Choosing a BP/Wing

[kanonfodr]

there are very few instances where i would recommend an aluminum backplate, other than to save yourself like $20... stainless steel backplate = less weight on the belt. you're diving singles, so don't buy more than a 30lb wing.

Well, steel plates can sometimes be too much ballast for an individual. I dive tropical waters with an AL plate and a steel tank, that's all the weighting I need. But I'm a fairly rare case, I'm a super sinker.

Also, with doubles, the AL plate can give the diver more options when it comes to trim by giving them a bit more lead to move around. And third, the reduced weight of an AL backplate is nothing that can't be offset by putting weight either on the cambands or a simple weight belt wrapped around the tank, placed between the cambands.

Peace,
Greg

 

[txapacheguy]

Hey there!

So my husband and I are definitely new to diving, but after reading through a bunch of information, we've decided that we want to start off with a bp/w bc, instead of the typical go-to jacket, etc. My local dive shop has almost no information regarding bp/w bcs, so I figured this might be a good place to start. I haven't been able to find a lot of information aimed at new divers, so I really am starting at ground zero.

I was looking at some of the Hollis gear. LeisurePro has been awesome (we've gotten some of our basic gear from their website), and I haven't really looked elsewhere at gear (I did browse Deep Sea Supply, but couldn't really figure out what I need).

Anyways, I've sort of been looking at the following setup:
Hollis Elite II Harness $152 OR Solo $89
SS BP $117
Hollis S Series Wings 25 lb lift $283

I also plan on diving with a 5 mil wetsuit

Obviously I'm only doing ow diving for now, but eventually want to move towards some more tech diving, so I want my gear to be able to work for that too.

So my questions are:
Am I moving in the totally wrong direction? Does this sound like an okay setup?
Are different brands compatible with eachother? (Can I use a Diveright harness with a hollis plate? etc)
Am I overlooking any crucial things that I might need?
Padded vs. Unpadded harnesses?
Am I missing something? Or if I order these items will I have everything I need to assemble it? What other accessories will I need?

Sorry for so many questions--- most of the threads and info I've found have been aimed towards people that already know what they're doing, and I don't. If you all can point me in the right direction, that would be awesome.

While my diving experience may not put me in a position to give advice, it has put me in a similar situation to you and your husband. In my research regarding what type of gear would be best for me, I decided on a BP/W setup. I wanted a rig that could grow as my diving moved from open water, to ice diving, drysuit diving, and hopefully caverns early next year. I wanted something that would be easy to sling a pony bottle from, and liked the idea of being able to have a SS backplate to eliminate 6lbs from my weight belt or pouches. I live in an area where most of the local divers do not use this setup, so I resorted to the internet (mainly this site). This is the rig I decided on.

AL back plate w/ Oxycheq Hog Harness & Oxycheq Mach V wing [DROCpkg] - $375.00 : Cave Adventurers!, We will NOT be undersold!!!

I also relied on the internet to provide me the info needed to set up this rig once it all came in. After the addition of a few quick release weight pouches, trim weight pouches, and a Dive-Rite accessory pouch, I was in the pool at my LDS with it. It is super easy to maintain horizontal trim with this setup(something that basically eluded me until this point), and much more streamlined than the jacket style bcds I have previously used.

If I have one complaint, it is the position the setup places me in while on the surface and resting. It puts me slightly face down, but not with my face in the water. I have to adjust my body position, and bend my knees a bit to lean backwards while resting on the surface basically.

I will be taking it on some OW dives next weekend in conjunction with the rescue diver course. After that, I will probably try to get up to Boulder one weekend to link up with the guys that practice the "more technical" stuff. It would have been really nice to have some folks to mentor me a bit in person as I gathered up the stuff to assemble this setup, but I think it has worked out. Good luck to you, and please post up what you and your husband finally end up buying!!!

 

[ucfdiver]

Be careful with Oxycheq. I would research their customer service carefully before buying any products of theirs.

 

[txapacheguy]

Be careful with Oxycheq. I would research their customer service carefully before buying any products of theirs.

Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully, it will be a long time before I have to worry about it.

 

[ucfdiver]

Thanks for the heads up. Hopefully, it will be a long time before I have to worry about it.

No problem. Take a look at the support Tobin @ DSS gives and also research what Halcyon does. I think you'll find those two offer support that justifies the price difference.

 

[Moonglow]

Be careful with Oxycheq. I would research their customer service carefully before buying any products of theirs.

They make some great products though, including the best wing.

 

[Matt S.]

Tobin at DSS is the only merchant who has ever called me to talk me out of something that I ordered, suspecting that I didn't really need it. (He was right.)

I like to support small companies that sell good stuff AND participate in the community they sell to. DSS has won my business. You can't go wrong with any of the name brands that have shown up in this thread, though.

 

[mddolson]

I like my aluminum backplate. Lighter for travel and I don't need the extra weight when I dive tropical.

I agree with the aluminum backplate, I like mine for singles, but prefer SS for twins.

Mike D

 

[sambolino44]

I'm happy with my DSS BP/W, but it's the only kind I've tried. I dive cold water with a drysuit, so my experience is quite different from your Florida diving.

DSS offers several features that I don't see on other brands. The wing has built-in rubber tank stabilizers, so I don't need a single tank adapter (OK some others do have that). The bend of the plate is flatter than most. I have the DSS weight plates bolted to my plate. All three of these features get the weight closer to my center of gravity, which I think is important (but like I said, I've never tried a different BP/W). Another unique feature is the ability to remove the wing from the plate easily, with no tools. I do this after every dive, because it makes handling the whole thing easier, and makes rinsing out the wing easier. Those weight plates make that rig a handful when dealing with it out of the water, but it makes my belt easier to manage.

I certainly agree that Tobin is very knowledgeable and helpful, but there's one area where I disagree with him, and went my own way: I replaced my corrugated hose with a longer one, and have no regrets. Most other people are happy with the shorter hose he supplies; I found it hard to get my fingers on the inflator buttons. But that was easy and relatively cheap to change. And I have to say, if you disagree with Tobin on how to do something, you probably ought to at least try it his way for several dives; on most everything else I ended up agreeing with him.

By the way, I also like my DSS computer and compass mounts, "top hats" for my inflator hoses, and the inflator valve tool is neat, too.