Newby needs help.. BP/W - SS or AL??

[sea-glider]

hey all,

I'd like to get some ideas regarding Dive Rite's transplate setup.
I've ordered through my LDS the setup and hopefully will receive it the next few days.
being a newby and this being my first BC, I still have problems choosing between SS backplate and AL. my LDS will order both so I have the chance to decide which one to pickup when it arrives.

my main concern is being overweighted with the SS plate.
here's my situation:
-I'll mainly dive in tropical waters for the next few years. (living on a tropical island)
-I usually wear 2.5mm shorty (however most people here dont wear wetsuits and I might also go the same way as the water is pretty warm..)
-I will be diving single tank AL80 for now.
-I'm 165 pounds, height 5"7
last week tried Transpac rental (no transplate rentals..) and wore a 4.5kg weight belt. As I am not so experienced I'm not sure if this is the perfect weight for me. I might be able to drop some weight as I get better at adjusting my buoyancy. or maybe not.

At the moment I'm leaning more towards AL backplate with an STA. but I also think that having the SS might be a better way to distrubute the weight, and somehow will loose the benefit of having a BP/W with AL backplate..

I really would like to hear some advice from those who use BP/W setup.
thanks

PS. I posted a similar thread before but made a mistake about the tank I dive with (steel tank instead of AL80). I apologize for asking again..:sorry19z:

 

[TSandM]

Well, an Al80 is 3 pounds positive at 500 psi, and most SS backplates weigh about 5 lbs (this is assuming no STA -- I don't know the rig you have bought at all). That gives you 2 lbs to counter your shortie wetsuit; it doesn't sound likely to me that you would be overweighted.

I dive a SS BP in the tropics with a 3 mil suit, and I need about two additional pounds.

If you are a sinker by nature, you might be a pound or two heavy with the SS, depending on what other things you take into the water with you (lights, gauges, etc.).

If you are looking to carry ditchable weight, you probably need to go with the Al plate, which will negate one of the biggest advantages of a backplate, which is that it moves weight up onto your back so you trim out better.

 

[redacted]

It's easy to add weight to a BP&W but hard to take it off. With the SS plate, you might be too heavy if you add the STA, drop the wetsuit, or switch the a steel tank. The AL plate should be fine with any 2 of these options and maybe all three (if you go for a light weight STA).

My 6lb thick AL plate is too heavy if I use a steel tank so I have to wear a little extra neoprene to compensate in SW. In FW I can only use a steel tank when it is 5mm full suit cold.

 

[SlowRain]

This really comes down to deciding what you are going to be doing. In my case I initially bought a SS plate and for single tank steel diving cut my needed lead to nearly nothing...but on liveaboards or dive trips where you are renting tanks, most of the time you will be faced with the AL80 as probably the only option in most cases, made me thankful I had chosen an SS plate.

I recently bought an AL plate because of doubles. With double steel 119's and a dry suit using a SS plate...I didn't need any additional weight and in fact was a bit negative. Using the AL plate with the doubles is just about perfect. Needless to say when I dive doubles with a 3 mil and SS plate, it was like throwing a brick in the water. The AL plate really helped in that circumstance.

Look at what you are going to be doing initially and go with what works best. In the end getting an additional plate and harness really isn't that much of an investment because you can use whatever wing(s) you have on both.

 

[Kern]

Another thing to remember. The Transpak is inherently positive to the tune of about 3lb. So when you change from the Pak to the Plate, ali or steel, you will need 3lb less to be neutral.

 

[sea-glider]

thanks for all the advice everyone.

i just never dove with a BP/W setup so really am not sure how much weight i need and don't have the option to try it out bfore I buy
one question though, if i decide to dive double in the future does the SS make it a better option with AL80 tanks?? i assume it will be heavy initially but two AL80's would be very buoyant nearing the end of the dive and will need additional weights to counter that. of course this is for same type of diving - tropical water with 2.5mm shorty.

btw, I ordered venture wing for my setup.

 

[TSandM]

Sea-glider, you would think Al80 doubles would be twice as annoying as single tanks, but the manifold, bands, and two regulators pretty much negates the intrinsic buoyancy of the tanks. With my drysuit, I use an Al plate (because that's what I have set up for doubles for the PNW) and 6 lbs of weight (so the equivalent of a SS BP, basically) with double 80's in fresh water.

 

[sea-glider]

Thanks TSandM,

you have slowly convinced me of getting a SS backlate
however, any advice on an STA? are there any lite STA's I can get without adding too much weight? when I tried the transpac, I had to adjust my tank a few times during the dive coz my tank would move around. mainly bcause one of the straps buckle was broken on the edge and didnt strap tight enough.

 

[TSandM]

Sorry, I'm no help with STAs. I use Deep Sea Supply wings that don't require them.

 

[Kern]

I use an SS BP for steel 100cft single Faber tanks ( almost -2lb empty) diving dry (12lb of lead) or wet (7/5 mm, 6lb of lead) & doubled 100cft tanks diving dry (12lb of lead). I use the Transpak when diving the doubles wet (6lb of lead) & my 100cft doubles are a bit different to the usual 100 in as much as they're each about 2lb positive when empty. There really are so many variables that the only way to be 100% sure what will suit you best is to try it. Can't help with STA's I use a DSS plate too.

My weighting isn't exact. I'm stuck with 3lb multiples for my weight belt.