Why BP/W ?
- Thread starter tau
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Robert Phillips
Contributor
Tau, where are you at in SoCal? I'm in Orange County and I would be happy to show you the advantages of a backplate in the water. I may even be able to get you a rig to try if my buddies scheduling permits. This weekend does not look good as we are expecting some big southern swells. Contact me via PM and we can arrange something.
Robb
Robb
gfisher4792
Guest
Personally, I was certified in a jacket BC, had a back inflate for my first BC, and now have been using BP/W for the past year and a half or so.
Advantages (to my own diving; not necessarily what others advocate):
Shifted 8 pounds from my belt to my back. My upper body tends to be floaty, so having weight over my lungs (and less on my waist) helped out a lot.
Streamlining, via much less padding and extra fabric that just seems to get in the way and seems bulky.
With tank attached, seems much more stable, as far as while diving with it. Hard to explain.
I like meeting people, and it definitely gets attention and questions.
Disadvantages:
Lack of pockets, but there are solutions for that (wetsuit/drysuit pockets, additional pockets on waist belt, etc.)
Possible labeling as a "tech diver". I'm only a recreational diver and haven't encountered this myself, yet.
Advantages (to my own diving; not necessarily what others advocate):
Shifted 8 pounds from my belt to my back. My upper body tends to be floaty, so having weight over my lungs (and less on my waist) helped out a lot.
Streamlining, via much less padding and extra fabric that just seems to get in the way and seems bulky.
With tank attached, seems much more stable, as far as while diving with it. Hard to explain.
I like meeting people, and it definitely gets attention and questions.
Disadvantages:
Lack of pockets, but there are solutions for that (wetsuit/drysuit pockets, additional pockets on waist belt, etc.)
Possible labeling as a "tech diver". I'm only a recreational diver and haven't encountered this myself, yet.
Many great divers and published photographers like Mike Veitch support the BP/W system immensely. 
gfisher4792
Guest
tau:
Well, if you want dumpable weights, I would go with a Aluminum backplate (I use stainless steel) for tropical. I think they weight 3-4 pounds total. Some people even use ABS (plastic) plates.
To dump weight, I still would drop my belt, which still carries ~18 lbs.
PerroneFord
Contributor
If you NEED 12 pounds of weight to sink, dumping 4 off the belt is still going to get you positive.
tau:
Keep in mind you generally don't need to dump all your weight at once in any situation - at least if you don't want to impersonate a Polaris missile. You only need to dump enough to make you positively buoyant.
Of course, generally the "drop your weight belt" stuff happens on the surface anyway. But still, positive buoyancy is all you need to achieve by ditching.
Personally, before my backplate, I dove 13-14 pounds ditchable weight. My BP is -5, so I'm down to 8 on my belt (2x4 lb). Still plenty to dump.
By the way, you will hear two opinions on this, but I wear my weight belt under my harness - so the belt itself is never ditched. I have a soft weight belt that has the pockets. If I have to ditch weight, it's a simple matter to tear open a pocket and get rid of one or both 4-pounders. Also, being under the harness, I won't lose the belt accidentally.
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