Info Beginners Guide To BP/W

[RobPNW]

Also, looking for advice on wing lift capacity. If I have to add 30lbs of weights just to sink in a drysuit in cold water, really how much lift to I need from the wing? I see some with upwards of 45+lbs of lift. I guess my question is more towards, how much negative buoyancy is actually added at let's say 130 feet? Can I get away with a smaller wing that would be suitable for both cold water and tropical diving like a Travel XT wing with 25lbs of lift? It looks like it has a rugged cover and construction like the Voyager XT but just smaller with a little less lift.

 

[RobPNW]

Kind of a pain in the butt to do what you are saying. (video: ).

Better option if you want a light weight backplate is to use a V weight when diving the drysuit, that can get you an extra 5-8 lbs. In truth though saving the 2-3 lbs with an AL backplate for travel rather than just using the SS seems like much ado about nothing, how often are you 2-3 lbs over weight on luggage?

I assumed it was a pain but I thought I'd ask. I'll have to look into the V weight to which you refer.

 

[mc42]

Also, looking for advice on wing lift capacity. If I have to add 30lbs of weights just to sink in a drysuit in cold water, really how much lift to I need from the wing? I see some with upwards of 45+lbs of lift. I guess my question is more towards, how much negative buoyancy is actually added at let's say 130 feet? Can I get away with a smaller wing that would be suitable for both cold water and tropical diving like a Travel XT wing with 25lbs of lift? It looks like it has a rugged cover and construction like the Voyager XT but just smaller with a little less lift.

A 40lb wing is a common wing size for Pacific NW diving with steel tanks. With my drysuit, I run about 28lbs of weight total (including 6lbs on the BP) with Al80s, and maybe 24lbs with steelies, conveniently all on the backplate and no weight belt.

Doing some rough calcs, with a single HP100 steel (-10 lbs full with regs), harness and lights (say -2lbs) and BP+integrated lead (-24 lbs) I'm at -36lbs so the 40 lb wing is mandatory for floating my rig on the surface if I use weight integration and no weight belt.

I could shift ~10 lbs from the integrated weights on the rig to a weight belt and drop down to a 30 lb wing, but then my options for adjusting trim or shifting weight between the rig and weight belt would be fewer than with the larger wing. The flexibility and extra lift capacity reserve for safety or carrying extra stuff would tilt me towards the larger wing. A 25 lb wing would be insufficient lift for me regardless of weight belt or not.

As far as downsides to the larger wing, I've used the 40lb wing and SS backplate in the tropics with no wetsuit and trim was perfect. The smaller wing might be slightly more streamlined or easier to vent in theory, but I had absolutely no problems with the 40lb wing so that would be my choice for one size for both cold and tropical.

 

[loosenit2]

I assumed it was a pain but I thought I'd ask. I'll have to look into the V weight to which you refer.

Lots of folks make their own I used this. Just cut a soft weight open and transferred weight to pouch. Worked well. I use with doubles but if you use with singles just get a couple of bolts to mount to backplate


XS Scuba V Weight Pouch

 

[RobPNW]

Doing some rough calcs, with a single HP100 steel (-10 lbs full with regs), harness and lights (say -2lbs) and BP+integrated lead (-24 lbs) I'm at -36lbs so the 40 lb wing is mandatory for floating my rig on the surface if I use weight integration and no weight belt.

Sounds like for cold water drysuit diving, I can go with something like a steel plate, steel tank, a couple trims pockets and a couple QR pockets up front with a 40 lb lift wing. Or, I could swap a 40 lb wing for a 30 lb lower profile wing, skip the QR weights on the front, and wear a weight belt with about 10-12 lbs.

If I go on warm water travel, go with the same steel plate, an aluminum tank, about 4 lbs of QR weight up front and the same 40 lb lift wing or the smaller 30 lb wing.

Basically, going from cold to warm water, take off the trim pockets, carry smaller QR weights up front and switch from a steel tank to an aluminum tank. Just an example but that sounds like it would work. No major disassembly of the kit, probably just need to tighten some webbing.

I'm looking at this basic package for about $360:

DGX Custom - DGX Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package

- DGX Harness
- 30lb single wing
- Cam straps
- Steel plate

So for cold water drysuit diving, it seems I would need to add a steel tank, some trim pockets or a v-weight and a weight belt.

 

[happy-diver]

Leave your soft weights alone and buy some scattergun pellets

 

[RobPNW]

I don't anticipate using double tanks in the future but I might be interested in doing some side mount training/diving. If I got something like a DR TransplateXT and harness, would that allow me to add that functionality? Butt plate?

 

[Manatee Diver]

I don't anticipate using double tanks in the future but I might be interested in doing some side mount training/diving. If I got something like a DR TransplateXT and harness, would that allow me to add that functionality? Butt plate?

You would need a sidemount wing. But by the time you buy a SM ring, butt plate, drings, etc you could just purchase a Xdeep Stealth or a Hollis Katana 2. And by doing that you get a better sidemount diving rig, and you can't have to disassemble your rec BPW every time you want to dive sidemount or vice versa.

 

[RobPNW]

Are most steel plates pretty similar? I assume they all allow use of standard 2" webbing as an industry standard. But beyond that, do certain models offer more or less features? I'm looking at the Dive Rite and Hog SS plates online and the Hog plate is about $50 less. Compared to other OEMs there's upwards of a $70 difference. Is there enough quality or option differences to warrant the big price differences between manufacturers of these plates?

 

[dmaziuk]

Is there enough quality or option differences to warrant the big price differences between manufacturers of these plates?

Yesnomaybe. You could be looking at difference in weight, better finish (e.g. burrs and sharp edges on the slots), mounting holes for accessories like weight pouches and back pads and what have you. Whether those are worth seventy bucks is in the eye of the beholder. Freedom Plate owners consider it worth the difference of a bit more than $70.