Backplate for travelling

[charlier]

I have a Al BP with one piece harness, STA, and two wings (for single and twins). Most of my dives are in warm water. Harness adjusted for either 3mm or 5mm wetsuit.

 

[sphyrnidus]

I travel to Egypt with one bag and handluggage.
Stash all the regs, computers and torches in your hand luggage, that way (weigh ) you only have Fins and Wetsuits, BP as the main things adding weight to your hold luggage. Ability to wash underwear at the hotel helps too!

We only do liveaboards, we travel like you do, but we don't bring more than one extra shirt (in which I put my camera) and two boxers and 2 shorts. So basically we only bring our diving gear. While I always dive in a 7 mm wetsuit, the total luggage stays below 18 kg pp.

 

[Colliam7]

I have a couple of questions, does anyone else do this, having one BP for home and one for travel, and if so, do you also have an Alu STA and lighter can bands as I was intending to use my steel STA (£35 for Alu STA and £35 for composite can bands). Additionally do you have a second harness or just rethread the same one? Mine came threaded and I've not yet dared to remove it and rethread!

I have several BP rigs, including a couple of SS plates, an AL plate, and a couple of 'soft' units (an Apeks Travel Plate and a Zeagle ET plate). Over time, I have reached the point where:

I use a steel plate for most of my diving (wet / dry, salt / fresh, singles / doubles). I use the AL plate for doubles with a wetsuit (and have rigged it specifically for that).

It is most functional - for me - to travel with my SS plate. In warm, salt water, with a 1mm exposure suit and an AL80, I can dive without added weight - the rig is just heavy enough.

All of my plates are rigged with a harness, and I do not re-thread for different exposure suits / environments - way too much trouble.

I use only, and therefore travel with, SS cam bands.

I use Kydex STAs.

My travel 'scuba luggage' is a Akona dive bag fit inside a large cloth duffel bag. This set-up is very light weight but quite durable, and I have the option of using the Akona bag on boats if I need to (I usually don't). I carry the duffel (usually packed to 49 lb) on my shoulder when walking (into / through the AP, to / from transport vehicles, etc.). At 64 I can still do that. If / when I am no longer able, I may go with a wheeled bag.

I fit my SS BP / harness into the laptop slot on my backpack.

There is not 'one and only one' right way to travel to dive destinations. What plate you travel with is influenced by a) your inherent buoyancy characteristics - you may find a SS plate to overweight you in warm water / thin exposure suit conditions, for example, and b) whether weight is an issue is affected by your travel lifestyle - I just spent a week on Bonaire and used one pair of shorts, 2 collared shirts, 2 T-shirts. 3 pair of undershorts, and wore (only) a pair of Crocs the whole week, for everything on shore. I was not 'dressed to kill' by any means but it worked for me. Your needs and preferences may be different.

 

[Darnold9999]

Slightly different. I have two backplates, one ss one al. No sta and only one harness. It takes 5 min to switch the harness from one to the other. The ss is for drysuit, the al for warm water so there is a wear pattern in the harness that corresponds to each. First dive takes a couple of minutes to fine tune the fit but as I typically only do one or two trips a year to warm water I didn't feel the need for another harness to save that kind of time twice, maybe four times a year.

... and yes the 3 or 4 pounds makes a difference. Travelling with camera gear I am always at or near the limit for weight so that extra few pounds adds up for overweight charges.

Travel with a North Face duffel bag that weighs nothing but is durable. Heavy stuff goes in carry on - just have to make it look like it weighs nothing approaching the gate. So far have never had it weighed and it is often near 50 lbs with all of the heavy stuff like strobe, torch, batteries, regs etc.

 

[GiantMoray]

Thanks for all the advice, I have decided to buy the aluminum backplate with harness and I'll wait and see next time I travel if the sta and cam bands cause any issues.

 

[industrious95]

I guess a big consideration is how often you travel. I only have one BP/W and travel with it maybe once a year (most fo my diving is local). My thinking is, I want to dive with gear that I'm familiar with, so I can spend my dives enjoying my dives and not get familiar with different equipment.

I will rent a wetsuit, weights & tanks, but the other stuff travels with me. I have a United Airlines credit card so I don't even have to pay for the suitcase. I use an old, large scuffed dirty suitcase with no dive flag markings that says "owner is homeless and destitute" to any would-be burglers.

If you travel infrequently and have a separate kit for travel, don't forget to maintain it regularly and check it out before you go.

 

[Rich Keller]

I use a commercial diving harness instead of a traditional back plate harness. It is lighter, packs flatter, has a much lower profile in the water and is made to be used with a single tank. These were not made to be used with a wing but you can adapt it for that purpose.