Looking to replace my Zeagle Escape with a travel bp&w. Suggestions?

[flybigjet]

Greetings, all--

Just got back from a month of diving Guam, Palau and Chuuk and have decided it's time to replace/upgrade some of my kit, so I'm looking for suggestions.

Basic background: Diving 30+ years, reasonable skills, draw the line at tec, nothing fancier than "light" wreck, no deco, etc., warmwater diver. I dive with an old back-inflate Zeagle Escape that's been very good to me. Swim trunks & a sharkskin top require about 7 lbs. of weight w/ an aluminum 80 (9-10 lbs. with a wetsuit). Ability to travel with gear is huge, since I live in a landlocked state. No drysuit or cold-weather diving.

I've really enjoyed the Escape over the years (especially the back-inflate part), but it's getting a little long in the tooth, so time to upgrade.

I'd like a bp&w that's "travel-able" that will allow for a bit of weight fitment (maybe trim pockets on tank straps?) and has a bit of storage on the side (blasphemy I know, but I like to store my backup light and smb/reel in pockets to keep the "dangles" to a minimum).

I don't know much about single-tank bp&w's, so any/all help is appreciated. I'm guessing aluminum plate for travel purposes, but other than that, I'm looking for a direction to go to-- I'm assuming my weight requirements might drop a couple pounds? I'm not going to do much tec (other than "light-zone" penetrations due to where I live and the limitations of only being able to dive a few times a year), but I'd like something like the Escape, but better. Does that make sense?

Not much to look at around here at the LDS's, bp&w-wise, so I'm kind of trying to sort this out remotely.

Thanks to all!

R.

 

[stuartv]

Back plate - $75
Store - Vintage Double Hose

Wing - $199 (same wing as Dive Rite Travel EXP, just relabelled for DGX)
DGX Gears Single Tank Wing

I would buy webbing and individual D-rings, sliders, buckle, and crotchstrap to finish it off, but you can buy a complete harness "kit" if you want.

 

[boulderjohn]

I use an aluminum plate for the kind of travel you are describing, and I do have trim pockets mounted on the cam bands so that I can add the weight that will normally be found on a SS plate.

I wear a pair of neoprene pocket shorts while I dive for things I want to store in pockets. Mine are made by XS Scuba, but there are other brands. I can thus choose to wear them or not depending upon the nature of the dive, and the same shorts fit over any wet suit.

As for "danglies," as a technical instructor, I tell students that if it dangles it tangles, so they are to be avoided. That does not mean, however, that does not mean you cannot have things like backup lights hanging from a harness strap D-ring. You just have to have some rubber bands made from bicycle inner tubes on the strap below the light, and one of them will hold it tightly to the strap. That is so common that some backplates come with those rubber bands all ready to go.

 

[tbone1004]

Deep Sea Supply Kydex backplate in whatever length you need, likely with a Torus 26 wing. You can then purchase whatever pockets you want as they are all universal. Total weight will be ~5lbs plus whatever pockets you put on.
Equipment Configuration | Global Underwater Explorers
check that link to find out how to manage backup lights on the straps themselves instead of a pocket. DSMB will then get clipped to the butt d-ring on the crotch strap to keep it out of the way. Anything else, consider a thigh pocket. I am a fan of the Dive Rite thigh pocket that doesn't get glued to your suit. The neoprene pocket shorts are good as well

 

[Lorenzoid]

The travel weight difference between aluminum and steel is something like 4 lbs. I take a steel plate and just leave the extra pairs of underwear at home. With a steel plate, aluminum 80, and well-worn 3/2 mm suit or skin, I require no lead at all. I get a kick out of seeing the DM's face when I answer the question of how much lead I need. Not that brand matters that much, but I use a DSS steel plate and their Torus 26 wing. This setup works well with less tropical water, too, such as where I might need a 5 mm suit--just add a couple of trim weight pockets on the tank cambands.

 

[stuartv]

The travel weight difference between aluminum and steel is something like 4 lbs. I take a steel plate and just leave the extra pairs of underwear at home. With a steel plate, aluminum 80, and well-worn 3/2 mm suit or skin, I require no lead at all. I get a kick out of seeing the DM's face when I answer the question of how much lead I need. Not that brand matters that much, but I use a DSS steel plate and their Torus 26 wing. This setup works well with less tropical water, too, such as where I might need a 5 mm suit--just add a couple of trim weight pockets on the tank cambands.

