Question Completely lost within various wing/backplate possibilites

[Karlovsky120]

So, I've accrued 30ish dives within last three years and decided to invest in my own equipment (one of the reasons I don't have more dives is because I don't have my own equipment, I could only dive during vacations).

I've picked out some pieces of gear, but I'm lost when it comes to BCD. While I'm a begginer diver, I do want to purchase a quality equipment from the get-go.

I'll mostly be diving in the Adriatic, I was thinking two piece 7mm wetsuit - it shouldn't be to warm at the warmest part of the season (I've dived in a 7mm one piece wetsuit at the start of August and I've not been too hot at all), and it would extend my diving window during the year as much as I could hope with a wetsuit.
I'm honestly not sure will I be diving with a steel or aluminum tank. In the dive centers I've been to I dived using a steel tank (12L and 15L) and I'm leaning towards buying a steel tank once I do buy my own tank. I've also only dived using jacket style BCDs and my back hurts from carrying belt weights so I'm looking to avoid that if possible. I'm not sure what my buoyancy would be in the end, I assume I'd need some extra weights. Where do I put them with the wing? Next to the tank? Should I have some ditchable weights? Where would that ones go?

Given that I'd use a thick wetsuit, I though I'd go with a steel backplate and some kind of 30lbs wing (diving with a single tank). I'd get a harness that's compatible with the backplate, probably from the same manufactrurer. Making my own seems like a lot of opportunites to mess something up.

But I don't know which wing to buy. I've hear people praising Halcyon, but they are the most expensive, I've heard apex and xdeep varians are good. I've also been recommended inwater and tecline. When I decide on a wing, I'd need a compatible backplate. I'm guessing most of them are compatible. I've seen them ranging from 100EUR to over 200EUR, does it really matter which one I'm getting? I don't like the xdeep steel backplate, it looks too light and incompatible with any non-xdeep accessories. I'm situated in EU.

If I do buy these three components, is that a complete set? Will I be able to attach a tank to this system or do I have to buy additional componets to attach the tank?

I'm sorry for so many questions, but I'd like to make an informed choice and I just keep running around in circles.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I don’t know what’s available in Croatia but the DGX BP/W package seems to be very popular and it’s a great value. I have seen the DGX 30 lb wing in person and I can say that it is a very high quality wing that I feel is a very good value. If you can get Diverite locally, their plates are flatter than most and that’s better for single tank diving. BP/W systems were originally supposed to be dirt simple and very easy to understand. Now it seems they have grown into a whole convoluted mess as more and more companies spring up offering them. There are some companies that have made things proprietary so you have to use all of their components. But there is still a lot of mixing and matching going on. If all the components work together from different sources then you’ve won!

 

[jborg]

Around here in the Baltic, which will be somewhat similar conditions, the common setup is indeed a steel plate, some sort of 15L/30lbs-ish wing, and a steel tank (probably 12L). Tecline and Xdeep are both reasonably priced and highly regarded. Avoid Xdeeps funkier stuff though. I don't think the US darlings DGX etc are represented very well over here nor a popular choice. And yeah, you can absolutely mix and match, I have a few different BP/W setups I regularly use and they all have different brands for each of the plate, harness and wing.

 

[Karlovsky120]

I don't think I can get DGX in europe (without costly shipping that is). I've heard there is a brand here that is equivalent to DGX, but I've forgotten what it was.

I've looked at the xDeep Zen options with steel plate. There's deluxe and standard. Deluxe comes with shoulder padding, quick release buckles and some fancy harness adjustment system (deluxe harness also isn't one piece of webbing (which seems like a disadvantage to me)). I don't really like what the backplate looks like though, seems to be very different from all the others I've seen, I'm afraid I'll have trouble adding anything to it in the future (if not from xDeep).

Also, Zen provides only 19kg of buoyancy, opposed to Apeks's 30kg. I'm honestly not sure how much bouyancy I even need. They are priced almost the same. I can get Apeks system for 620ish euros and the pockets for another 130 euros. xDeep system costs about 750 euros for deluxe version and 640 euros for the standard one, which both come with weight pockets included.

There's also Zeos that seems to be slightly inferior for slightly less euros.

 

[Kimela]

If you do get a two piece wetsuit set - I'm assuming a top and a bottom - I tuck the top into the waistband of the bottom to keep cold water from finding its way to an exposed back and/or belly.

Are you male or female? It might make a difference in BC recommendations.

And finally, hook a tank to your BC before you buy it if possible. How it rides on you without a tank is very different from what it feels like 'fully loaded'. Good luck!

 

[Bowers]

Brand isn’t a big deal, xdeep is good. I use HOG and think you could get that in your location. With thick suits you’ll want steel plate and tanks. For wing size a 30 lbs is minimal imho if you’re diving 2 piece 7mm. When you get deep and the suit compresses the wing needs to have enough lift for the weight you are wearing (don’t forget to include the weight of the tank and plate). Do you know how much weight you need in that thick of suit?

 

[Karlovsky120]

I'm male. I might be able to try on the Apeks set, but I don't think I can get xDeep locally, unfortunately. I have a similar problems with masks and suits - the one I'm looking at are just not sold locally.

I'm still unsure what kind of suit I'll be getting. I dived in Cressi Diver 7mm and felt fine, I might get a thinner, but better insulating suit, or the same thickness to keep me warm in colder waters. I might not go for a 7mm two piece in the end. With Cressi suit and a jacket BCD I had to take 12kg of extra weight. I also had 3.5mm gloves.

