Couple quick backplate questions

[halocline]

I own a freedom plate and love it. One of my long time dive buddies has a DSS single tank set up and he loves it. You'll be happy with either. What wing do you currently have?

 

[tbone1004]

I have a DiveRite recwing, which is great since there are situations where my instructor makes me dive doubles. Going thru DM and Instructor certifications now, and with the cave and wreck diving, we either dive steel doubles or don't go. He provides bands and manifolds, but the only steel tanks I have to work with are HP120's, and even with those, a small 30lb wing is barely enough at depth without exposure protection on.

 

[halocline]

The rec wing is terrible for single tanks; I have one for doubles. Sorry to tell you this, but I think you should be looking at a dedicated single set up. If you're looking at a backplate for use with both singles and doubles, the DSS is the way to go. You can get a single tank rig which will give you the package discount (I assume he still does that) and your plate will work perfectly with the rec wing for doubles.

My freedom plate is fantastic for single tanks, but it will not work with doubles. I use a standard-size AL plate for that.

I'm sure your instructor would bring this up, but it's generally accepted that heavy steel doubles, like your 120s, should be used with redundant buoyancy like a drysuit or lift bag. Not to spend even more of your money, but if you're looking at a fairly significant amount of warm water doubles diving in a wetsuit, you might consider putting together a set of AL doubles.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I regularly dive with a 7mm farmer john, and any weight that I can get off of my belt the better.

I have a DiveRite recwing, which is great since there are situations where my instructor makes me dive doubles. Going thru DM and Instructor certifications now, and with the cave and wreck diving, we either dive steel doubles or don't go. He provides bands and manifolds, but the only steel tanks I have to work with are HP120's, and even with those, a small 30lb wing is barely enough at depth without exposure protection on.

Steel doubles in the ocean with a wetsuit is not the best idea. Steel doubles with no exposure suit is even worse.

If you are diving a single tank, and no exposure suit, and 30 lbs wing fully inflated at depth is insufficient you are seriously over weighted.

If these configurations have been achieved at the direction of your instructor I'd strongly recommend seeking a second opinion.

Tobin

 

[tbone1004]

We always wear exposure protection, I was just referring to the lack of added buoyancy of the wetsuit. We're doing our drysuit certifications now, so everything is getting done simultaneously. The program the school requires our instructor to teach pushes us thru assistant instructor in 2 semesters, and the third is divemaster and most of instructor. The overweight has a can light on our butts, with unfortunately a steel STA *university bought them without consulting the scuba program first* that is about 5lbs negative.

Only time we dive without suits with doubles or anything is when we are doing our pool dives. Our pools have chlorine and bleach in them at fairly high levels *college pool with over 1500 people in and out of them on a daily basis...* and that would ruin any wet or drysuits with the amount of time that we spend in there. That and the pool is kept at 84 degrees, and I had to start using socks instead of my 3mm booties because my feet were getting too hot.

I found out this morning that my instructors personal setup is a LP DSS plate and that he has a bunch of wings for it. He said we can meet up tomorrow in the pool for a few hours to test stuff out and see what works best for me, from there I can order whatever I need.

Thanks guys