SS or Alum BPW???

[LVFT]

I am in the process of transitioning to a BPW set-up. The only thing I'm stuck on is whether to go with a SS or an Alum BP. Most if not all of my diving will be done in warm water in either a full 3 mil or a shortie. I will also be alternating between saltwater and fresh water. I'm 5'10" 170lbs with little body fat. My last dive was in a jacket style BCD in a fresh water cenote in an old compressed full 3 mil. The DM outfitted me with 6 lbs and it was honestly one of the first times I didn't feel overweighted.

Based on this I'm unsure whether to go with a SS or Alum. From what I gathered, I will lose about 3 lbs transitioning from a BCD to a BPW. I'm a little nervous that I might be overweighted with a SS BP. I guess my other option is to go with a Alum BP and just add xs scuba weight pockets to the cambands. Thoughts?

---------- Post added June 15th, 2014 at 10:27 PM ----------

Ps. I'll be doing single tank diving with AL80s for the time being.

 

[decompression]

Why add weight if you don't have too? A SS plate works very well with a 3mm suit and AL80's.


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[rongoodman]

I find a SS plate works well in salt water with Al80s in a 3mm suit. OTOH, if you want to have some ditchable weight, you might want to go with Al. I don't see any point in buying an Al plate and then putting weight on it that you can't ditch anyways.

 

[LVFT]

Why add weight if you don't have too? A SS plate works very well with a 3mm suit and AL80's.


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I agree. However, I'm afraid that if I only needed 6 lbs in freshwater while wearing a jacket BCD and 3 mil, I'll be overweighted with a SS plate when I lose the extra buoyancy from the padding of the jacket BCD. Correct me if I'm wrong: 2-3 lbs buoyant from jacket BC padding less 6 lbs of lead = 3 lbs negative. Now I'll be 2-3 lbs less buoyant without jacket BCD padding plus 5 lb SS plate = 8 lbs negative. Thoughts?

Shouldn't I aim to be 8 lbs negative since an AL80 is about +4 empty and +4 for a 3 mil suit?

 

[spectrum]

When you change plate you mention "picking up" 3 pounds of weight in the form of the plate. This is true. You may also see another improvement of as much as 3 pounds be eliminating the buoyant padding in many jackets. In effect this change may leave you as much as 6 pounds heavier.

The net result is a situation where your ditchable weight will be very limited especially if you someday migrate to steel cylinders. That being said an aluminum plate would not be a bad choice.

As to lead placement cam band pockets are a common option but the real answer (cam band or belt) will depend on where you really need it for trim.

Another upside of the aluminum plate is luggage weight when traveling.

As you get away from that compressed 3mm suit you will be a dding a little lead and that may make the choice a wash other than travel weight.

Pete

 

[Rudebob]

If you are lean and/or have sufficient muscle mass you may be negatively buoyant through an entire dive with a SS backplate. I run into this during the summer months when I dive with thin or no wetsuits (I am mostly a freshwater diver). If you are more comfortable with a ditchable weight solution you should probably go with aluminum. It travels better anyway.

 

[LVFT]

When you change plate you mention "picking up" 3 pounds of weight in the form of the plate. This is true. You may also see another improvement of as much as 3 pounds be eliminating the buoyant padding in many jackets. In effect this change may leave you as much as 6 pounds heavier.

The net result is a situation where your ditchable weight will be very limited especially if you someday migrate to steel cylinders. That being said an aluminum plate would not be a bad choice.

As to lead placement cam band pockets are a common option but the real answer (cam band or belt) will depend on where you really need it for trim.

Another upside of the aluminum plate is luggage weight when traveling.

As you get away from that compressed 3mm suit you will be a dding a little lead and that may make the choice a wash other than travel weight.

Pete

Thanks, Spectrum. This is exactly what I'm saying. Based on this math, 3 lbs postively buoyant due to padding, 6 lbs of lead, should mean that I'll only need a 3 lb plate. Based on this, wouldn't I be overweighted by a 2-3 lbs with a SS plate? Will I even notice this? Perhaps, I'm overthinking. I do think I'd be completely overweighted though if I was using a SS plate and diving a steel tank in freshwater.

To be fair, during the dive I'm referring to, I surfaced with about 1500lb psi and the 3 mil wetsuit I was using was very old. As such, I may have been underweighted I would surfaced with under 500 psi and was wearing a newer wetsuit.

---------- Post added June 16th, 2014 at 11:51 AM ----------

If you are lean and/or have sufficient muscle mass you may be negatively buoyant through an entire dive with a SS backplane. I run I to this during the summer months when I dive with thin or no wetsuits (I am mostly a freshwater diver) If you are more comfortable with a ditchable weight solution you should probably go with aluminum. It travels better anyway.

