Modularity

[TSandM]

I had an interesting experience this afternoon, which I thought was worth sharing.

I've been playing with a set of doubled 72s, and I've been head heavy. I've moved weight around in various ways, but I was still a little head heavy. So I borrowed an aluminum backplate from a friend. Today, I got in the pool with it. Switching backplates was just a matter of unscrewing mine, and screwing in Richard's. Took two minutes.

The aluminum plate with more weight on my belt seems to have improved the balance, so I went and bought an aluminum backplate and some webbing and a few pieces of hardware. In half an hour (and it wouldn't have taken that long, if I had done it more times before) I had a new backplate and harness completely assembled. Further, I had taken measurements from my own harness, so I KNOW this one is properly adjusted. Off came Richard's backplate, and on went my new one.

Then I spent about twenty minutes adjusting my harness to fit Peter. That's the equivalent of taking a ladies' small BC and making it into a men's large. So he's going to dive my rig tomorrow.

I love modularity. It gives me so many degrees of freedom.

 

[cool_hardware52]

BP&W, hard to beat.

Glad to hear your pursuit effortless horizontal trim is nearing realization.

Tobin

 

[Doc Intrepid]

Twin 72s rock!

Keep on tweakin', Lynne...pretty soon you're gonna have it dialed in in detail

 

[RonFrank]

While I agree with the concept, in practice I think it is over rated. This has nothing to do with what one dives. Most BP/W divers I dive with have more setups then any other diver group.

I know and dive with several friends who dive Tech/BP/W setups. They ALL have a setup for doubles, a setup for singles, and generally carry around more great gear and spare parts then any other group of divers I have seen.

So while Modularity may in fact be an option, it appears to be an option most Tech divers I know don't use. I'd also suggest that a Zeagle BC could go from a 140lbs diver to a 200 lbs diver with five minutes of setup depending upon the height and frame of the diver.

If you are going to dive doubles by all means, dive a BP/W. But after diving an Oxycheq SS wing for singles, THAT would be my setup of choice for singles, and I could not dive it with doubles. Switching back and forth for what I found best for singles (heavy STA so less weight on a belt) would NOT be a great option for doubles.

The idea that you purchased a new AL BP to switch from singles to doubles certainly suggests this, and I'd say you will end up with a SS BP for singles and an AL for doubles. Further you may decide that a doubles wing is not the best config for singles even if it works. This is the conclusion that many divers arrive at.

I'm very positive that most people responding to this thread will agree with you, but I'm not one to go with the popular opinion! I seriously doubt over time you will go with the switching harness approach for you and your hubby over time sharing one backplate.

 

[do it easy]

I see your point Ron - more gear is more betterer. I agree to some extent- I own 6 reg sets since I was tired of swapping hoses around to dive a single tank.

I think the real benefit of the modular design is that different wings and tanks can be mounted on the same BP, so the fit doesn't change even though the dive parameters do.

 

[TSandM]

Oh, no, Ron. I wasn't suggesting that one rig would work for everything. And yes, I now own a singles rig and a doubles rig, with two plates and two wings. I just enjoyed the fact that I could mix and match and swap things around with such ease, and adjust things so drastically.

 

[*Floater*]

The two main benefits of a bp/w's modularity for me is that I can use the same bp and just switch the wings when going between singles and doubles. And if I want a new wing I can just sell the old one and use the new one with the rest of my existing rig. But I also own both a steel and a plastic backplate because the steel was too heavy for my warm water diving.

 

[cool_hardware52]

While I agree with the concept, in practice I think it is over rated. This has nothing to do with what one dives. Most BP/W divers I dive with have more setups then any other diver group.

I know and dive with several friends who dive Tech/BP/W setups. They ALL have a setup for doubles, a setup for singles, and generally carry around more great gear and spare parts then any other group of divers I have seen.

I agree.
Diving is a gear intensive sport, Tech Diving only more so. If BP&W's had never been invented my guess is that Tech Divers would still have more gear and more spares than sport divers.

So while Modularity may in fact be an option, it appears to be an option most Tech divers I know don't use.

Let's say a diver has a lightweight plate and a SS plate, one singles wing and one Doubles wing. Does he have two rigs, or the potential for 4 different combo's?

I'd also suggest that a Zeagle BC could go from a 140lbs diver to a 200 lbs diver with five minutes of setup depending upon the height and frame of the diver.

Adjustability of the harness and overall adaptability of the rig are two different things. The ability to swap out wings is key. Most BP&W divers will end up with 3-4 wings, maybe more. Why? Because they know exactly how to use the "modularity option". They have experienced the benefits of having a rig well matched to the task at hand.

Switching back and forth for what I found best for singles (heavy STA so less weight on a belt) would NOT be a great option for doubles.

Not sure I follow you here.

The idea that you purchased a new AL BP to switch from singles to doubles certainly suggests this, and I'd say you will end up with a SS BP for singles and an AL for doubles. Further you may decide that a doubles wing is not the best config for singles even if it works. This is the conclusion that many divers arrive at.

Not everybody uses a different plate for single and doubles. Here in SoCal it's pretty typical to use a SS plate for both. A weighted STA, or bolt weight plates with singles, and just the SS plate with doubles is a common solution.

I'm very positive that most people responding to this thread will agree with you, but I'm not one to go with the popular opinion! I seriously doubt over time you will go with the switching harness approach for you and your hubby over time sharing one backplate.

A Hogarthian Harness kit is ~$50 bucks. A second plate and harness for the diver that decides to maintain a dedicated singles rig and doubles rig is a minor expense compared to most other gear necessary to dive doubles.


Tobin

 

[TSandM]

Yeah, it's the four different combos idea that made me grin! Mix and match to suit the tank(s), the exposure protection, whatever. It's fun!

 

[rjack321]

I actually use the same SS plate for doubles and singles, the AL one I loaned Lynne I only bought because the SS put me too head down in a freshwater cave rig (Al80s + 7mm wetsuit).

A little birdie told me that moving 4lbs from the plate to the waist would iron out that head heavy tendency

Have you figured out a way to reach the isolator with your old suit yet? Or is that going to have to wait for the new one?