is for a Crotch Strap.
These slots are designed for the attachment of cambands.
The plate does not have to have all of these attachment points. You might find plates that do not have slots for cambands. That is okay. You might also find plates that have a bunch of holes drilled around the outside, these will be discussed later in this guide, they are more of a preference and serve no direct purpose to the original design.