Backplate and Wing Round Table

[ams511]

What's the advantage of having a setup that removes the need for weight on a belt (or pockets)?

I used to thinking about having weight you can ditch in an emergency and with a great setup it sounds like no extra weight is required?

I'm looking into a backplate and wing setup and have been toying with the idea of a lite backplate (SS), so I can still carry a few pounds on a belt.

What's the advantage with either scenario?

Cold water divers may need over 20 lbs of lead to sink a thick wetsuit or drysuit. This amount of weight is uncomfortable to carry solely on a belt. So they want to move some of it off the belt by using either a more negative tank or a steel backplate. You want to have some ditchable weight but you do not need 20 lbs of it.

 

[Diving Dubai]

Who has dived with the backplate and wing of a Dive Rite Transpac and Nomad BCD system and what is your experience with it?

I have a Transpac (with voyager wing) and love it. For the record I have a conventional Singel piece harness rig with SS back plate which I use from my drysuit (and am changing for a Transplate) and a Axiom BCD that I use to teach at OW level

I dive warm water only. with my Transpac and Ali cylinders I remove the rear padding (velcro) to reduce buoyancy. when diving steels the padding goes back on. With a 3mm and Ali cylinder I only carry a few pounds of lead in trim pockets

The only thing I don't like is the crotch strap - it has a silly plastic buckle which is easy to lose, I swapped it out for a standard crotch strap.

Apart from that it's a fine harness - especially good for putting the weight of the cylinder on your hips whilst standing and it's easy to adjust - especially when swapping between wetsuit thicknesses.

That said my Axiom BCD is just as stable and easy to trim and dive as all my wings, its great for teaching as it has nice pockets for storage, and enough D rings to hold dsmb's reel lift bag etc

 

[neevo]

Cold water divers may need over 20 lbs of lead to sink a thick wetsuit or drysuit. This amount of weight is uncomfortable to carry solely on a belt. So they want to move some of it off the belt by using either a more negative tank or a steel backplate. You want to have some ditchable weight but you do not need 20 lbs of it.

Ok gotcha, that makes sense to me then. So I assume the lite backplates are for those that dive warmer waters for the same reason. Therefore if I'm a diver in Sydney Australia, water temps from 10c to 26c and mostly drysuit diving (compressed 4mm neoprene), is a lite backplate a more sensible option as it would cover warm water and also cooler water diving?

 

[dmaziuk]

Ok gotcha, that makes sense to me then. So I assume the lite backplates are for those that dive warmer waters for the same reason. Therefore if I'm a diver in Sydney Australia, water temps from 10c to 26c and mostly drysuit diving (compressed 4mm neoprene), is a lite backplate a more sensible option as it would cover warm water and also cooler water diving?

How much lead do you typically need in Syd and how much lead do you need in warm water?

 

[cool_hardware52]

Ok gotcha, that makes sense to me then. So I assume the lite backplates are for those that dive warmer waters for the same reason. Therefore if I'm a diver in Sydney Australia, water temps from 10c to 26c and mostly drysuit diving (compressed 4mm neoprene), is a lite backplate a more sensible option as it would cover warm water and also cooler water diving?

One of the key benefits of a Stainless Steel BP&W is the ballast it provides up over your buoyant lungs. Of course this assumes you need the ballast.

Can a light weight plate be used for cold water diving by adapting various weight pockets and ankle weights and camband weights etc.? Sure. And you can use a 3mm wetsuit too by adding "skin" under it and a 12 mm hood and 5mm Jacket and ......

In the vast majority of cases divers trying to use the same BP&W for warm and cold are best served with a Stainless Plate, and a wing carefully selected based on the buoyancy of their cold water exposure suit.

BP&W is a modular BC. That means the components can be optimized for a given application. The broader that application the greater the compromises required.

For anybody considering a BP&W; Be realistic about your actual application. Buying one BP&W for use with exposure suits ranging from dive skins to dry suits and cylinders from buoyant al 80's to MP Faber Steel 120's will effectively defeat many of the advantages of the system.

Divers seem to understand that they need an exposure suit based on the conditions, but expect one BC to be ideal worldwide......

Tobin

 

[azstinger11]

So I'm returning to southern California and wanting to reduce the amount of lead I need. I can't afford diving dry just yet, so 7mm wetsuit, hooded vest, gloves, etc. I already have a steel tank (2x HP steel 100s, I will not be diving doubles, single tanks only at this time)lined up to buy from a friend, and was thinking of a BP/W setup to further reduce the extra weight. Sounds like I should go with stainless steel? Any other recommendations for a cold(ish) diver?

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

As for regs, I have the AquaLung Legend LX. But it runs over $700. It's a cold water set. If you don't need a cold water reg, you can get something less expensive. Breathes really nice.

I got a AquaLung Titan LX supreme last month, the difference between legend and titan is almost none (supreme for cold water). i got 2 first and 2 second stages for €500, its a little over $500, i see the sets with 1 first stage and 2 second stages go for ~€300. Prises include european sales taxes that you probably not need to pay if you ship them to USA.

I do not understand why regs are so expensive in the US, many other things are lot cheaper in th US.

 

[Magnus Lundstedt]

@halocline the reason that I like to travel with things like my BCD Mask & reg set in my carry on is that the more that is in my carry on the less the airline will lose. (I hate it when I go to Nassau & my luggage (and dive gear) goes to Nashville.) Going over the weight limit on luggage isn't really an issue as long as I fly Air Canada or WestJet. As a vet, I can check up to 3 bags each weighing up to 70 pounds.

FWIW, my current BCD is not a jacket BCD. It is a back inflate.

If you have a BP/W you can unmount the wing and mount a bag instead, then you BP becomes a backpack you can take as a carry on.

 

[cmrangel]

So I'm returning to southern California and wanting to reduce the amount of lead I need. I can't afford diving dry just yet, so 7mm wetsuit, hooded vest, gloves, etc. I already have a steel tank (2x HP steel 100s, I will not be diving doubles, single tanks only at this time)lined up to buy from a friend, and was thinking of a BP/W setup to further reduce the extra weight. Sounds like I should go with stainless steel? Any other recommendations for a cold(ish) diver?

Yes, a steel backplate will allow more of the weight to be on your back as opposed to trim pockets, integrated weight system, or weight belt. You can also get weighted STA's (or weight plates for some manuf.) for the backplate that add even more to the backplate. Since this additional weight is also over the back, it helps with trim, etc. I dive So. Cal with steel 100's, 7mm suit with hood, gloves, etc, and use a steel backplate (6 lbs) with an additional weighted STA (another approx 6 lbs), together this leaves less than 10 lbs needed that I then put into a dumpable integrated weight pockets. Be sure to get a wing with enough lift, there are several threads on the topic.

 

[ams511]

So I'm returning to southern California and wanting to reduce the amount of lead I need. I can't afford diving dry just yet, so 7mm wetsuit, hooded vest, gloves, etc. I already have a steel tank (2x HP steel 100s, I will not be diving doubles, single tanks only at this time)lined up to buy from a friend, and was thinking of a BP/W setup to further reduce the extra weight. Sounds like I should go with stainless steel? Any other recommendations for a cold(ish) diver?

Go with a stainless steel backplate. If you need an aluminium on for tropical dives then buy one. They are cheap new and even cheaper used. Just make sure the slots of the plate for the cam bands line up with the slots in the wing if you are not using an sta.