Backplate and Wing Questions.

[munclematt]

Hi all,

So thanks to all the great Hawaii divers like Scuba and Dream and ScottiTheDuck I have decided to trade in the Back inflate and go with the BP/W. Few questions I wanted to shoot out to get answers from the community.

First off, where to buy from? I have looked at Lesuire Pro and Scubatoys but I want to see some close up and I am not to crazy about the sites. I live in Hawaii and I want a little more options. I am not against buying online, but I would like to support a LDS if I could.

How much should I be spending? I got a Back inflate and was screwed. Its WAYY TOO BIG. So now I dont want to get screwed. How much should I be spending for something that will stick with me for a while.

Any suggestions would be great. I havent decided if I am going to get into doing doubles, so that is still an option. Tech diving is a little too expensive for me right now. So any information would be great, experiences and what not. SB is the best place for advice and thanks for anyone that can give some.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I can't help you with where you might find equipment locally that you can look at before you buy. But I can tell you that you won't have fit problems with a BP/W! That's one of the great things about a continuous harness -- It's infinitely adjustable. Unless you are at the definite extremes of size, a medium plate will work. For very small or very tall people, several manufacturers make large and small plates.

The real decision you need to make is what kind of diving you are doing, with what tanks and exposure protection. That will determine the size of the wing you need to buy, in terms of lift. You do NOT want to buy a wing that will do both single and double tanks, because the sizes required are simply too different.

One brand you'll see recommended here a lot is Deep Sea Supply. In part, that's because it's good quality gear and reasonably priced, but the biggest reason it's recommended so highly is the customer service from the company. If you contact Tobin (cool_hardware52), he'll go through all the math with you to make sure you have the plate and wing combination that will work best for your diving.

 

[gnwes]

i second DeepSeaSupply, when i got a call from Tobin AFTER i placed my order just to make sure it was exactly what i needed it really surprised me because customer service, period, is unheard of from most, but EXCELLENT customer service like Tobin provides is amazing.. but yeah, give him a call and talk to him, he'll help ya out.

Wes

 

[BabyDuck]

while not in any way trying to take business from tobin (or any of the other excellent businesses), don't forget ebay or craigslist or the island equivalent. i bought my ss plate from someone who turned out to be very local to my brother, so i didn't have to pay shipping, my singles wing from a buddy going to doubles, and my doubles wing from someone on sb.

 

[ScubaAndDreams]

See other thread for sources.

By the way, when you do buy your BP/W it will be with you forever....not "a while" You already tried my halcyon singles rig, you are more then welcome to try my oxycheq.

 

[Gombessa]

I bought my bp/w used. Especially the BP, it's a slab of stainless steel, really nothing to worry about. Someone was selling one for $55 with 2 sets of STAs today (which went fast), but ~$100-130 with harness is a pretty good deal. Wings are a bit more, $100-200 depending on which.

Go with a dedicated 30-35lb singles wing; if you do graduate to tech, you're better off getting a dedicated doubles wing at that point.

 

[misterguy]

I dive Halcyon and could'nt be happier, but i have never used anything else so i cant offer a objective opionion.
But i am glad i started this way and didnt waste alot of time and money on trial and error

I do see that people that switch to BP/W dont switch back to somthing else, but then again i havent been diving that long

 

[Gombessa]

Oh, I've also heard that it's better to go with a narrower wing if possible - one that doesn't taco around the tank (and thus trap air on one side or the other).

 

[auburntiger1976]

I also recommend Deep Sea Supply. Top notch service from Tobin. Give him a call, and he'll gladly run the numbers for you.

 

[digital_steve]

i got a zeagle backplate and wing rig
very happy with it
check them out if you're shopping around