SS v. aluminum backplate - help me think this through

[saxman242]

And never think that one bp/w is enough,,,
Some how (if you are in the sport for any length of time) you end up with more than one.... usually because the price was right...

The trick is to only have one set of something... like tank bands. Then, you don't have two bp/ws, you just have one with a handful of configurable parts.

At least that's the story I tell myself.

 

[Gone for diving]

with a handful of configurable parts.

I have more like a 1/4 of a good size basement of configurable parts,, not joking,

 

[brsnow]

I just ordered a SS plate, will try it with AL and see what I like,

 

[rx7diver]

... I may be able to get away with no weights for swimsuit diving ...

For the life of me, I will never be able to understand this thinking. Recreational Scuba 101 teaches that we should prefer to have the option of being able to jettison our weight belt at the surface, if we are struggling. For either buddy rescue or self-rescue, dropping a weight belt at the surface just might buy enough of an advantage to make the next step (e.g., orally inflating a BC, or surface swimming a short distance to a diver's float, or ditching the scuba altogether, etc.) successful.

rx7diver

 

[brsnow]

Scuba

 

[Rayk]

For the life of me, I will never be able to understand this thinking. Recreational Scuba 101 teaches that we should prefer to have the option of being able to jettison our weight belt at the surface, if we are struggling. For either buddy rescue or self-rescue, dropping a weight belt at the surface just might buy enough of an advantage to make the next step (e.g., orally inflating a BC, or surface swimming a short distance to a diver's float, or ditching the scuba altogether, etc.) successful.

rx7diver

You may want to research “balanced rig” and it may shed some light for you.

 

[rx7diver]

You may want to research “balanced rig” and it may shed some light for you.

@Rayk,

I am familiar with the concept of a "balanced rig." A lot of people have a misconception about what constitutes a "balanced rig", and/or just what a "balanced rig" does (or does not do) for a diver. The fact is, 80 cu ft of air/nitrox (for example) weighs approx 6.5 lbs. A diver just might need to overcome some or all of this weight at the beginning of a dive if he/she (or his/her buddy) is struggling at the surface.

rx7diver

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

I have SS, AL and carbon plates. I wear the SS with a single tank so I don’t need a weight belt. I wear the AL with heavy steel tanks to reduce overall weight. I use the carbon fiber for travel to reduce luggage weight. I was having trouble keeping my bag under the limit, but the carbon fiber plate gives me a 5 pound margin.

If you want ditchable weight, get a lighter plate and wear lead. If you don’t want to wear led, get a heavier plate.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

And never think that one bp/w is enough,,,
Some how (if you are in the sport for any length of time) you end up with more than one.... usually because the price was right...

It’s called “greener grass syndrome”.
The thing you don’t have is always the thing you want.

 

[DeepSeaExplorer]

We’ll… sometimes the grass is greener.

If you want a rig optimized for a particular type of diving, and you do more than one type of diving, you’re going to end up with multiple rigs.