Travel BP&W For Warm Water Diving

[AggieDiver]

Ok, so I have read tons of old threads and y'all have mostly convinced me that a BP&W may be the best setup to try for my next BC. I have lost about 70 pounds in the last 18 months, and I now feel like I am swimming around inside my 17 year old XL Seaquest Pro QD. I dive almost exclusively in very warm water, mostly in shorts and a rash guard, but occasionally in a 3mm shorty or john. When in shorts and a rash guard, I generally only dive with about 4# of weight. I won't be doing any diving with doubles, in a dry suit, or in very cold water. I will be going to places like Little Cayman with restrictive baggage weight limits. I am looking for a light weight travel rig that will pack down small in a suitcase, but that isn't a completely minimalist harness and plate only. I like having a pocket or two, I like durability, I like comfort, and I would like easy adjustability. I don't need gimmicky solutions to problems that don't exist (like the Aqualung I3 on their BCs), but I do like innovative features that make life easier.

My first question is will a BP&W give me a significant benefit over a streamlined minimalist travel BC given the info above about my planned types of dives and likes? If not, should I just be looking at a travel BC for simplicity? If there is a benefit to the BP&W for my situation, who should I be looking at for a lightweight travel type rig that will be durable, comfortable, and easily adjustable for somebody who isn't an expert at BP&W harness setup? Budget is whatever it needs to be, but preferably <$600. TIA for any suggestions.

 

[ronscuba]

I suggest a BP/W with an aluminum or soft backplate with a standard 1 piece harness.

Pockets can be added, removed and moved as needed. The harness can be adjusted for a custom fit. Harness webbing only costs $10 if you ever need to replace it.

 

[decompression]

Agree with Rob, but also checkout the travel (softplate) bcds from oxycheq, apeks and diverite. The soft plates are super light, pack super small and can have almost any feature you want.


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[ScubaMarc]

I am in Aruba right now with my new BC, oms backplate, Hollis elite harness 2, dive rite travel wing and I am loving it.

 

[RJP]

I have a Halcyon AL plate and a Halcyon steel plate. When I travel to warn-water spots I bring my Halcyon steel plate and weighted STA. It weighs 12 pounds. I don't bring toothpaste. Or deodorant. But I like the way it trims out.

If I didn't already own this plate I would get a Halcyon Traveler Pro; the way that 12 lbs can be attached to the plate allows it to weight and trim out exactly the same as the steel plate with weighted STA.

 

[mfalco]

I use the oxycheq travel plate and 18lb wing. The setup is tiny and packs well. The soft travel plate is not as stable as a real backplate. It basically holds everything together. The tank itself acts more like a backplate than the travel plate. Because the harness just goes through two metal loops at the bottom, it adjusts very easy. When you to tighten the waist, the shoulders tighten also. When I want a pocket I use a diverite pocket that velcros around my thigh and straps to the harness.

As an added bonus, the whole setup is made in U.S.A.

 

[uncfnp]

FWIW. The soft plates work but I am not a huge fan for just the reason posted by mfalco. They are not as stable as a hard plate. If you decide to go that route though, take a look at DGE and the Transpac.

https://www.divegearexpress.com/dgx-custom-dive-rite-transpac-xt-singles-package

Or the Travelpac. I have not seen the Travelpac personally so can't really recommend it but the specs look good.

https://www.divegearexpress.com/travelpac-bc-black

But personally, I prefer a hard plate. I have a SS backplate and matched with the Oxycheq 30 wing, travels very well.

 

[Nemrod]

I had the Oxy soft plate, liked it, still do, with Oxy 18 wing. But I currently use the VDH aluminum mini plate with the Oxy 18 wing. Though designed to accommodate a double hose regulator it is wonderful with any regulator. The tendency to roll side to side is eliminated. The soft plates are really designed only for aluminum 80/63 tanks. Negative steel tanks will flop around and roll side to side. The VDH mini plate is much more stable with only a few additional ounces of incurred weight.

N

 

[Aquavelvet]

I use the DSS Kydex plate with their Torus 17 wing and a simple one piece harness. About a light as possible, yet very capable. I add 4 to 6 lbs of weight on the cam bands for trim.


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[Mr Carcharodon]

First off congratulations on losing 70 pounds you must feel great.

I dive a BP/W and wound not do otherwise. But I dive mostly in cold water and need the ballast to offset the exposure protection that comes with cold water. If you are diving in warm water with minimal ballast the choice is less clear and a conventional BC may be fine. I dove a jacket BC last year as a rental in Rapa Nui and it was OK although I still recommend a BP/W if you are diving at home or traveling with your gear. A travel BP/W with an aluminum plate and a smallish wing should be ideal for warm open water. The benefits the BP/W will bring you in warn water are less ballast to carry, better trim and very likely a smaller packing volume to travel with. Also a one piece BP/W harness will fit better once it is dialed in and never go out of adjustment. It may take several dives to get it dialed in however. Compare that to a conventional BC which at least in my experience were perpetually going out of adjustment. There is no one choice that is going to work perfectly from day one. The BP/W is the better choice for those who dive regularly and spend the time to get the adjustments done. For the very rare to occasional diver a conventional BC may actually be a better choice since while not optimal they can be adjusted to good enough without much trouble.