BCs for tall & thin people

[Medel]

I've had some not so good luck renting BCs since I'm about 6'5", and 185lbs. I end up in a medium (or large), and basically end up at the tightest "waist" setting sitting right about at the bottom of my ribcage. I'll be, at least mostly, traveling for warm water diving.
It seems like if I want to go BPW, and aluminum plate, that's Halcyon or nothing in a long. If I'm OK with steel, I could potentially go Scubaforce black devil long. Are there any other good options I haven't found? I'm not against a vest (ideally back inflate), but it seems like all the options I've found end up more expensive because they go custom to mix and match sized parts.

 

[tbone1004]

what is your inseam? Depending on how long your legs are you may be able to use a standard length plate.
That said, I do not put a whole lot of stock in avoiding steel plates on the grounds of travel. The actual weight delta is surprisingly small vs. aluminum and unless you're the type of traveler that is cutting toothbrush handles to save ounces, you can find the extra 2lbs in your bag. Put some smaller heavy stuff in your backpack that isn't weighed....

Shame Deep Sea Supply closed up shop a few years ago, though the long and extra long plates do show up every once in a while if you're a bit patient. You can pry mine from my cold dead hands, but you see a few of them show up every year as people are hanging up the fins.

 

[Medel]

I'm long legged (36" inseam) but not crazy long. Mostly the issue is I have a "longer than average" torso and approximately no waist (32").
Yeah, I'm not against a long steel plate (in theory). Still not a lot of options that I could find. The Black Devil Long and the Halcyon are pretty similarly priced. There is a DSS Long on the board right now, but it's also within a few $ of the BDL.

 

[tbone1004]

I'm long legged (36" inseam) but not crazy long. Mostly the issue is I have a "longer than average" torso and approximately no waist (32").
Yeah, I'm not against a long steel plate (in theory). Still not a lot of options that I could find. The Black Devil Long and the Halcyon are pretty similarly priced. There is a DSS Long on the board right now, but it's also within a few $ of the BDL.

I'm 6'3" with 32" inseam and for warm water diving can dive with a normal plate so you can probably get away with it since you have a pretty long inseam. Have you tried a normal length plate in person before?
Where in CT are you? I'll be up in Putnam in 2 weeks if you need to try some on I can fly up with a normal and a DSS Long

 

[Medel]

I'm 6'3" with 32" inseam and for warm water diving can dive with a normal plate so you can probably get away with it since you have a pretty long inseam. Have you tried a normal length plate in person before?
Where in CT are you? I'll be up in Putnam in 2 weeks if you need to try some on I can fly up with a normal and a DSS Long

Haven't tried any plates yet (planning on stopping by some places this weekend, actually). I'm down in Fairfield County, so the exact opposite corner of the state, unfortunately. Thank you for the offer, though! Also good to hear there's some hope for a normal plate fit. I always have trouble with hiking packs and things being too short, but maybe fit is less important when buoyancy takes over.

 

[ColoDale]

I am 6'7" with a 40' waist and use a diverite transpac. In the past I used a back inflate Oceanic Islander which I don't believe is made anymore. Both work well for me.

 

[Medel]

Transpac was on my list (forgot to add it) since it's mostly straps, and not big pockets on the waist. The problem with a lot of vests is that if it's narrow enough to not be sliding around, I'd need to shorten the waist by a few inches more than exists.

 

[rhwestfall]

Maybe get a large poly cutting board, and make a longer plate???

Someone with a longer than typical length plate might be able to trace theirs for you to use as a template...

Like Tom, I have collected a few long and x-long plates (I'm 6'-7", 36" inseam). Only upon my death would they be available..

 

[tbone1004]

Haven't tried any plates yet (planning on stopping by some places this weekend, actually). I'm down in Fairfield County, so the exact opposite corner of the state, unfortunately. Thank you for the offer, though! Also good to hear there's some hope for a normal plate fit. I always have trouble with hiking packs and things being too short, but maybe fit is less important when buoyancy takes over.

The Dive Rite Transpac was designed to fit like a hiking pack during a big exploration trip where they had to hike, but for warm water diving you aren't really carrying anything around for any distance. Once you're in the water the shoulder straps are left incredibly loose and it's only the waist strap that is tight and the crotch strap is snug to keep it from riding up. With a 36" inseam though I bet you can get a normal length backplate to fit comfortably enough if you don't want to go with the Black Devil

@Eric Sedletzky may know of one of his long pattern Freedom plates, which you can also pry from my cold dead hands.

 

[rhwestfall]

I wonder how hard it would be (or costly) to fabricate an inverted t-shaped extension to make a lower attachment point for the harness. Bolt into the channel of the plate....