Diving with my homemade soft backplate and the homemade wing made me thinking why not combine them together? This makes it slightly lighter due to less fabric, and stronger since the harness becomes part of the wing. And at least in my case (warm water rec diving only), I see no benefits in separating them: the parts would likely wear out similarly at the same time, if I cut the wing I'll patch it myself, and if I cut it really bad, it takes 4hrs to make a new one from scratch.
On the other hand, I did not want to make a BCD because I like the donut shape of the wing, I like the crotch strap, and I do not like plastic buckles which tend to break when you put the stuff in your backpack, and the airline baggage handlers play soccer with it (or whatever else they do).
The total cost was about $50 for this one:
Materials:
- 1680 cordura (you'd need 1/2 yard) - about $7 cheapest;
- 1 yard x 12cm polyester/cordura (I used a scrap from other jobs) - otherwise dunno, $2?
- Intex 24" ring - $7 for 2 on Amazon
- 2" webbing for harness, crotch strap and connections. I used "Teceum 2 Inch Webbing" from Amazon. $14 for a roll which should be enough to make 10+ harnesses. I used cuts of Halcyon webbing for harness, and stiffness makes it easier to get in/out but this isn't necessary, my previous soft BP used Teceum and I had ~30 dives on those without issues.
- the power inflator assembly ($15)
- two dump valves from Aliexpress, one used as dump valve, another used as bladder flange - $10 for 2
- grommets, etc.
- a basic sewing machine with a #100 needle.
Attached the template. Comparing to previous wing I made it more squarish - it looks uglier but it's much easier to sew and reinforce, which matters.
The Process:
1. Cut two pieces from the 1680 cordura.
2. Follow the soft backplate guide to make a soft backplate from one of the piece (this will be the wing's back). Sew everything to a non-shiny side (which would face the inside of the wing), run the harness and side/crotch strap holders through the holes, so it is sewn on the back side but sticks from the front:
I sew a handle and the tank strap - up to you if you need them. There's also a piece of webbing sewn in the middle between the tank strap holes.
3. Prepare the wing side (a 10cm wide cut) - put some grommets in it for the air/water to escape. My scrap cut was too short so I added the piece of cordura:
4. Sew it inside-to-inside, with the parts currently facing outside to be inside in the complete wing:
On the other hand, I did not want to make a BCD because I like the donut shape of the wing, I like the crotch strap, and I do not like plastic buckles which tend to break when you put the stuff in your backpack, and the airline baggage handlers play soccer with it (or whatever else they do).
The total cost was about $50 for this one:
Materials:
- 1680 cordura (you'd need 1/2 yard) - about $7 cheapest;
- 1 yard x 12cm polyester/cordura (I used a scrap from other jobs) - otherwise dunno, $2?
- Intex 24" ring - $7 for 2 on Amazon
- 2" webbing for harness, crotch strap and connections. I used "Teceum 2 Inch Webbing" from Amazon. $14 for a roll which should be enough to make 10+ harnesses. I used cuts of Halcyon webbing for harness, and stiffness makes it easier to get in/out but this isn't necessary, my previous soft BP used Teceum and I had ~30 dives on those without issues.
- the power inflator assembly ($15)
- two dump valves from Aliexpress, one used as dump valve, another used as bladder flange - $10 for 2
- grommets, etc.
- a basic sewing machine with a #100 needle.
Attached the template. Comparing to previous wing I made it more squarish - it looks uglier but it's much easier to sew and reinforce, which matters.
The Process:
1. Cut two pieces from the 1680 cordura.
2. Follow the soft backplate guide to make a soft backplate from one of the piece (this will be the wing's back). Sew everything to a non-shiny side (which would face the inside of the wing), run the harness and side/crotch strap holders through the holes, so it is sewn on the back side but sticks from the front:
I sew a handle and the tank strap - up to you if you need them. There's also a piece of webbing sewn in the middle between the tank strap holes.
3. Prepare the wing side (a 10cm wide cut) - put some grommets in it for the air/water to escape. My scrap cut was too short so I added the piece of cordura:
4. Sew it inside-to-inside, with the parts currently facing outside to be inside in the complete wing:
Or “Back inflate BCD without integrated weights or pockets” 
