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?

 

[Pressurehead]

I might spend an extra $10 to restring the harness in yum-yum yellow as well

Just don't buy the cheap stuff, some of it is just too soft [for me].
You want something like this: 2 Inch Nylon Webbing High Vis Yellow "Standard version"

 

[Barmaglot]

Just don't buy the cheap stuff, some of it is just too soft [for me].
You want something like this: 2 Inch Nylon Webbing High Vis Yellow "Standard version"

Thanks - does this look right? 0.86€ 84% OFF|10Meter 20 50mm pp Polypropylen Gurtband für Riemen 1,1mm Tasche Sicherheits gurt Band DIY Kleidung Schräg bindung Näh zubehör| | - AliExpress - seeing as how I'm currently in Thailand, ordering stuff from Florida is not exactly economical.

 

[lowwall]

Thanks - does this look right? 0.86€ 84% OFF|10Meter 20 50mm pp Polypropylen Gurtband für Riemen 1,1mm Tasche Sicherheits gurt Band DIY Kleidung Schräg bindung Näh zubehör| | - AliExpress - seeing as how I'm currently in Thailand, ordering stuff from Florida is not exactly economical.

Nope. You want nylon. Polypro is less abrasion and UV resistant.

 

[Barmaglot]

Nope. You want nylon. Polypro is less abrasion and UV resistant.

What about this one? Marketed specifically as 'scuba belt' - Page Not Found - Aliexpress.com

 

[Barmaglot]

Doh, looking closer, that's polypropylene too. Always read the fine print... every listing that I see with 'nylon' in the heading is either polypropylene or polyester inside. This one says 'Spandex / Nylon', whatever that means, but the mention of spandex implies that it's stretchy, which is a no-go. Or this one, varies between 'cotton', 'polyester cotton' and 'polyester / nylon'.

 

[Pressurehead]

Forget Aliexpress for webbing, go to a proper dive store in Israel or online for the right webbing, don't skimp on it, it is cheap for what it is.

​

 

[Barmaglot]

Thing is, I'm currently in Thailand and won't be back in Israel for a while yet - and even when I am, things being sold locally are generally the same Aliexpress stuff, just with a few hundred percent markup. Local dive shops here in Thailand don't seem to carry anything but the basic black either. Found this one, which looks like the right stuff; shipping from Singapore should be fairly cheap.

 

[lowwall]

Found this one, which looks like the right stuff; shipping from Singapore should be fairly cheap.

Looks good. Only note is that 2.5mm thickness is heavy duty stuff. Standard harness webbing is 2mm.

 

[pisauron]

Thing is, I'm currently in Thailand and won't be back in Israel for a while yet - and even when I am, things being sold locally are generally the same Aliexpress stuff, just with a few hundred percent markup. Local dive shops here in Thailand don't seem to carry anything but the basic black either. Found this one, which looks like the right stuff; shipping from Singapore should be fairly cheap.

I am in Israel. I use almost this exact set from Ali. I have 3 sets from Ali, 1 for my doubles and 2 sets for singles.
Buying in Israel is just paying 3 times over for the same chinese stuff with a brand on it.
The sets are excellent. Especially if by Keep Diving or Tooke.

I also use Ali regulators. Like many others.But that will open a whole **** can of worms if you let the fanboys know ..

 

[Barmaglot]

So, 25 dives later, impressions.

Initially, the tank was too high - I kept bumping the back of my head into the regulator while cranking my head backward so that I could shoot upwards while in trim. I moved the tank as far down as I could but then top tank band started slipping off. Then I shortened the crotch strap more and more, and got to the point where it was tight enough that the rig wouldn't ride up anymore, but then it gave me angry red sores on the inner thighs, despite the neoprene protector cover on it. I loosened it up a bit and got to the point where it wouldn't chafe anymore, but my head wouldn't get bumped unless I really stretch my neck.

The two pouches on the waist strap do slide somewhat freely - I'll be getting some extra triglides to keep them in place.

The rubber bands are handy for stowing torches - I loop the lanyards through left shoulder d-ring and put the main torch on the rubber band below, while the backup torch goes under the one on top. Much better than BCD pockets that I used before. The rubber band retainer for inflator block is somewhat annoying to use and I hardly used it at all; the corrugated hose mostly stayed in place without hooking onto it.

I do miss the right shoulder air dump. The corrugated hose is fine, but it takes a bit longer to stretch out, then stow away, and I don't like the butt dump.

The power inflator fills the wing VERY fast, much faster than I was used to on the jacket. Another thing that I miss from the jacket is the feeling of how much air there is in the bladder - when the bladder is all around my torso, I could feel it inflating and deflating, whereas the wing is almost totally isolated from my body.

I've seen lots of people harp on how a BP/W is much easier to get a good trim with than a jacket, but honestly, I haven't felt much difference; it seems easy enough in both setups. The wing does give me a little forward torque when fully inflated on the surface, but again, the difference is very minor. Maybe it's more of a factor for very new divers - I'm not super experienced, but 400-ish dives is enough time to get comfortable in the water.

Needless to say, I'm keeping this setup. Hope to keep using it for many years yet.