We first saw the Oxycheq Ultra-Lite backplate at DEMA and immediately felt that it would be an outstanding addition to our travel system. The plate itself weighs 9 ounces and is hardly larger than a dinner plate. It fits flat in a dive bag and takes up little room.
Courtesy of Shane at Vortex Spring, it took us two weeks post DEMA to acquire two of them with 18 pound travel wings. We picked them up last Saturday and took them diving in the pool last night.
In addition to the compactness of the system we were immediately impressed with the dual cam straps. They adjusted easily and held the tank securely. The one change that would make the pack lighter and more travel friendly would be plastic instead of metal buckles on the cam straps. However, they worked great and I'm not complaining.
We tried it with both aluminum 64 and Worthington HP-80 tanks. With the aluminum tank I used two three-pound weights in waist strap mounted pockets.
The first thing I felt was comfort and freedom from the bulkiness of a standard BC. I felt like I stepped back in time and was wearing a backpack and low-pressure 71.2 with the addition of buoyancy control.
The second thing I noticed was perfect horizontal trim without effort. I lay motionless hovering three-inches above the pool bottom. With minimal effort I moved forward and backward with drag literally non-existent.
My diving companion used the steel HP-80 with no additional weight and reported the same buoyancy, comfort, and trim characteristics as me. She reported that the webbing cinched snugly and she did not have the sensation of roll from the heavier tank.
We used the Oxycheq speed harness with shoulder pads and stainless D-rings at chest level and medium weight pockets. I removed the crotch strap immediately but my companion kept hers. The speed harness webbing comes in a ten-foot length so we have plenty of adjusting room.
Things I like:
Compact size
Light Weight
Little to no drag
Outstanding trim characteristics
Freedom of movement Next best thing to diving naked
Things I don't like:
None so far except maybe the fact that I didn't have one years ago
Courtesy of Shane at Vortex Spring, it took us two weeks post DEMA to acquire two of them with 18 pound travel wings. We picked them up last Saturday and took them diving in the pool last night.
In addition to the compactness of the system we were immediately impressed with the dual cam straps. They adjusted easily and held the tank securely. The one change that would make the pack lighter and more travel friendly would be plastic instead of metal buckles on the cam straps. However, they worked great and I'm not complaining.
We tried it with both aluminum 64 and Worthington HP-80 tanks. With the aluminum tank I used two three-pound weights in waist strap mounted pockets.
The first thing I felt was comfort and freedom from the bulkiness of a standard BC. I felt like I stepped back in time and was wearing a backpack and low-pressure 71.2 with the addition of buoyancy control.
The second thing I noticed was perfect horizontal trim without effort. I lay motionless hovering three-inches above the pool bottom. With minimal effort I moved forward and backward with drag literally non-existent.
My diving companion used the steel HP-80 with no additional weight and reported the same buoyancy, comfort, and trim characteristics as me. She reported that the webbing cinched snugly and she did not have the sensation of roll from the heavier tank.
We used the Oxycheq speed harness with shoulder pads and stainless D-rings at chest level and medium weight pockets. I removed the crotch strap immediately but my companion kept hers. The speed harness webbing comes in a ten-foot length so we have plenty of adjusting room.
Things I like:
Compact size
Light Weight
Little to no drag
Outstanding trim characteristics
Freedom of movement Next best thing to diving naked
Things I don't like:
None so far except maybe the fact that I didn't have one years ago
