BP/W HOW-TO?? and some more ?s

[NeXt LeVeL]

Hey everyone, I got my cert back in October and haven't dived since. The biggest issue is RENTING that crappy equipment. While in the class, my dive buddies BC leaked from the inflator hose, and mine leaked from the dump cord. My buddy doesn't mind renting this older stuff... but I'd rather not leave my life in the hands of it. Don't get me wrong, the gear was in good shape, but didn't look to be serviced as much as I would service my own stuff. So... Im gettin off my butt, and getting all my equipment so I can dive!
The first thing I want is the BC. I know I don't want the jacket style BC. I've decided to go with a BP/W setup, but can't find any tech articles on setting it up. I know it consists of the Backplate (and straps)and Wing, but...
- how does the wing attach to the backplate? Is it a rope or cord? A certain method of lacing??
-Do all BP's interchange with all wings??
-I want to eventually go with doubles...can I get a wing that does both single/double?
-Is the BP/W the only way to go with this?? or can I find a Backinflated BC to do the same?
Thanks for any info/suggestions/advise!

~Joey

 

[cool_hardware52]

-Do all BP's interchange with all wings??

For doubles, almost all back plates can be used with almost all wings. For singles things are bit more complicated. If one is using a bolt on STA, almost all plates and wings can be used. If one "direct mounts" (no STA) you need to camband slots in both the wing and plate, and you need the slots to line up. There is not standard for the platement of these slots.

-I want to eventually go with doubles...can I get a wing that does both single/double?

In a word....no. There are wings sold that claim to be suitable for both, but do neither well. Trust me when it's time for doubles another wing is a small part of the cost. You'll need a couple sets of tanks, Drysuit, 3-4 sets of regs, can light, backup lights.

A good part of why you want a BP&W is for performance and ease of use. A "dual use" wing will not help you.

-Is the BP/W the only way to go with this?? or can I find a Backinflated BC to do the same?

You'll get a bunch of opinions here. Mine is clearly biased, I design, make a sell BP&W's, but having said that your stated requirements, modularity and the eventual capacity for doubles is best met by a True BackPlate and Wing, IMO.


Tobin

 

[dive_lover88]

A "dual use" wing will not help you.

Tobin,what do you mean by that? Sorry i dont really get you.

 

[Mark Vlahos]

Tobin,what do you mean by that? Sorry i dont really get you.

While some divers are quite happy with wings designed for both single tank, and double tank configurations, many divers find the compromise to be less than optimal. A good single tank wing will be narrower, and a good doubles wing will be wider, the compromise wing is usually somewhere between the two and does not really do either as well as a dedicated wing.

Mark Vlahos

 

[ScottB]

I'm rather sure Tobin meant that a wing that would be capable of handling both singles and doubles, would be mediocre at best for either......


Back plate and wings are modular systems.. so you could purchase a singles wing for use now.. and should you move to doubles, then you could purchase a doubles wing. Depending on whose backplate you use, to transfer you would only have to remove camstraps, switch wings, and and bolt the doubles on, .. or remove two bolts from a single tank adapter, switch wings, and bolt the doubles on.

Take care,

Scott

 

[dive_lover88]

oh ok thanks for the clearing up

 

[dive_lover88]

Thanks guys, I'm also a new bp/w user too. Just gotten my new DeepOutDoors Freedom LTD setup.

 

[ScottB]

- how does the wing attach to the backplate? Is it a rope or cord? A certain method of lacing??

By either having the Tank hold it in place, or by using the bolts of doubles or the bolts of a Single Tank Adapter... I have one plate that is designed to have it sandwiched between the Tank and Plate, but it moved a little, so I zip tied it =)

-Do all BP's interchange with all wings??

I am not an expert, but I would say all *doubles* wings, which use holes on 11 inch centers to mount with the double tank bolts, would work with all BPs, as would single wings which mandate the use of a Single Tank Adapter..

Certain singles wings which are designed to be sandwiched, such as the Dive Rite Travel Wing... may or may not work.. not all plates have built in camband slots.

-Is the BP/W the only way to go with this?? or can I find a Backinflated BC to do the same?

There is never just one way to do things.. =)

Following the BP/W genre
Tobin, (deepseasupply.com), makes a Kydex Backplate, which is a fancy plastic, which has some stainless steel inserts for strength...
Partick, (oxycheq.com), makes the A-pac and the O-pac, which are soft harness systems
Lamar, (diverite.com), makes the Transpac II, which is a nylon webbing harness system.
Scott, (zeagle.com), makes some modular back inflate systems which can accomodate doubles.

Another Route, is side mounting
Jakub, (golemgear.com), makes the Armadillo sidemount system
Lamar, (diverite.com), makes the Nomad sidemount system, based off a Transpac

I'm sure there are more that I am not thinking about, or don't know about.. but this gets you started

Take care,

 

[*Floater*]

I'm not a fan of the dual use wings purely from a theoretical point perspective (haven't tried one), but there are people who like them. Some on this board, but also my cave instructor used the Dive-Rite Rec wing (with bungees) along with Luxfer AL80 doubles and he was happy with it. He had a bunch of other wings, including Halcyon Explorer 40's that he could have used but chose the Rec wing. (And he didn't sell them).

On the other hand I've read plenty of posts here from people who say they have or had the Rec wing and while it worked for both singles and doubles, it wasn't ideal for either. The other problem with bungee wings is that the bungees can exacerbate small wing failures such as a small puncture at the rear of the wing. The bungees would squeeze out gas that could usually still be trapped and used in a non-bungee wing.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

Sorry guys...here is my suggestion
http://www.diverightinscuba.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=314

This is an awesome bc...combines integrated weights, back inflate, comfort,tough build quality, and not a lot of learning on your part. I applaud you for taking the right steps to learn what you want before you buy! I would also recommend trying a bunch of things on and eliminating them from there........

I have a BP/W setup, but I find myself continually using my back inflate(same I linked) because......I just like it better for alot of my dives around here.....I use my BP/W for different diving....again thats just me....find what fits for you goodluck


If your not sure you want doubles, and being a new diver, just get a singles wing for now and upgrade later.....

M