Stainless steel travel backplates: pros and cons

[NothingClever]

I like my full SS BP for travel and not having to faff with weights at the boat.

Lazy? Guilty as charged.

If I have to chubby up to a 5mm, I’ll just zip tie a couple hard weights to the BP (on the tank side) rather than use trim pockets that would ride empty 99% of the time.

 

[Scared Silly]

We have traveled with SS plates and finally went to a soft plate. We bought some new tanks band pockets to hold the extra weight. Much easier fro traveling.

 

[txgoose]

We have traveled with SS plates and finally went to a soft plate. We bought some new tanks band pockets to hold the extra weight. Much easier fro traveling.

I am excited to travel with my Freedom Plate because I can warm salt dive with no extra weight. That said, prior to the FP showing up I traveled with a Covert (a soft back, back inflate) and it was crazy convenient how small it could pack down. And weighed a couple of pounds total. So I can also vouch for this type of travel. It def has some benefits.

 

[dmaziuk]

I'm interested in (eventually) getting a lightweight stainless backplate and single tank wing for travel.

The question is when you travel, do you carry your luggage on your back all the time? We check in a bag with sharp things and stuff anyway so we have checked luggage. My regular steel FP goes there so its "travel weight" maters much less to me than its "ballast weight" in the water.

 

[d^2b]

The question is when you travel, do you carry your luggage on your back all the time? We check in a bag with sharp things and stuff anyway so we have checked luggage. My regular steel FP goes there so its "travel weight" maters much less to me than its "ballast weight" in the water.

I usually try to keep it to one checked bag. Currently that sits at about 43lbs with super light softpack BC. So it's not impossible I could fit a standard BP/W in there, it seems a bit tight.

 

[dmaziuk]

I usually try to keep it to one checked bag. Currently that sits at about 43lbs with super light softpack BC. So it's not impossible I could fit a standard BP/W in there, it seems a bit tight.

I have al Al plate too, I find that my checked bag is 50 lbs with the steel FP in it, and it's also 50 lbs with the Al plate in it. Weird, that.

 

[Scared Silly]

The question is when you travel, do you carry your luggage on your back all the time? We check in a bag with sharp things and stuff anyway so we have checked luggage. My regular steel FP goes there so its "travel weight" maters much less to me than its "ballast weight" in the water.

When we travel the 50lb limit is always factor and one reason why we went to soft plate to drop ~10lbs for two people.

 

[SaltwaterNomad]

You can easily travel with SS. I have both aluminum and SS backplates but now only use SS. My SS is 4.5lbs. The additional weight is not that much of a difference for travel. I also like to have to only put 4 additional pounds in trim pockets and be good to go. I travel light and almost always bring everything as carry on. This is what I took on my last trip to Raja Ampat in Feb/Mar as carry on. I really didn’t even use my wetsuit just the sharkskin top and board shorts. Bag in overhead and backpack under seat.

 

[d^2b]

View attachment 601958 View attachment 601959 You can easily travel with SS. I have both aluminum and SS backplates but now only use SS. My SS is 4.5lbs. The additional weight is not that much of a difference for travel. I also like to have to only put 4 additional pounds in trim pockets and be good to go. I travel light and almost always bring everything as carry on. This is what I took on my last trip to Raja Ampat in Feb/Mar as carry on. I really didn’t even use my wetsuit just the sharkskin top and board shorts. Bag in overhead and backpack under seat.

I carry-on a camera rig and my reg in a small roller, that doesn't really leave me the option taking all my gear as carry-on. In my experience airlines are getting increasingly strict about the amount of carry-on as they squeeze people for luggage charges, and everyone in economy class is trying to fly carry-on only.

 

[BoatingDave]

View attachment 601958 View attachment 601959 You can easily travel with SS. I have both aluminum and SS backplates but now only use SS. My SS is 4.5lbs. The additional weight is not that much of a difference for travel. I also like to have to only put 4 additional pounds in trim pockets and be good to go. I travel light and almost always bring everything as carry on. This is what I took on my last trip to Raja Ampat in Feb/Mar as carry on. I really didn’t even use my wetsuit just the sharkskin top and board shorts. Bag in overhead and backpack under seat.

So wanted to circle back to this. I'm considering a SS (6 lb) vs Al (1 lb) backplate. Seems like the extra 5 lbs for travel isn't that big a deal? I suppose I would like the extra ballast which would mean little extra weight when diving in tropics, but also useful when I use either a 7mm (or in the future, a drysuit) when I dive in Dutch Springs quarry.

So trying to balance ease of travel with versatility. Thoughts?