Sanity check please - Chinese BP/W setup

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OP
Barmaglot

Barmaglot

Contributor
Messages
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Location
Israel
# of dives
200 - 499
I'm looking for something cheap to replace my Cressi Travelight which met an untimely end courtesy of an... ignorant person. Got a liveaboard trip to Myanmar coming in a month - I could just rent a jacket, but perhaps it's time to transition to a BP/W setup. However, money is somewhat tight, as I'm about to replace my camera rig as well, so I'd rather not go the XDEEP/Halcyon/whatever route. I also have an inexplicable urge to get it bright canary yellow.

For what it's worth, I dive purely in the tropics, 3mm full wetsuit, always carrying a camera (but the camera rig is very close to neutral), about 10 pounds of lead.

Looking at Aliexpress, I've come up with this:

Backplate - 53.52€ 22% OFF|Aluminium Legierung Technik Tauchen Backplate Flügel BCD Ultraleicht backplane Für Scuba Tauchen Harness System Hardware Backmount|Pool und Zubehör| - AliExpress
Wing - Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com
Harness - 54.84€ 32% OFF|HALTEN TAUCHEN Scuba Tauchen Backplate Harness Set BCD Ultraleicht Backplane Zubehör Gabelung Strap Gewicht Gürtel Dive Zubehör|Pool und Zubehör| - AliExpress
Single tank adapter - 56.76€ 30% OFF|Aluminium Legierung Tauchen Einzigen Tank Adapter Set Für BCD Backplate Halter STA Scuba Tauchen Tank Halterung Ultraleicht Getriebe Ausrüstung|Pool und Zubehör| - AliExpress
Regulator holder - 5.62€ 30% OFF|Halten Sie Tauch schlauch halter Regler Messgerät Oktopus Halter & Clip für Unterwasser Tauchen Taucher bcd Zubehör| | - AliExpress

Am I missing anything for a full working system here? The harness system appears to be complete, the STA comes with bolts and tank bands, the wing doesn't have webbing slots, but with the STA I shouldn't need those, correct?

Is there a good way to add pockets to this? I typically carry a spare mask, DSMB, torch, hat (for sun protection on the surface) and a wet lens or two in my pockets, using both BCD pockets and tech shorts. Moving to this setup would leave me with just the thigh pockets.

Also, I'm pretty partial to using right shoulder dump to vent air from the BCD, and this wing appears to only have it only on the back left. How difficult, if at all possible, would it be to retrofit it with an additional dump valve?
 
I just checked, and 5 meters of 50mm yellow nylon webbing is just $5 + shipping...
That stuff is too soft, I use it for crotch staps only.
See in my post above, the blue crotch strap.
3.5m of stiffer webbing is cheap.
Put in "scuba diving backplate webbing" in the search on Ali, there is shed loads of the stuff, much better than the soft stuff above.
Even Halcyon Webbing Replacement is only $31 US here, and that brand is expensive here.
Even cheaper $6AU a M in yuck yellow.:no:

 
The yellow web belting I bought was something over $1/ft IIRC, so enough length for a DIR harness shouldn’t be more than about 10 bucks or so. The batch I got from OMCS is nice and stiff, so it should work well threading through the BP slots.
🐸
 
@Oldbear if you arent using one time use virtual CC already, you need to get with the times

:banghead: I can only alert you to the dangers…if you still want to stick your finger in the electric socket, that’s on you.
:deadhorse:
 
I've bought generic video lights and some other stuff from aliexpress before without an issue that way, hardly sticking your finger in a light socket. The only time I've had my CC info stolen was a skimmer at a gas station.
 

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