OW backplate/wings

[kcanty]

1. For ocean diving you should consider a BP that
has holes which allows the use of the halcyon
accessories. AFAIK they are

- Halcyon
- Fred T
- Possibly Gary Hoadlys ( GUTS on ebay )

Also for ocean you want SS. You may want a
heavy version which both Fred and Gary make.
This could help not having to use either a
weightbelt, heavy STA ( single tank adapter
for single tank use ) or V-weight ( doubles use )

For wings you probably want a halcyon 27lbs
pioneer wing. For doubles in the future,
you want 55 lbs for steel tanks and 40 lbs for
al80s. Dive rite classic is ok but halcyon seems
a little better ( I have both )

If I were you:

- Fred T heavy plate
- Pioneer 27lbs wings

Later on I'd get a cheap al BP for steel doubles
( dive rite 50 bucks ) and be looking for good deals
on Pressed Steel 104's in the meantime.

P.S. you can rig your own harness pretty easily. It's
also educational and cost effective.

Kell

 

[cyklon_300]

IIRC, merkins came into use during times when body lice were problematic. Persons shaved their pubic areas in an effort to get rid of the beasties...and evidently felt that it wasn't socially acceptable to be hairless there.

 

[Fetch]

I dive a similar config, but fresh water (and often more exposure protection), and still use a few pounds of lead to get down (the is a GOOD THING). So, I can't really not recommend it. If you don't mind carrying lead, I'd probably go for the AL backplate (assuming it is used more for doubles - that is an area I'm a little ignorant in). Sharing rigging isn't as, er, "fun" as it seems. Truthfully, webbing is cheap, so you'd probably just end up moving your backup lights between backplates and having duplicates of the rest.

If you start with the AL backplate and a Pioneer wing (I got the one with the next highest lift above the 27, and I can't say that I've EVER needed to fully inflate my wing, so a 27 is probably fine) then you'll avoid the $100 or so for a new backplate when you start diving doubles. The downside is the extra 8lbs. of positive bouyancy over the steel plate.

BTW, the positive bouyancy elimination from BCD->Wings is a toughy (and very dependent on the diver). I dropped about 6lbs., personally (moving to SS).

I wouldn't say that, in most cases, SS is too much weight. When I dive in a T-shirt, however, I'm very cognizant of the fact that I'm overweighted even without a belt. So, I try not to do that very often (an easy thing, around here)

jeff

merkin once bubbled...
I'm about to buy backplate and wings. Would appreciate some help on deciding what to get?

Background: I dive in the ocean (S. FL) with a jacket BC, 3mm wetsuit and AL-80 with 18lbs. My plan is to dive single tank for 6 months, take the DIR-F class, assimilate and then move into cavern/cave diving in N. Florida region with a 7mm wetsuit (with doubles). (I'm buying the 7' hose etc soon too)

Originally I was heading for Diverite Rek wings with a SS backplate, but no-one seems to recommend this configuration on this board. Should I get a wing specifically for single tanks then buy a different wing with the same BP and harness if I eventually switch to doubles? Is SS too much weight? How much positive buoyancy do you eliminate just by switching from a BC to the BP/wings configuration?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[djhall]

cyklon_300 once bubbled...
IIRC, merkins came into use during times when body lice were problematic. Persons shaved their pubic areas in an effort to get rid of the beasties...and evidently felt that it wasn't socially acceptable to be hairless there.

Okay... but what I keep wondering is how you would get it to stay on????

 

[Wreck/Tec]

Merkin
If this is what works for some of the others here great. Please think of this........#1) If you dive dry, or wear a wet suit you'll need some weight, dispite having steel or alu. tanks. The only exception I could think of is diving in a bath tub or naked. #2) A SS BP spreads the weight out, is more durable, and resists corrosion, unlike aluminum. #3) Having steel tanks reduces having to carry weight on your belt or other places like tanks, or ankles. Most aluminum tanks are inherently buoyant. Some Catalina alu. tanks come to mind as being neutral when empty though. #4) Sea water requires more weight to sink things! Make a list of what you dive in routinely. Taylor your requirements to this list and dive it ! Don't make changes to your gear and expect nothing to happen, it dosn't work that way. It's your money, your time, and your life. Use all of them wisely!
Wreck/Tec

 

[Wreck/Tec]

Merkin
If this is what works for some of the others here great. Please think of this........#1) If you dive dry, or wear a wet suit you'll need some weight, dispite having steel or alu. tanks. The only exception I could think of is diving in a bath tub or naked. #2) A SS BP spreads the weight out, is more durable, and resists corrosion, unlike aluminum. #3) Having steel tanks reduces having to carry weight on your belt or other places like tanks, or ankles. Most aluminum tanks are inherently buoyant. Some Catalina alu. tanks come to mind as being neutral when empty though. #4) Sea water requires more weight to sink things! Make a list of what you dive in routinely. Taylor your requirements to this list and dive it ! Don't make changes to your gear and expect nothing to happen, it dosn't work that way. It's your money, your time, and your life. Use all of them wisely!
Wreck/Tec