Purpose of a backpad and other BP/W questions

[Tigerpaw]

While doing my cert for Cavern, my instructor had made mention that I may want to consider retiring my Cressi jacket style BCD for a BP/W. After doing a bit of reading and research, I can see the benefits, especially as I'm starting to do a little more technical diving. I'm settling for a HOG setup and have a question about the backpad. Does having one make it more comfortable? Can air pockets be trapped in it thus affecting your buoyancy? Trying to decide if it's worth getting.
And finally at 6' and 245lbs, would the 60 pound lift be adequate or can I go with a smaller wing? Thanks in advance!

 

[GF99/99]

While doing my cert for Cavern, my instructor had made mention that I may want to consider retiring my Cressi jacket style BCD for a BP/W. After doing a bit of reading and research, I can see the benefits, especially as I'm starting to do a little more technical diving. I'm settling for a HOG setup and have a question about the backpad. Does having one make it more comfortable? Can air pockets be trapped in it thus affecting your buoyancy? Trying to decide if it's worth getting.
And finally at 6' and 245lbs, would the 60 pound lift be adequate or can I go with a smaller wing? Thanks in advance!

Honestly I think back pads were just a marketing gimmick to sell you more stuff you don't need or to make last years model more appealing for this year. Unless your diving shirtless or just with a super thin rashy I don't really see the point in a backpad. If your setup comes with one sure take it but don't spend extra money for it. I can strap my 35+kg JJ on it is totally comfortable with out a backpad.

A 60# wing is more than plenty, unless your doing crazy things with tons and tons of stages and a drysuit with massive undergarments the average twinset diver with 2 stages will never need anything over 60# of lift. Depending on how many stages you are diving with and how much weight you have a 40# wing might even be better. Little bit more streamline

 

[lowwall]

Backpad is unnecessary. I have plenty of dives shirtless or in a t-shirt with a steel plate and it's fine.

Required lift depends on your setup, but 60 pounds is a huge wing. You might need it with big double steels and a 7mm. 30-35 pounds is plenty for most single tank diving.

 

[crofrog]

Wing size is based on what cylinders you’re diving. It has nothing to do with your size and weight.

60lb double wing for 8” tanks, 40lb for 7.25” tanks.

Some of the back pads like the halycon mc storage pak is a pocket. I put the bigger smbs I carry in there sometimes instead of my pocket

 

[rx7diver]

Your experience seems similar to mine: The first time I ever saw a BP/W (the original Dive Rite 55# horseshoe wing and Al backplate) and huge (or so they seemed to me) non-isolation manifolded doubles (PST LP 104'a) was during my Cavern and Basic Cave courses (NACD/NSS-CDS, in 1988). We students had to wear a Y-valved single cylinder for those courses, but our instructor wore his full cave gear and spent a bit of time chatting about his gear and why it is necessary.

Dive Rite continues to sell the 55# Classic Wing. This Wing is sized to accommodate double PST LP 104's (which are very negatively buoyant empty and have an 8" O.D.) and a couple of Al 80 stage/deco cylinders, in fresh water caves.

Your first tech cylinders will probably NOT be as massive as double 104's. I doubt you will need a 60# wing.

rx7diver

 

[Bowers]

I use the hog rig with a 32# wing for all my single tank diving including drysuit stuff. I have a 60# wing as well but even though it can do singles, i only use it for twinsets. How much weight do you need? I like to have at least about 10 more lbs of lift potential than i do weight.

 

[happy-diver]

plate-pad =

Halcyon Life raft storage?

I just purchased the Halcyon life raft via the internet and am now wondering how to store it as its a heck of alot bigger than it looks on the Halcyon website http://www.halcyon.net/mc/dlr.shtml. Though the Halcyon site reports "The DLR can be integrated into the MC system, hidden neatly behind...

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I stash my dsmb in there sometimes

 

[rongoodman]

No need for a back pad. My SS plate is fine with just a T-shirt. As others have said, 60# wings are for big doubles sets, not single tanks.

 

[MidOH]

Your wetsuit or drysuit undergarment is your back padding. (Although most divers have padding built in now)

No padding on the plate needed. For wetsuit diving, SS sticks to neoprene well, which is a nice bonus.

You can go smaller on a doubles wing with a drysuit. But 60# appears most popular up here. The DGX, Oxycheq, 30# wing is cutting edge for singles.

 

[doctormike]

Yeah, as mentioned above, the pocket is a great place to store an SMB. Completely out of the way, you don't even know it's there because the bag fits in the plate bend. But very easy to deploy (I clip it to the tail D-ring). I have a tail pouch for my second SMB.