Sanity check please - Chinese BP/W setup

[Barmaglot]

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?

 

[MidOH]

Wayfair. My card got nailed for jet fuel in Ukraine shortly after. I made sure my girlfriend knew, that apparently I had good enough credit to fuel an airliner in the Ukraine.

Also used to have a NY bank that would leak people's cards if they bought anything conservative. Like a bible.

Dropped them, and the problem vanished.

 

[Whitrzac]

I must be one of the few that always uses a sta. I tried a few plates/wings without and didn't like how floppy everything was while assembling things

 

[MidOH]

That's the primary reason I run one. Once my trim is nice, I don't want to put it together wrong.

 

[34109411]

The document you linked to "Risks and Considerations for Businesses Using Data Services and Equipment from Firms Linked to the People’s Republic of China" is a warning for US businesses to be careful in their business dealings with the PRC. It has nothing to do with individuals buying consumer goods from Chinese suppliers.

"The PRC’s data collection actions result in numerous risks to U.S. businesses and customers, including: the theft of trade secrets, of intellectual property, and of other confidential business information; violations of U.S. export control laws; violations of U.S. privacy laws; breaches of contractual provisions and terms of service; security and privacy risks to customers and employees; risk of PRC surveillance and tracking of regime critics; and reputational harm to U.S. businesses."

What exactly do you think the PLA is going to do with its list of Americans who have bought cheap dive lights and DSMBs?

 

[34109411]

Wayfair. My card got nailed for jet fuel in Ukraine shortly after. I made sure my girlfriend knew, that apparently I had good enough credit to fuel an airliner in the Ukraine.

Also used to have a NY bank that would leak people's cards if they bought anything conservative. Like a bible.

Dropped them, and the problem vanished.

 

[Oldbear]

I must be one of the few that always uses a sta. I tried a few plates/wings without and didn't like how floppy everything was while assembling things

I use one also…even with newer wings with “built-in” tank stabilizers. I just wish the solidness that STAs provide.

 

[Centrals]

Alibaba’s Jack Ma says fakes are better than originals

Ecommerce group chairman’s comments unlikely to be welcomed by luxury goods industry

www.ft.com

No wonder there are so many decals of any known brands for sell in china!!

Replica Ferrari China Trade,Buy China Direct From Replica Ferrari Factories at Alibaba.com

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www.alibaba.com

 

[happy-diver]

My plates are thick stainless so they can't really fold them square

So in a couple of the central spine holes my MMO stabilisers go

But importantly, using the slots in the plate to thread the bands

For stability and oomph and with the prerequisite "Auxilliary Bottle" bracket

But most importantly above everything else, that plate to tank hanging loop
For the right position all the time everytime

 

[dmaziuk]

Welp, I pulled the trigger on the yellow setup, plus a pair of these pockets to put on the waist strap...

I've switched to MOLLE pouches that can be had on amazon for less than half that. The grommet in the bottom is not marine-grade, when it rusts away I'll either replace it, or the pouch. Or just drill it out and melt the edges... rust there hasn't bothered me enough to do anything about yet.

 

[Barmaglot]

Got the packages; so far it seems okay.

Putting the kit together wasn't too onerous.

The backplate and STA are made of 3mm aluminium, no sharp edges anywhere that I could find, but the paint (feels like powder coating) seems pretty fragile; I accidentally dinged it to bare metal in a couple spots just during assembly.

The pockets fit a six-foot SMB with reel on one side and a spare mask on the other, so, good enough. They do slide a little bit on the webbing, so I think I'll buy a few extra tri-glides to keep them pinned. Also, they close with side-buckles, no additional velcro, so closing them one-handed and by feel alone is a little annoying.

The inner wing bladder is separate from the zip-up cover, so if something happens to it, I should be able to get it patched up. I left it inflated overnight, and thus far it held pressure. The stitching on the cover looks okay, and it seems to be made of an appropriately heavy-duty fabric. The color is a little brown-ish; in hindsight I should've gone for the 'lemon yellow' option rather than plain yellow, but eh, good enough.

The tank bands include rubber pads, although I'm not sure whether I should leave them on top, or thread them through the STA slots, to avoid direct metal-to-metal contact.

The whole setup - backplate, wing, STA, tank bands, harness, pockets - tips the scales at 3.7kg. I'm going to Mergui archipelago in a few days; will see there how it actually performs. If it works well enough, I might spend an extra $10 to restring the harness in yum-yum yellow as well