Backplate systems: Advantages & disadvantages?

[Divin'Papaw]

One piece of advice from experience as a new BP/W user ... don't enter the water without fastening the waist strap! It is very ... shall we say ... unstable.

I did that on my third dive with it, but luckily discovered it fairly quick.

 

[RJP]

hi this is my first post. was suprised to find how much people prefer backplates over here.

Don't confuse the posters here with being a representative sample of the diving community at large. I think you're hearing from "the vocal minority" on this point. Not saying anything against BP/W setup (just went that way myself) but the fact of the matter is FAR more people use BCDs than BP/W.

- is it difficult to dump air? ive read that the air can move about and get trapped, and it gets difficult to dump some times. can someone explain how people dump air from bp/ws?

- trapped air putting you 'off balance', is this a problem?

- do bp/w have pull dump corrugated hoses? or do you have to lift up the hose manually?

- how comfortable are bpws on the surface? dont they be inclined to pitch your face into the water?

My recent experience may help here - or not - as I just switched from a BCD to BP/W. The reason it may NOT help is that my BCD was a back-inflate, so in many ways more similar to a BP/W than not.

• Dumping/adding air is exactlly the same on a BP/W as on a BCD.
  
• I guess it could "get trapped" if you somehow added the air while swimming on one side, head up, and then tried to dump it while swimming on your other side, head down. Or otherwise similarly, and awkwardly, situated.
  
• On my DR RecWing the corrugated hose does have "pull dump" as a feature, though just as with BCDs I find that the push botton does a better job of fine tuning, as it's easier to more precisely control how much air you release. I'd also default to the push button because - and I have no specific reason for this belief - it just seems to me there's a greater chance for breaking something when you yank on the hose.
  
• My BP/W setup feels "the same" on the surface as my BCD did/does, but again my BCD is a back-inflate, so perhaps I'm just used to it. That said, I never had this problem with my BCD and I did train in a jacket-style BCD and had no trouble going from that to the back inflate.
  
• Remember also that the BP/W will also have the weight further "back" on you with the addition of 6lbs of steel attached right to the wing. Unlike weight integrated BCDs where you tend to have the bladder in the back and the weight more in the front.
  
• In the end, one of the benefits of the BP/W is better trim UNDERWATER, so if you need to get a bit used to slightly different (not better or worse, just different) buoyancy characteristics at the SURFACE that seems fair. And it was/is easy.

My two cents - worth exactly what you paid for it!

 

[Mark Vlahos]

There is one significant disadvantage that none of the posters in this thread have addressed directly.

You will probably be more comfortable in the water, the chief disadvantage of this key piece of the diving puzzle is that you will dive more often. The constant smiling resulting from this "happiness" will result in premature laugh lines on you face. Bearing this in mind you should factor in the cost of a face lift into your purchase.

Mark Vlahos

 

[Tamas]

...I know of no advantages of a bungeed wing...

OR any disadvantages to speak of (but this subject is a WHOLE another can of worms)

 

[cool_hardware52]

OR any disadvantages to speak of (but this subject is a WHOLE another can of worms)

I think the negatives associated with bungeed wings are over blown. You don't find bodies washing ashore strapped to bungeed wings.

On the other hand the main reason for using bungees, which is to make an oversized wing perform like a smaller wing is a poor solution IMO.

A better choice is a correctly sized wing.


Tobin

 

[Tamas]

I think the negatives associated with bungeed wings are over blown. You don't find bodies washing ashore strapped to bungeed wings.

On the other hand the main reason for using bungees, which is to make an oversized wing perform like a smaller wing is a poor solution IMO.

A better choice is a correctly sized wing.

Tobin

...as I said, let's not get into this again.....I really don't want to go down the bungied vs non-bungied pros/cons dicussion again. perhaps it would be better if comments as such would omitted from responses to keep all people happy

 

[CIBDiving]

Tobin,

I note that "your biases" have led you to leave out any of the CONS of a BP/W setup!

....

There aren't many!

1: Back inflate ONLY. There are some who don't like a back inflate system and never will.

2: No pockets to speak of, some rigs have found a way to put them on but none that are as easy to use as a jacket style BCs ( whether back inflate or not). Not every one uses or wants pockets on thier thighs

3: Weight integration. There are only a couple of viable choices for weight integration on a BP/W, and None are all that good. Also in general, if you do go with integrted weights, you give up on accessory pockets completely.

 

[JeffG]

...as I said, let's not get into this again.....I really don't want to go down the bungied vs non-bungied pros/cons dicussion again. perhaps it would be better if comments as such would omitted from responses to keep all people happy

You know you just wanna

 

[H2Andy]

You don't find bodies washing ashore strapped to bungeed wings.

he hasn't heard about the OMS Body Disposal Squad?

wow...

eyebrow

 

[spacemanspiff1974]

Thinking of other disadvantages:

1. fully inflating the wing on the surface while in a vertical position will push you forward (although if you are leaned back you can make it work like a raft in the pool.)

2. perhaps not the best design for new scuba students who are nervous enough without having to contend with disadvantage #1.

3. women don't think it is sexy when you model your bp/w in the house while wearing boxers and dress socks.