100% agree. My biggest reason for wanting a VDH plate is how much easier it will be to fit it in my carry-on suitcase, as compared to my normal SS BP. Or, maybe I should say, how much more other stuff I think i can fit in there with the VDH instead of a normal SS plate.

 

[cool_hardware52]

The travel weight difference between aluminum and steel is something like 4 lbs.

For a DSS medium plate the dry weight difference between Kydex and Stainless is a whisker over 3 lbs. For our larger plates the difference increases a little bit, but not much.

Keep in mind that aluminum is almost exactly 1/3 the density of Stainless, 165 lbs / cu ft vs 495 for SS. If a Stainless plate and Al plate are the same thickness and geometry the Al plate will be 1/3 the weight. Kydex is much less dense than Aluminum, ~65 lbs / cuft, but the 16 gauge stainless reinforcements found on a DSS kydex plate bring the weight back up to just a bit under what a aluminum plate would weigh.

If a SS plate actually weighed 6 lbs one would expect the alum plate to weigh 6/3 = 2 lbs. The reality is most "6 Lbs plates" are closer to 5 lbs (often the weight of the harness is included in the plate) and often the SS plates are 11 gauge or .118" thick and the Aluminum plates are cut from true 1/8" or .125 material. These two factors combined result in the travel weight difference being closer to 3 lbs than the expected 4 lbs.


Tobin

 

[Lorenzoid]

100% agree. My biggest reason for wanting a VDH plate is how much easier it will be to fit it in my carry-on suitcase, as compared to my normal SS BP. Or, maybe I should say, how much more other stuff I think i can fit in there with the VDH instead of a normal SS plate.

I just clicked on the link and yep, that's what I figured it would look like. Too weird, er, vintage, for me! But I pack my backplate in my checked bag, not my carry-on. I get it though--airlines rarely weigh your carry-on. The Freedom Plate that Eric Sedletzky was making at one time looked like it would fit the bill for a carry-on friendly plate. Someone even incorporated it into a backpack.

 

[tbone1004]

when I've packed my plates before I will usually do a first layer of clothes, then the plate, then more clothes to account for the slight bend. My concern with the VDH plate or really any plate on the bottom of a checked bag would be that it could get bent fairly easily. If I was trying to pack like that I would go with the Oxycheq travel plate.
Cave Adventurers - Ultra Lite Travel Plate *Chroma Series* - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!
Cave Adventurers - Ultra Lite Travel Plate *Black* - Marianna, Florida USA - Never Undersold!

Their dogbone plate isn't worth it to me against a full plate and since I do dive doubles on a regular basis, the VDH plate is a bit too restrictive for me. The Ultra-Lite's are cheaper than the VDH, and will hold the tank just as close if you needed it closer than what DSS will give you for some reason

 

[stuartv]

I just clicked on the link and yep, that's what I figured it would look like. Too weird, er, vintage, for me! But I pack my backplate in my checked bag, not my carry-on. I get it though--airlines rarely weigh your carry-on. The Freedom Plate that Eric Sedletzky was making at one time looked like it would fit the bill for a carry-on friendly plate. Someone even incorporated it into a backpack.

LOL! Nobody can see it when you're wearing it!

It's designed to work with the old double hose style regs, but I can't see any reason it wouldn't work fine for a tank with a modern 1st stage. And it will put the tank right against your back, instead of 1 or 2 inches (w/o or with STA) away. I'm definitely going to get one. When just comes down to when I think I will next actually dive with a single tank again. It's been quite a while.

Oh, and Eric's Freedom plates look awesome. But, they have some curvature, so i still don't think they would be nearly as packable as the VDH plate.

And, I am ALWAYS bumping up against my checked bag weight limit. So, putting a SS plate in my checked bag ain't happenin'! I put everything heavy that I can in my carry-on bag. The carry-on size is so limited that even with all the heavy stuff in it, it is still not THAT heavy.