Exactly my concern. I have a fair amount of muscle mass and average around 10-14% body fat depending on the time of the year. However, I almost always dive a 3mil suit (full or shortie), but nothing more. I know there are different thoughts on ditchable vs nonditchable weigth on this forum, but I hated wearing a weight belt during my OWD. Most likely case would be to put a weight pocket on the camband straps or perhaps 2. Possibly one on the camband strap and one on my hip pocket. I think I could live with a small amount of weight on my hip.

 

[halocline]

I agree. However, I'm afraid that if I only needed 6 lbs in freshwater while wearing a jacket BCD and 3 mil, I'll be overweighted with a SS plate when I lose the extra buoyancy from the padding of the jacket BCD. Correct me if I'm wrong: 2-3 lbs buoyant from jacket BC padding less 6 lbs of lead = 3 lbs negative. Now I'll be 2-3 lbs less buoyant without jacket BCD padding plus 5 lb SS plate = 8 lbs negative. Thoughts?

Shouldn't I aim to be 8 lbs negative since an AL80 is about +4 empty and +4 for a 3 mil suit?

It sounds like you're sort of on the edge as to being heavy with no lead and a steel plate, but unless you actually know how buoyant your BC is, you're just guessing. This is also true for the buoyancy of your 3 mil suit. I do know that with an AL80 and any sort of compressible exposure suit, it's pretty unusual to be significantly overweighted with a steel plate and no lead. It takes 4 lbs just to sink the tank, and the plate is only 5-6 bs negative. So I don't think you'd be unhappy with the steel plate.

Eventually many BP/W users have both steel and AL plates, to cover the use of steel tanks, maybe some concern about travel weight, etc.... I'd probably start with the steel plate because it offsets the AL80 perfectly. Finding an AL plate/harness kit in the future if you need it is pretty cheap and easy.

 

[diverjen]

Im a newb but I just came back from a 2 week dive trip with my hubby where we both used our newer kits extensively, so Ill weigh in, but take it with a grain of salt....

Hubby had this same conundrum and went with aluminum but then had to add 8 lbs on vacation with just his skin with an aluminum tank in salt water. I think steel tanks are a different story. He has a pretter similar build as yours. I wish he would have gone SS, but it was close enough he probably could go either way. He also enjoyed carrying his rig around more that I did though, lol and it did help keep the luggage weight down a little, but not much.

At least on my setup, those camband weight pockets really annoyed me. I moved everything to a mako belt and like that much better, 4lbs on a weight belt is not bad for me but I am doing warm water diving with aluminum tanks. If I needed more and wasn't diving steel I would likely add those DSS bolt plates. I am thinking about gluing a pocket on the thigh of my wet suit (but not for weight). Hubby (the photographer, keeper of things, is thinking about some xshorts, but again not for weight). He like his aluminum plate, but if he had to do it over again I think he might get something closer to my setup (not that he would ever admit it, lol!)

 

[LVFT]

Im a newb but I just came back from a 2 week dive trip with my hubby where we both used our newer kits extensively, so Ill weigh in, but take it with a grain of salt....

Hubby had this same conundrum and went with aluminum but then had to add 8 lbs on vacation with just his skin with an aluminum tank in salt water. I think steel tanks are a different story. He has a pretter similar build as yours. I wish he would have gone SS, but it was close enough he probably could go either way. He also enjoyed carrying his rig around more that I did though, lol and it did help keep the luggage weight down a little, but not much.

At least on my setup, those camband weight pockets really annoyed me. I moved everything to a mako belt and like that much better, 4lbs on a weight belt is not bad for me but I am doing warm water diving with aluminum tanks. If I needed more and wasn't diving steel I would likely add those DSS bolt plates. I am thinking about gluing a pocket on the thigh of my wet suit (but not for weight). Hubby (the photographer, keeper of things, is thinking about some xshorts, but again not for weight). He like his aluminum plate, but if he had to do it over again I think he might get something closer to my setup (not that he would ever admit it, lol!)

Thanks, Jen! Based on the responses in this thread, I think I'm ultimately leaning towards a SS plate. Since I live in FL, most of my diving will be done in saltwater (with occasional dives in fresh). Because of this, I think a SS plate with a single 5 lb weigth pocket would suffice. I think I'll be close to properly weighted in freshwater with just the SS plate (perhaps a 1-2lbs over, but I can deal with this). Since I just started a new job, I don't think I'll be traveling all that much so I'm not too concerned about air travel. When I do travel I think I'd just throw the rig into a carry on. Most of my traveling this year will be down to Jupiter, West Palm, and the Keys so obviously the weight of the rig will not matter.

What size wing did your husband go with? I think I'm leaning towards a 25lb wing to stay as streamlined as possible:
Hollis New S Series Single Tank Wing at PrimeScuba