Talk me *OUT* of a BP/W setup

[Neilwood]

I hope you took that as a compliment.

Was it something to do with the female assistant helping me get it sorted out?

I can neither confirm nor deny...

 

[george_austin]

I should have said - from the beginning of time to the mid 70's or so, everyone used backplates and harnesses or just simple harnesses

 

[filmguy123]

I'm 6'1, 200lbs, average athletic build male.

I've bulked about (muscle) a little since my last tux measurement but I found one from last wedding I attended: Chest: 47in (probably a tad bigger now), Overarm: 50in (also probably a little bigger now) - but not tremendously.
33.5 waist, coat outseam 42.

What size DSS backplate would I be looking for? Medium, Large, Long?

Does being slightly off on the size of backplate matter much if I find a great deal on a used set?

 

[tbone1004]

Large. Back length is the more critical measurement here, everything else kind of falls into place. DSS medium plate is a bit shorter than the "Standard" length plates, and the longs are a bit longer. You are right on the edge of the two, so if you find a good deal on a medium I wouldn't hesitate, but large is where you would likely fall

 

[stuartv]

I'm 6'1, 200lbs, average athletic build male.

I've bulked about (muscle) a little since my last tux measurement but I found one from last wedding I attended: Chest: 47in (probably a tad bigger now), Overarm: 50in (also probably a little bigger now) - but not tremendously.
33.5 waist, coat outseam 42.

What size DSS backplate would I be looking for? Medium, Large, Long?

Does being slightly off on the size of backplate matter much if I find a great deal on a used set?

I'm also 6'1". Currently more like 225#, though. :-( My chest is around 48". Waist more like 36".

I had a DSS Medium SS BP. I found a guy that traded me for a Large. I don't really notice any difference. I since got a DSS Kydex BP and it's a Medium. Again, I don't really notice any difference when I go back and forth between them. If I were buying brand new, I would get the Large just because Tobin says that is the "right" size for me. But, the difference between M and L is not very much and I just don't really notice it when I'm diving. I think the DSS Medium is basically the same as what everyone else sells as their one-and-only size, so that size can obviously work just fine for a pretty large range of body sizes.

 

[tbone1004]

the "normal" size plates basically split the DSS Med/Large right down the middle with some cheating a bit towards the "large" size plate.

 

[filmguy123]

Ok, this is helpful! How big would you say the difference is in actual inches? I need to measure my torso height vs leg height, I think I may be slightly longer in the legs so it may make a little less of a difference. I need to confirm the pricing but I found someone selling 1x medium SS backplate, a 20lbs wing, and a 30lbs wing lightly used, for $370 asking.

I think my ideal for cold water drysuit here would be a 1x large SS backplate and a 35lbs wing, with a 20lbs wing for tropical - if I remember right from my chat with Tobin. But a 30lbs wing may provide enough lift...\

 

[tbone1004]

medium is 15" long, large is 16" long. Medium is 10.5" wide, large is 12.5" wide.

Cold water drysuit should be OK with LCD30lb wing as long as you aren't diving tanks like the Faber FX149's.

 

[filmguy123]

Thanks Tbone! That really does seem like a relatively minor difference in size. For the used price deal, it might be worth it to have a couple of the wings too and then just buy another large plate if I ever felt i needed it?

I think it's likely I would dive something in coldwater like Faber HP133. HP120 and 100s are also possibilities up here. All good for any of those?

Tropical/abroad, just the single tank AL80s.

 

[tbone1004]

should be OK in a drysuit, but make sure you do the proper checks, i.e. can float your rig on it's own. The 133 is probably pushing it in a 30, but in a drysuit it's less of a problem unless it is a neoprene drysuit that isn't crushed