BP/W in warm water without wetsuit

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three of us using BP/W in warm water....

daughter in a rash guard, me in a 3mm, wife in a rash guard...

upload_2019-7-3_16-20-27.png


I do have shoulder pads on them, not sure they are necessary. Daughter's and mine are fabric, wife's are neoprene.

YMMV
 
However one question I still have is above the level of comfort wearing one without a wetsuit, or maybe at most a rash guard. I am nearly exclusively a warm weather diver, with the exception of an occasional cold'ish water dive (Greece for example). Are these backplates comfortable on the back against bare skin? I would assume I'd want some bouyancy neutral padding on the plate?

I dive a BP&W and was in warm water in the Florida Keys about a year ago with just a swimsuit. It was comfortable.

The only situation where it is not comfortable is when carrying the full kit (BP&W, tank, regs) a considerable distance topside, as is sometimes necessary for shore diving. The straps dig in. Usually I just put a towel over my shoulders first to provide some protection.
 
I dive a BP&W and was in warm water in the Florida Keys about a year ago with just a swimsuit. It was comfortable.

The only situation where it is not comfortable is when carrying the full kit (BP&W, tank, regs) a considerable distance topside, as is sometimes necessary for shore diving. The straps dig in. Usually I just put a towel over my shoulders first to provide some protection.

Shoulder pads would be a nice addition. I removed the soft plate my BP/W came with and went to a steel plate. Where I often have to walk a ways for shore dives...I opted to keep the shoulder pads.

HOG Deluxe Flex Harness - BCD - Products

For what it’s worth...when only in a rash guard...you don’t really notice the metal plate in the water too much.
 
Dive Gear Express has some delrin replacements for the wingnuts. I recommend them if you’ll be diving with a thin exposure suit. While the wingnuts are recessed in a channel and you won’t feel them when the kit is on, when donning/doffing the gear you will scrape them on occasion. The delrin items make that scraping much more comfortable.
 
DIY shoulder pad with old wet suit material.
If you still have material left, cut a rectangular piece big enough to cover the plate and tie down with cable tie over the 4 corners.
 
Not wanting to add buoyancy to my rig (neoprene mentioned above), these by SP are a nice option:
upload_2019-7-4_7-51-37.png


YMMV
 
Did 27 hours of shore diving in Bonaire with a SS Freedom Plate and rash guard. Initially I was apprehensive, but I quickly realized this configuration was a nonissue. However, I do have tubular neoprene shoulder pads on all of my BP/W harnesses. These thin neoprene tubes provide comfort, but more importantly protects your skin/wetsuits from unforgiving harness webbing.

Dive Rite Shoulder Pads, Set of Two | Dive Gear Express®
 
I use yakgrips (kayak paddle grips that happen to fit 2 inch webbing). You can get the ones that slide on or they make them that hook & loop on so you can take them off & on without having to disassemble your harness. Handy way to add a little padding in just the right place. I actually use mine beneath my arms where my harness rubs my lycra skin (sucks getting old with jiggly bits, sorry TMI :oops: ).:)

Yakgrips® - Cascade Creek - Free Shipping - Manufacturer Direct
 
DGX steel BP/W with the optional shoulder pads and the Dive Rite XT Backplate Pad; extremely comfortable so far.
DGX backplate.jpg
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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