Suggestion for a BP/W setup that can carry me for the future

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Scuba gear does tend to multiply. It is best to separate all dive gear, as those noises you hear in the middle of the night from your garage is your gear breeding. I have four or so backplates, from super light titanium to a 10 lber for my rebreather.

Scuba cylinders are the rabbits of diving.

There's nothing wrong with initially moving your BP back and forth. It isn't a big deal, but I do foresee your BP to eventually perform mitosis.
 
It's the damn cylinders which really gets silly. First there's the twinset, then the ali80 stage, then the ali7 stage, another ali80, another twinset, sidemount, more ali7s, ali40, then the set of sidemount tins, rebreather tins... near to 30 of them now...

Couple of BP+harnesses, sidemount harness, three or four wings, countless SMBs, reels, cave gear, camera gear... It never stops.
 
…camera gear…

< clutching pearls to chest, fear evident in the eyes >

Many a lad hath lost his soul drinking from that tempting well of poison. Speak ye not the forbidden words of that Hell-bound path to certain doom.
 

Even if I become Jarrod’s BFF, I’ll still make fun of Halcyon for coming up with a CF backplate. That’s just dorky.

MotoGP race bikes? Check.

Formula 1 race cars? Check.

Space shuttle? Check.

Backplate for SCUBA?

< bending at the waist, clutching sides with arms >

Bwa-ha-ha-ha!
 
Even if I become Jarrod’s BFF, I’ll still make fun of Halcyon for coming up with a CF backplate. That’s just dorky.

MotoGP race bikes? Check.

Formula 1 race cars? Check.

Space shuttle? Check.

Backplate for SCUBA?

< bending at the waist, clutching sides with arms >

Bwa-ha-ha-ha!

I think it would be nice for an ultra light travel rig.
 
I think it would be nice for an ultra light travel rig.

I just don't get the point of an ultra-light backplate. So you save a few pounds on baggage weight and, if that few pounds was really the difference between having to pay a surcharge for extra weight or an extra bag, you have to pay a hundred dollars extra on that trip you already spent thousands on. And then at your destination you likely have to use a weight belt anyway. Also, if I recall correctly, my Fundies instructor pointed out the advantage of having at least some of the weight close to your back and center of buoyancy rather than hanging on a belt. When I travel for tropical diving, I take a steel plate and don't need any additional weight to achieve proper buoyancy with an Al 80 and thin wetsuit. We see questions posted frequently about using weighted STAs, how to bolt weights directly to a backplate, etc., yet I haven't seen nearly as many posts asking how to lighten a backplate. And if one wants a lighter backplate, say, for diving steel doubles at their destination (kind of rare) or pinching pennies on baggage, aluminum is a lot cheaper than carbon fiber and doesn't weigh THAT much more.
 
I just don't get the point of an ultra-light backplate. So you save a few pounds on baggage weight and, if that few pounds was really the difference between having to pay a surcharge for extra weight or an extra bag, you have to pay a hundred dollars extra on that trip you already spent thousands on. And then at your destination you likely have to use a weight belt anyway. Also, if I recall correctly, my Fundies instructor pointed out the advantage of having at least some of the weight close to your back and center of buoyancy rather than hanging on a belt. When I travel for tropical diving, I take a steel plate and don't need any additional weight to achieve proper buoyancy with an Al 80 and thin wetsuit. We see questions posted frequently about using weighted STAs, how to bolt weights directly to a backplate, etc., yet I haven't seen nearly as many posts asking how to lighten a backplate. And if one wants a lighter backplate, say, for diving steel doubles at their destination (kind of rare) or pinching pennies on baggage, aluminum is a lot cheaper than carbon fiber and doesn't weigh THAT much more.

Same here! Only reason I see to switch a steel backplate for a alu one is if your set is too heavy and there is no other way to reduce weight. (good example is a GUE JJ CCR setup, which is potentially quite negative underwater).

Travel reasons don't make sense. We are talking about a difference of max 1.8 kg (4ish lbs) difference.
 

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