Steel or Alum BACK PLATE

[DiverDownD3]

I use a steel plate. The exposure protection will depend on what kind of tank I use.

 

[guruboy]

With my doubles I use my SS since I use steel tanks.

What does using steel tanks have to do with a steel plate? Did you mean AL?

SS or AL should only depend on how much weight you need in total. Using steel tanks instead of AL would reduce the amount of lead you need

 

[_Ralph]

User of both here ....

SS - Warm Water Travel (singles)/Salt diving (doubles)

AL - Fresh water diving (doubles)

Even in a drysuit with doubles, I rarely need more than 4 lbs of added weight


_R

 

[Lorenzoid]

Steel BP with aluminum 80 tank and 3-5 mm wetsuit. Even when traveling by air, as steel is only 4 lbs. or so heavier than aluminum--not a big deal in my total baggage weight.

Steel BP with steel 120 tank and 5 mm wetsuit in salt water. Even when traveling.
If I were to dive a steel 120 in a thinner suit, I might opt for an aluminum or kydex plate, but I haven't tried it.

Aluminum BP with steel double tanks and drysuit with thin undergarment (i.e., less buoyant than with thick undergarment) in fresh water seems to be optimal for me. However, a steel BP hardly "overweights" me.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I generally use a large single steel tank in warm water. With a full 2-3 mm suit plus hood and an aluminum backplate, I am OVER weighted with no weights of any kind. When the tank is full, i am heavier than I like. I have had a total BC failure which required me to swam up a big steel from 160 feet while wearing a dive skin and had to do a little swimming deco too. It was not fun.

A steel plate would make the rig dangerously heavy and I am NOT skinny.

 

[ajduplessis]

I use SS plate for dry and wet dives with single or double cylinder (ali & steel) configs.

 

[Diving Dubai]

I'm a steel plate guy for my drysuit and a single tank

For diving wet, then no plate - A steel tank puts means I'm over weight, an Ali I can dive without any weight (in a 3mm) but generally I'll put a couple of lbs on because I'm lazy

 

[dumpsterDiver]

Another option are the super light SS plates.. My buddy has one and it has all these cut outs, yet seems very strong and corrosion should not be an issue. Prettier than aluminum too.

 

[charlier]

As a warm water diver from SE Asia, I exclusively use an aluminum BP with single and twin cylinders. With a single tank and thin wetsuit, I use 1 kg with AL BP, with twins, no wts are necessary. I suspect that if I moved back to the USA, I would purchase a SS BP, since I would want to distribute wt for trim in a thick wetsuit (or heavens forbid a drysuit).

 

[LiteHedded]

steel for everything