The new Freedom Contour - The Rolex of backplates.

[buddhasummer]

I'm not missing out on one this time. Count me in.

Subscribed.

 

[Bison Ravi]

Will these be available in aluminium?

 

[Johanan]

Beautyful work, indeed! But allow me to ask, what type of diving are these plates designed for? I bolted two big weight plates to my SS backplate in order to remove some lead from my belt. What is the gain from such a petite backplate? Is it for tropical diving with no exposure suit, or is there some other rationale behind it? Thanks!

 

[buddhasummer]

Beautyful work, indeed! But allow me to ask, what type of diving are these plates designed for? I bolted two big weight plates to my SS backplate in order to remove some lead from my belt. What is the gain from such a petite backplate? Is it for tropical diving with no exposure suit, or is there some other rationale behind it? Thanks!

Personal opinion, for me comfort, beauty, work of art, supporting a fellow diver, having something out of mainstream, looks super cool. Do I need another plate? No but I want one, I missed out previously and was bummed.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

Will these be available in aluminium?

No not right now.
I really don't like or trust aluminum.
Aluminum can fatigue over time and develop cracks at the stress points.

I think the small plate would make a very nice travel plate. At three lbs. it will offset the lightness of an aluminum 80 just about right.
I don't see the benefits of sacrificing integrity just to try and shave off a pound or two.

---------- Post added May 7th, 2013 at 10:34 AM ---------
---------- Post added May 7th, 2013 at 10:36 AM ----------

Beautyful work, indeed! But allow me to ask, what type of diving are these plates designed for? I bolted two big weight plates to my SS backplate in order to remove some lead from my belt. What is the gain from such a petite backplate? Is it for tropical diving with no exposure suit, or is there some other rationale behind it? Thanks!

They are designed for any type diving.
I dive in 47 degree water, sometimes wearing a 1/2" wetsuit and I'm using the large plate no problem. I also use two different 7mm suits and have no problems.
My thinking is that people dive cold water with thick wetsuits or drysuits wearing conventional jacket style BC's all the time which have no added ballast. In fact they require added weight just to offset the buoyancy of themselves.
So using a 4 lb plate is a bonus. Other plates generally run 6 lbs. so finding a place to add 2 extra lbs. to me shouldn't be a big deal. Usually putting it on the weightbelt is what people do. Some other people may thread a couple of 2 Lb. weights onto the lower camband and tuck them in close to the sides between the tank and plate. I also advocate using heavy steel tanks and upgrading other components like the cam buckles to stainless which helps.

Part of the thing with the whole Freedom Plate concept is ergonomic comfort. A large part of that design was to remove the material that interferes with the movement of the shoulder blades and allows the plate to drop down into the valley of the back channel. Removing some material means that some weight was lost on the plate. However, the benefits of losing a little built in ballast on the plate vs the increased comfort, I'll take the comfort and streamlining first and figure out where to put the weight later. A non issue for me.
Gear items that sit closest to your body and affect physical comfort are the first things people think about.
Masks, reg mouth pieces, exposure protection, fit of the tank/rig, and fins are the big ones.
Things like reg 1st stages, wings (because they're back there just doing their job), and other items that don't affect physical comfort are not thought of as much even though they do play a role.

The comfort of a backplate is something people don't really think about or know about until they try a pack that is actually designed to fit the contours of the back. Then once they realize just how big of a difference a form fitting plate can make they have a tough time going back. I've seen this with going to a regular BP/W from jackets, and now from regular backplates to this one.

The thing is, all the other companies are just making different versions of the same squarish tech style plate which was designed originally for doubles, and they're trying to do whatever it takes to make them work (better) for singles - since the single tank rig is over 90% of the market.
Nobody has any imagination or is/was willing to step out of the box and try something different, until I came along.
So now people have another option.

 

[Johanan]

Thank you, Eric, a very good and thoughtful explanation. Good success with your Freedom Plate!

 

[rhwestfall]

what about length for us tall folks to make sure it sits in the sweet spot?

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

what about length for us tall folks to make sure it sits in the sweet spot?

How tall are you?
I'm 6'4"

 

[rhwestfall]

6'-7"

Where do you feel the plate should sit in relation to (1) base of neck, and (2) top of hips?

 

[Dr. Lecter]

Very nice looking piece of gear. My only hesitation is that my favorite single tank wings (old H Pioneers, current DSS) have integrated STAs and sex bolt straight to the plate itself, and this simply won't work with them due to the rails/lack of bolt holes. It's a beautiful plate, but it's not nice enough for me to change the wings I use.