Cheetah223:
That's why I was wondering if you can use any wing wtih any backplate. I noticed the plates seem to have a few holes in different positions, and the wings seem to have no holes in the same spots from the little I've examined them, so I was curious if I could get a cheap generic plate and put any wing I wanted to on it, etc.
Just to clarify, right now I'm just trying to figure out what I can and learn all I can about BP/W's - you've all hammered it into my head a few times over that they come out on top when compared to a jacket or back inflate BC, so I'm just trying to learn what I can so I can make an educated decision on what to buy.
You should be able to use any with any backplate so long as you are using a Single Tank Adapter with US standard 11" bolt spacing. The problem with mixing brands really only comes into play when you use the slots in the plate for holding the tank. Many STA's have their own slots for the soft tank bands. If the slots in the plate do not line up with the slots in the wing you could have problems. It is reasonable to assume that a plate and a wing from the same company will be made in such a way that everything fits together.
Almost every plate, every wing, and every STA will have the US standard 11" hole spacing.
If you work it from the tank to your back, it fits together like this.
The cylinder is held tight to the STA with "cam" bands, these are the soft webbing bands that you are accustomed to using with a regular BC. The STA has two bolts sticking out of it to bolt it to your backplate.
When you want to attach the STA to your plate you first put the bolts through the holes found on almost every wing made, then the bolts go through the holes in the plate. The end result of this sort of configuration is that the wing gets sandwiched between the STA and the plate. The plate has a channel or bend in it that provides room for the wing nuts to go on the end of the bolts from the STA. Tighten the wing nuts and everything is held in place and you go dive.
Where you can run into problems is if you do not use an STA, then you need to make sure that the slots in the plate itself line up with the slots in the wing since this is where you put the "cam" straps to hold the cylinder in place. Essentially you completely eliminate the STA and the wing is held in place by the same straps that hold the tank on. Some manufacturers have "built in" STA like devices, some of these work well, some are junk. Since you want to be fairly generic I would say you can plan on needing an STA, and with that configuration you should be comfortable mixing the brands between the wing, the plate, and even the STA. The worst thing that would happen if you got an STA but found that you did not need it was that you would have wasted a small amount on that extra piece, and you could sell it on eBay.
Remember, this entire thing only really comes into play when you dive single cylinders with a Back Plate and Wing. If you are diving doubles there is NO need for the STA, the cylinders bolt directly to the plate with the wing sandwiched between.
The OMS harness in the link the Red Head provided is not the worst on the market, but as I said before I like the one piece Hogarthian harness. The harness in the link is somewhere between the one piece and the cushy padded variety.
Mark Vlahos
I didn't want to go the lengthy explanation.