 

[Zef]

The amount of options on the market can be dizzying, but once you are familiar you realize that all the stuff available is similar to nearly identical. Here is some info that might help:

Backplate:
The backplate is just a slab of bent metal you strap a tank to and then strap on your back. There are some neat designs out there with neat cut outs and rad designs but in the end they all do the same thing. There are also lots of discussions about the finer points of using a steel vs. aluminum plate but it realy doesn't matter that much...the difference is a couple of pounds in a weight pocket or on a belt. You can spend a small fortune on a plate, you can get one from one of those alibaba websites on the cheap, or pay somewhere in between...they all do the same thing. The difference between a known brand and an unknown brand is the known brand is likely to have the holes, slots, and edges burnished or smoothed over, where as some of the less expensive unbranded plates have sharp edges where slots are cut and holes are drilled. Plates are fairly standard but there are some companies that do make a model a couple inches shorter and narrower to accomodate those with a shorter stature. Bottom line is pick one that is appealing to your eyes and budget and just dive it.

Wing:
Again lots of makes and models out there. The critical decision is really about obtaining a wing size that can keep you and/or your gear afloat. If you are not porting a lot of lead (because, perhaps, you are skinny, diving in tropically warm water, and not using a weatsuit) you can most likely get away with a wing that provides 18lb to 25lb of lift. The average diver, fully kitted up, will need a wing with 30lbs to 36lbs of lift for single tank diving, depending on how much lead they require to submerge. The current designs are so similar that they pretty much all provide the same functionality....you can't really go wrong with any of them...again find one that appeals to your eyes and budget. My recommendation is choose any one with a lift capacity between 30 and 34lbs unless you definitely know you need more lift or you know all your diving will be in the tropics without a wetsuit.

Harness:
While there are less options in this category, there are still enough to make one's head spin. The choices really boil down to a harness made from a single continuous piece of webbing (hogarthian style) or an on-the-fly adjustable harness. They all work just as well, except the die-hard diver types will bend your ear about "failure points" of adjustable/quick release buckles. Having some adjustability is nice, especially if you are switching out exposure suits such as between a wetsuit and a drysuit. The reality that most folks come to realize is that even with an adjustable harness, once they have it dialed in for the diving they do, they make it tighter/looser....this would put a check mark in the continuous webbing harness category, but then there are those of us who as we have gotten older have developed some shoulder mobility issues where having an adjustable harness or one with a quick release on the shoulder strap makes it much more feasible to get ones kit on/off. My bottom line recomendation is to get an adjustable harness if your budget can accomodate, and play with it and see for yourself....to switch to a continous webbing harness in the future is ultra cheap...+/-12ft of 2-inch wide webbing and few triglide keepers...one can typically put together a contunous webbing harness for +/-$20.

Don't be overwhelmed by the array of choices available. Down the road you will laugh at yourself for gawking over all the shiny bits and all the possibilities. In the end, its just a means to strap a tank to your back so you can go blow bubbles with the fish.

-Z

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm male. I might be able to try on the Apeks set, but I don't think I can get xDeep locally, unfortunately. I have a similar problems with masks and suits - the one I'm looking at are just not sold locally.

I'm still unsure what kind of suit I'll be getting. I dived in Cressi Diver 7mm and felt fine, I might get a thinner, but better insulating suit, or the same thickness to keep me warm in colder waters. I might not go for a 7mm two piece in the end. With Cressi suit and a jacket BCD I had to take 12kg of extra weight. I also had 3.5mm gloves.

Remember that jacket BC’s require extra ballast just to sink themselves, some up to a couple kilos.
With a BP/W that goes away and you actually get to integrate some ballast (like 2.5 kilos) which comes off your belt. That’s if you get a full size stainless plate.
I dive a 7mm wetsuit in 8 to 11 degree C water and I’m using a beaver tail two piece skin in freediving suit with no zippers. I used a Picasso in the past which is made in Spain, and Cressi makes some good suits too. I currently have a Yazbeck which is economical but it’s a nice suit for the money.
I also have a Pinnacle 7mm one piece back zip full suit and I pull a 7mm hooded vest (3 mil vest part) over the full suit and that works pretty good too.
I’m not a fan of drysuits for the type of diving I do.

 

[berndo]

But I don't know which wing to buy.

Get a wing/BP from DTD (dare to dive). They're doing OEM for several different brands but also sell their stuff directly to the customer for cheaper.

| DTD

The stuff from DGX is good but the prices are without tax so you'd have to pay about 20% more plus shipping. Usually not worth it.
You need to buy a BP dependant on your weight requirement with a steel tank (you don't wanna dive AL tanks in the Med). If you need just a few kg with a 12l tanks and a 7mm suit, buy an AL BP. If you need more than 4 kg or so, buy a steel.

I'd get a on piece 7mm and add a hodded vest in October. Buy a suit locally so you can try on different ones.

With Cressi suit and a jacket BCD I had to take 12kg of extra weight.

Unless you're a very heavy person, you're using WAY too much weight. An 80 kg to 90 kg dude in a one piece 7mm suit needs only about 4-5 kg of lead with a 12l steel tank. Your back hurts from using too much weight.
If you're in that weight range, buy a steel plate and put a few kgs on a weight belt. I wouldn't get pockets.

Around here in the Baltic, which will be somewhat similar conditions, the common setup is indeed a steel plate, some sort of 15L/30lbs-ish wing, and a steel tank (probably 12L).

I wish man, I never dove in Sweden, but the Baltic in Denmark and Germany isn't anything like the Med. It's mostly **** viz here and always cold. Maybe I should drive up there some time.