Travel BPW Setup

[Lorenzoid]

At 1 lb 9.6 oz, you'd be hard-pressed to find a lighter plate than the HOG aluminum plate. You could go with a smaller wing.

 

[G2fspro]

Losing the STA would lighten up things, assuming your plate & wing have holes for tank bands. Trim pockets on the upper cam band allow addition of lead at the destination. trim pockets on the top cam band.

Yep I have the trim pockets. I could definitely remove the STA. Currently my tank straps are webbed through it but it wouldn’t be an issue to web them through the back plate.

 

[Alastor]

Skeleton AL backplate are 530g (1lb and 2.5 oz)
You loose the SMB pocket place though

 

[G2fspro]

At 1 lb 9.6 oz, you'd be hard-pressed to find a lighter plate than the HOG aluminum plate. You could go with a smaller wing.

That’s a good point. Outside of CF or TI plates, the only lighter one I’ve found is the Hollis 2.0 which is supposedly 1.5 oz but those few ounces aren’t worth the premium. Is there much difference in size and weight from 32lb to a 27 or 25lb wing?

 

[saxman242]

Is there much difference in size and weight from 32lb to a 27 or 25lb wing?

I have a 38 lbs wing and a 22 lbs wing... theyre not that different size/weight wise. I have had no issue carrying on my 38 lbs wing in the past in a larger bag. With that said, I don't think I could successfully carry on my gear in the small backpack I posted earlier in this thread with the 38 lbs wing. Going from a 32 to a 25 lbs wing, I doubt you'd notice much difference. If you went to something like the vdh 18 lbs wing you might.


The question to ask here is if you're space constrained or volume constrained in the objective you're trying to reach.

 

[FishWatcher747]

Thanks everyone. I currently have a HOG aluminum plate and 32lb wing with STA and integrated weight pockets. I've only been into diving for a year so I was just curious if there were lighter set ups for traveling. I always carry my regs, masks, and computer in my carry on or book bag under my seat. The rest on my gear goes in a check bag. I don't worry about weights since most places provide them. For a diving only trip I'm not worried about what I take so much since it's diving only. This would be more for trips where I want to get a couple dives in during a work trip or vacation etc. but not diving the whole time.

Do you have the HOG 32 lb wing with stabilization bars? If so there is no need for STA. Problem solved you now have a "Travel BPW"

 

[waterone]

Is there much difference in size and weight from 32lb to a 27 or 25lb wing?

Usually not too much and depends on the wing. I have seen 32s that are bigger than my 38's and a 38 that looks like a 50lb.

Between those sizes most of the difference will be in how the material will pack slightly smaller.

Since I wanted a drastic change for pack and external form factor, I went with an 18lb and I am also waiting to order a 23lb.. because my kids "need" it

 

[halocline]

Thanks everyone. I currently have a HOG aluminum plate and 32lb wing with STA and integrated weight pockets. I've only been into diving for a year so I was just curious if there were lighter set ups for traveling. I always carry my regs, masks, and computer in my carry on or book bag under my seat. The rest on my gear goes in a check bag. I don't worry about weights since most places provide them. For a diving only trip I'm not worried about what I take so much since it's diving only. This would be more for trips where I want to get a couple dives in during a work trip or vacation etc. but not diving the whole time.

Why do you have the STA, is it impossible to rig the wing directly to the plate? And I'm not sure what the integrated weight pockets are, but a good option is the camband pockets sold by XS scuba (if they still exist). Having quick release weight for a warm water single tank system is just not that important, depending on how much weight you actually need to add.

You can usually save a little more weight by opting for a lightly built wing, they're not as durable but the fabric is lighter, and lighter more flexible webbing, and plastic cambands if you're really desperate. I traveled for years with a AL plate, standard harness and oxycheq mach V wing, which is a pretty heavily built wing, without any problems at all. But I also check my regulators, in fact all my dive gear except the computer. I've never had anything damaged. I use a lightweight, semi firm bag and pack everything really well, using the wetsuit, boots, fin pockets, shoes, small plastic boxes, to protect the gear from getting bounced around. I usually travel with full cave gear, so it's a lot more stuff and I still make the 50 lb weight limit, barely. That includes my clothes and personal items. I'm not much of a dresser on dive vacations, lol!

 

[Nemrod]

While many modern wings have stabilizer bars or pads these are not fully effective when using a doubles plate which the OP has. The tank sits atop the center channel perched there precariously and prone to wobbling side to side. The stabilizer bars tend to fall to one side to the other of the channel.

There is this copy of a VDH plate and is similar design. Being flat, no center channel, the tank will not tend to roll side to side and the stabilizer bars will be effective at preventing movement. Being a flat plate intended for single tanks it takes up little room in the bag:

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The Oxy fabric travel plate is much lighter at around .5 pounds and the only down side in use I have noted is that they are suitable for aluminum tanks only. Negative steel tanks will try to roll. Installing one cam band weight pouch on the left lower and one on the right upper and then tucking them both in close to the plate will act as chocks to prevent rolling.

I guess there are two schools of thought, take your weights with you in the form of a steel plate or utilize the weight available at the destination via cam band weight pockets. Either way works, just the OP will need to decide to which school of thought he belongs.

Additionally, using a doubles plate for a single tank is a compromise at best and tends to set the tank far from the body affecting the divers CG and also tends to set the tank ridiculously high up behind the divers head. Flat plates like the Freedom Plate, VDH plate and copies and the Oxy plate do none of those things.

James

 

[FishWatcher747]

While many modern wings have stabilizer bars or pads these are not fully effective when using a doubles plate which the OP has. The tank sits atop the center channel perched there precariously and prone to wobbling side to side. The stabilizer bars tend to fall to one side to the other of the channel.

If this is the case and the OP wants to do single tank warm water travel diving and he already has the HOG 32 lb wing with stabilizer bars why not just get the HOG single aluminum plate (less than 100 dollars) and he has the perfect "Travel BPW" ?