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They tell you not to do it because it isn't designed to have a plate go in between it. The Transplate harness exists for a reason, if you want the Transpac harness but want a rigid backplate whether that is aluminum, kydex, steel, ABS whatever, then use that. They make a backplate pad if you really feel like you need it for your diving. Mainly using no exposure protection, though I have somewhere well over a thousand hours in a backplate with one piece harness and diving without a t-shirt on and am no worse for the wear. This was also with an STA, so the wing nuts and bolts were there. Put any sort of rash guard or wetsuit on and the backpad becomes pointless.
The other issue is the dimensions of the X-Tek and the Transpac are very different. The X-tek harness is about the dimensions of a standard backplate, but the Transpac is VERY narrow, about the width of a scuba tank. There is literally no way you could get a stainless steel plate between you and a transpac, and while you could bolt a plate to the back of it, it would be quite difficult to get the transpac bent into the channel of the backplate.
So, they told you not to do it because it wouldn't work, quite simple, it really just won't work. If you want the comfort of the transpac, then buy one, it works wonderfully for single tank diving, just weave the cam bands straight through the wing and you're good to go. You are limited to the Dive rite wings for the most part because they have the thin strip in the middle that allows it attach properly to the Transpac, but their wings are quite nice and work very well. If you want the backpack style harness, just buy a Transplate and put it on whatever backplate you want, preferably with an STA, but if you choose not to use one, as long as the wing has stabilizer bars you'll be fine and you can then use any wing on the market.
Now, the other parts of your post.
Backplates come naked because there are a bunch of choices for harnesses and attachment points. The STA has been covered above and is dependent on two factors, if the wing is designed to be used without one, Hollis, Hog, Deep Sea Supply etc, and if the plate has cam band slots, most do these days, then you don't need one. If the wing is designed to use one, DRiS Trianta, Halcyon, Dive Rite, or if the backplate doesn't have cam band slots, then you need to use one. I have older plates that don't have these slots. If you switch between singles and doubles, then a STA is more useful because you don't have to thread and unthread cam bands every time you want/need to switch. The STA is also nice because in cold water it adds an extra 2lbs to the rig taking that much more off of the belt. Downfall is they put the tank about an inch farther off of your back which bothers some. I learned to dive with one, so I don't notice.
If you want this for travel, the Transpac weights almost 5lbs on it's own, a standard backplate weighs between 4.7 and 5.5lbs without harness. Transplate harness is about 2.5lbs, one piece harness is just over 1lb. So even with a stainless steel plate and a transplate, you're only about 3lbs heavier than the Transpac to be able to drop 6lbs from your belt. Most feel that is worth it and travelling with a stainless steel plate is a non issue. The Deep Sea Supply plates are especially flat and pack in the bottom of a rollaboard very well and most people will take them as carryon. They also have the advantage of drying much faster than soft type plates, so while you have a minimum 12 hour restriction before flying, if you pack early, then the hard plates have a bit of an advantage there.
I own and love my Transpac, I have two, one for warm water doubles, one for sidemount, I also have a SS plate that I use for cold water doubles, but if I were in your situation and were to do it all over, I would get a Deep Sea Supply backplate, with the weight plates, and use that for backmount. I would still go Stainless Steel over Kydex just because I travel with carryon and the extra 2-3lbs is worth it not to have to wear lead, but for around $100 USD, he sells weight plates that literally bolt to the backplate so you can use that for extra ballast at home, unbolt for travel, and you're good to go. He only sells one piece harnesses with his rigs, and I would recommend diving with the one piece harness at least a few times and if you really don't like it, then go to a different harness.
The other issue is the dimensions of the X-Tek and the Transpac are very different. The X-tek harness is about the dimensions of a standard backplate, but the Transpac is VERY narrow, about the width of a scuba tank. There is literally no way you could get a stainless steel plate between you and a transpac, and while you could bolt a plate to the back of it, it would be quite difficult to get the transpac bent into the channel of the backplate.
So, they told you not to do it because it wouldn't work, quite simple, it really just won't work. If you want the comfort of the transpac, then buy one, it works wonderfully for single tank diving, just weave the cam bands straight through the wing and you're good to go. You are limited to the Dive rite wings for the most part because they have the thin strip in the middle that allows it attach properly to the Transpac, but their wings are quite nice and work very well. If you want the backpack style harness, just buy a Transplate and put it on whatever backplate you want, preferably with an STA, but if you choose not to use one, as long as the wing has stabilizer bars you'll be fine and you can then use any wing on the market.
Now, the other parts of your post.
Backplates come naked because there are a bunch of choices for harnesses and attachment points. The STA has been covered above and is dependent on two factors, if the wing is designed to be used without one, Hollis, Hog, Deep Sea Supply etc, and if the plate has cam band slots, most do these days, then you don't need one. If the wing is designed to use one, DRiS Trianta, Halcyon, Dive Rite, or if the backplate doesn't have cam band slots, then you need to use one. I have older plates that don't have these slots. If you switch between singles and doubles, then a STA is more useful because you don't have to thread and unthread cam bands every time you want/need to switch. The STA is also nice because in cold water it adds an extra 2lbs to the rig taking that much more off of the belt. Downfall is they put the tank about an inch farther off of your back which bothers some. I learned to dive with one, so I don't notice.
If you want this for travel, the Transpac weights almost 5lbs on it's own, a standard backplate weighs between 4.7 and 5.5lbs without harness. Transplate harness is about 2.5lbs, one piece harness is just over 1lb. So even with a stainless steel plate and a transplate, you're only about 3lbs heavier than the Transpac to be able to drop 6lbs from your belt. Most feel that is worth it and travelling with a stainless steel plate is a non issue. The Deep Sea Supply plates are especially flat and pack in the bottom of a rollaboard very well and most people will take them as carryon. They also have the advantage of drying much faster than soft type plates, so while you have a minimum 12 hour restriction before flying, if you pack early, then the hard plates have a bit of an advantage there.
I own and love my Transpac, I have two, one for warm water doubles, one for sidemount, I also have a SS plate that I use for cold water doubles, but if I were in your situation and were to do it all over, I would get a Deep Sea Supply backplate, with the weight plates, and use that for backmount. I would still go Stainless Steel over Kydex just because I travel with carryon and the extra 2-3lbs is worth it not to have to wear lead, but for around $100 USD, he sells weight plates that literally bolt to the backplate so you can use that for extra ballast at home, unbolt for travel, and you're good to go. He only sells one piece harnesses with his rigs, and I would recommend diving with the one piece harness at least a few times and if you really don't like it, then go to a different harness.