Seeking BP/W Guidance

[Tyler Q Hemmerich]

Hey All,

First post. I've been trolling for knowledge and have learned a good deal here.

I'm ditching my Aqualung Dimension BCD and am shopping for a BP/W. I start TDI's Intro to Tec followed by Deco Diver next month. Pretty jazzed. I intend to go "hogarthian" but am looking for a few bits of advice.

Some info that might help.....
- I am 5' 9.5", 185 lbs, fit (military), and leg heavy (road cyclist/runner).
- I'll be diving the Red Sea (bath water) for the next 6-18 months.
- I wear a rash guard - no neoprene aside from rock boots and thin gloves.
- Diving my Aqualung Dimension BCD requires 8-10 lbs
- A desire is to move weight from my waist to directly over my lungs.
- Travel weight is not a big issue right now.
- Adding/changing kit in the future when dive conditions change (like dry suit diving Lake Michigan) is not a problem. I'm not looking for a one-size-fits-all solution.

Given the above,
1) BP Material?? Can I get away with a SS back plate? Will it be too heavy? Should I go with an aluminum BP and SS tank strap cams? Will a STA + SS BP + SS cams be too much? What combo of metal would you recommend?

2) Integrated Weight?? Halcyon makes a really slick integrated weight system for the polymer Traveler system. Halcyon is not an option - too costly, not versatile (single tank only). But Dang their four trim pockets on the plate is cool. Who else does something like Halcyon's Traveler weight system for plain old AL or SS BP?

3) Single Tank Wing Lift ?? Given Red Sea bath water, 23-25 lbs? 28-30 lbs?

4) Double Tanks Wing Lift ?? Again, given Red Sea bath water how much lift is appropriate? I do plan to rent/borrow from my LDS so this one may answer itself with help of my TDI instructor.

5) Brands ?? I'm thinking HOG or Dive Rite. Apeks, Hollis, and Halcyon seem to have great stuff that is too spendy. XDeep is out based on too many reports of poor customer service. Any other suggestions or cautionary tales would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance for the help. SCUBAboard has been a great resource. I look forward to the responses.

!!! ATTACK !!!

 

[Diver below 83]

I’m actually doing the same as yourself atm and switching to bp. I’m building mine out all from various sources. I went SS plate. If your looking for a buy all in one place the deep 6 system is really hard to beat for the price.

Deep 6 Single Tank Backplate and Wing Package

the dgx is also super solid kit and great price
DGX Custom - DGX Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package | Dive Gear Express®

 

[runsongas]

if you are buying local in europe, take another look at xdeep or one of the other central eu brands like tecline/DUX.

if you are getting it shipped APO/FPO, DGX is the better option.

ss plate works fine with al80s and you wouldnt need integrated pockets in a rashguard.

18 to 24 lbs is all you really need for warm water single tank, but the dgx wing is relatively slim and adds versatility in case you ever end up somewhere colder later on.

you will want a separate wing for doubles, likely in the 40 to 45 range for double al80s, but you can put off that decision until later on.

 

[Ontwreckdiver]

You have a ton of options to build a bp/w and Sub Gravity makes good gear and has a reputation for good customer service.
Backmount Gear Archives - Subgravity

 

[happy-diver]

Stainless plate and adding extra weight to the plate keeping it all on your back

with no fancy cutouts, like when the kids fold the paper in half and start cutting

 

[aviator8]

If you are looking to correct feet heavy trim a few ideas would be:

• Get a buoyant fin. Deep6 sells one that is pretty close to neutral in fresh and slightly buoyant in saltwater.
• Place two trim pockets on your upper cam band to shift weight from your belt to your cam band , or get trim pockets you can attach to your BO which you can move around to different holes to get them where you want
• One of the easiest things to do without spending any money is to play around with positioning your tank higher or lower to trim out. Takes time to work out but its free. You could also try to use a steel tank instead of aluminum as they have different buoyancy characteristics and may trim out better for you.

 

[decompression]

For ITT and DP courses, if your in the Red Sea you’ll probably by in a 3 mil or likely a 5 mil wetsuit (I recall it getting pretty cool at depths) and if you’re feet heavy go with 5 mil boots. So, now you know your exposure suit so definitely a Steel backplate, any brand will do. Depending on your instructor he may use a lift bag instead of a redundant wing (not my preference) for you so you can decide on a regular wing or redundant. Brands don’t matter much. If halcyon is beyond budget, Apeks, HOG and diverite are fine. Don’t worry about integrated weights, you won’t need them for tech and just get a couple of small pockets when diving a single.

You’ll be covering weighting in depth on ITT.
Single tank lift, anywhere around 20-30 if streamlined
Double tank lift, 40#

Enjoy, learn, have fun, divesafe.

 

[Marie13]

I’m partial to Dive Rite myself. Enjoy your classes!

 

[Tyler Q Hemmerich]

If you are looking to correct feet heavy trim a few ideas would be:

• Get a buoyant fin. Deep6 sells one that is pretty close to neutral in fresh and slightly buoyant in saltwater.
• Place two trim pockets on your upper cam band to shift weight from your belt to your cam band , or get trim pockets you can attach to your BO which you can move around to different holes to get them where you want
• One of the easiest things to do without spending any money is to play around with positioning your tank higher or lower to trim out. Takes time to work out but its free. You could also try to use a steel tank instead of aluminum as they have different buoyancy characteristics and may trim out better for you.

I tried to buy a set of the Deep6 Rocket-style fins and they are out of stock. I ended up with the more buoyant Apeks RK3 (not the "HD" version) in combo with my existing 5mm boots. The Apeks fins did not seem much different in buoyancy than my Hollis F2s. The RK3s are certainly a more precise and powerful fin for me. The Deep6 fins are still a future possibility if a BP/W doesn't trim me out as desired.

 

[loosenit2]

1. Stainless Steel is only about 2 lbs heavier than Al on average, not a huge amount of weight.

2. Lots of options for weights all over:

For spine of BP/W:
Cave Adventurers - OxyCheq Sausage Weight Pocket - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold! or
Highland V Trim Weight Pouch | Dive Gear Express®

Trim Weight Pouches (good for 1-2 lbs per pouch, only problem with trim weights is that they can interfere with tank bands a little):
Cave Adventurers - XS Scuba Quick-Attach Single Weight Pocket - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold! or
DGX Trim Weight Pocket (each) | Dive Gear Express®

Inexpensive Releasable Weight Weight Pouches (I use these and they work just fine for 3-4 lbs weights in each pocket, question in my mind on how long the Velcro will last but you can't beat the price):
Cave Adventurers - XS Scuba Quick-Release Single Weight Pocket - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!

Mountable pouch for various locations on backplate:
Highland Tail Trim Weight Pouch | Dive Gear Express®

3. I have a Vintage Double Hose 35# wing. Has a bungee on the inside making it very compact and thus a very versatile wing, but if you are ever going to do DIR team diving the bungee is a no-no. They also have 18 and 23 lb wings and are very high quality, a little bit more expensive than DGX wings but I think worth it.

also check out https://www.onlinescuba.com. If you go to them through the AAFES vendor site they offer a 15% discount on almost everything, which sometimes is a very good deal, other times not. Not a ton of tech gear but some.

good luck and enjoy the Sinai.