I am thinking about buying a dive rite backplate. However, i can't decide between the ABS and the S/S. I will be doing mostly saltwater diving and also travel a lot. I like the ABS because it is light but does not have a lot of holes for attachments. The S/S is okay, but i would like to cut down the weight and some price too. Please advise.
Question on backplate
- Thread starter nuttytoe
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Why not go with aluminum? Light weight and the same basic design as SS.
I see nothing wrong with ABS for a travel setup. It sure lightens the load, and you can use weights to offset it while on your travel dives.
I have "heard" people talking about the ABS plates breaking, however, I have never actually known anyone that had this happen. I have one that I used for years, with steel tanks, and it is still in great condition. I am wondering if the breaking thing is an urban legend or something. If one has broken, I wonder what the circumstances were behind it.
I have "heard" people talking about the ABS plates breaking, however, I have never actually known anyone that had this happen. I have one that I used for years, with steel tanks, and it is still in great condition. I am wondering if the breaking thing is an urban legend or something. If one has broken, I wonder what the circumstances were behind it.
cool_hardware52
Contributor
As an option how 'bout a Kydex & Stainless Back Plate.
http://www.deepseasupply.com/page9.html
Kydex has about twice the impact resistance of ABS, and the 16 ga SS reinforcements
provide strenght at the load points. Light weight, and slightly flexible, adds comfort when diving with little or no exposure suit.
Regards,
Tobin
http://www.deepseasupply.com/page9.html
Kydex has about twice the impact resistance of ABS, and the 16 ga SS reinforcements
provide strenght at the load points. Light weight, and slightly flexible, adds comfort when diving with little or no exposure suit.
Regards,
Tobin
Hoser, you don't select a plate based on whether or not it has holes in it, or which one travels better. In general, you don't select gear based on how it works out of the water. You select gear based on what's going on in the water - e.g. submerged. Your backplate is something that integrates with other components underwater, to provide you with a balanced rig that trims out nicely and allows you to dive effectively and efficiently.nuttytoe:
Its about weighting your rig so that you achieve equilibrium at the end of your dive, with your tank(s) nearly empty, given the positive bouyancy provided by your wetsuit or drysuit/undergarment in concert with the negative bouyancy resulting from your tanks, regs, backplate, and the rest of your kit. Your body is like a lever, with the fulcrum somewhere between your sternum and your hips. A 6 lb plate, for example, takes 6 lbs off your hips and puts that weight flat against your back, where its more stable as well as closer to your center of gravity. A 12 lb plate does the same thing, it just displaces more weight. Which one you use depends on where your buoyancy is located, and where you need to put the weight correspondingly to adjust your trim.
Sometimes guys with heavy doubles use a plate which weighs zip with a belt holding between 6 and 12 lbs. This is because the weight of the tanks and regs is more than they need above the fulcrum, and they need to position some weight further down the lever in order to trim out when they hover motionless.
But if you use a plate that weighs zip, ('cause it travels well), with a lightweight tank like an aluminum 80, and a full 3 or 5 mm wetsuit, guess what? Standby to strap a 16 lb (or heavier) weightbelt on when you get where you're going. Can it be done? Sure. But it puts those pounds further down the lever - just above your hips. Will it allow you to float motionless either horizontal or with a slight head down fins up trim? Doubtful - unless you've determined this is what works for you before you fly off to resortland. It's more likely going to trim you out feet down head up, so you'll rototil your way across the reef.
The trick with the stuff you buy is to realize that its all part of a system, and what you use on one place impacts all the other parts of the system elsewhere. If you don't realize this, you end up buying the wrong stuff (and then being unhappy with it).
See if you can't scrounge up a few different plates from your buddies, and go try them out with whatever other equipment you'll be traveling with. If the light plate works, then fine. But if you need a heavier plate to balance out your rig, then better to know that and let it be the basis of "which plate do I buy", rather than trying to make a decision based on how many holes it has in it or what its made of.
Regards,
Doc
I dove with a plastic backplate for a long time (although that was years ago), and never had any trouble with it. I have been looking at the DSS kydex/ss backplate recently; traveling light is one of the attractions, and the whole system appears to be very well designed and manufactured.nuttytoe:
Modern plastics are awfully strong, and are certainly safe for recreational diving. I figure that anything that hits me hard enough to fracture that backplate is probably going to crush the life out of me anyway, so what difference does it make to me if the *backplate* survived? What could make that happen, anyway? A whale lands on me?
On the other hand, if you need a lot of weight to manage your buoyancy, the 5-6 pounds that you *don't* get in the plastic backplate (as opposed to the stainless) will have to be carried somewhere else (and distributed differently). You won't have that weight to deal with in your luggage when you're traveling, but you'll need it for diving and you have to put it somewhere. So you *may* end up with a lot of weight on a belt. Or you may put some of it in a pocket on a tank strap and the rest on a belt. Or maybe a harness, or some other arrangement. But how much weight you need and how to carry it are all part of the equation.
cool_hardware52
Contributor
Doc is quite correct. The application, trim and conditions dictate which plate material is best.
Part of the design criteria for our Hybrid Kydex / SS plate was light weight for travel.
Most people travel to Bright, Sunny climes with warm water. Warm water = less exposure suit = less necessary ballast.
No one plate is best for all conditions.
Regards,
Tobin
Part of the design criteria for our Hybrid Kydex / SS plate was light weight for travel.
Most people travel to Bright, Sunny climes with warm water. Warm water = less exposure suit = less necessary ballast.
No one plate is best for all conditions.
Regards,
Tobin
nuttytoe:
Excellent post in reponse, Doc Interpid.
To the original poster, I'd read his post a couple of times to let it sink in....
in my wetsuit, my natural tendency is to be foot heavy. In my case, a lighter backplate would exacerbate the problem requiring the placement of lead "above the fulcrum" as DI explained. The Ss plate works out nicely for me for this reason.
Also, the SS is about 3 or 4 pounds heavier to travel with than AL, not that much for me in relation to my other luggage...
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