Deep South Divers
Contributor
Great questions... 
1> There's a variety of different systems out there for attaching weight to the backplate, including "quick release" style like you're accustomed to. These slide onto the 2" webbing that makes up the waist band. Some people prefer to use a weight belt. I'm a fan of simply threading a few pounds of weight right onto the waist band directly.
Yes, this does prevent dropping any weight in case of an emergency (the pockets and the belt method don't), but the theory is that if a diver is already diving with a minimum amount of weight, he/she shouldn't need to dive with ditchable weight. In case of an emergency, the diver simply swims up. For this reason, correct weighting is critical - as it always is, regardless of what you're using as a BC.
2> Backplates and wings excel at a few things - stabilizing the tank on your back, getting six pounds of weight over your lungs (and off of your waist) where it belongs, streamlining, and durability. The hogarthian continuous harness has an advantage in clean design, steamlinedness, infinite adjustability, D-rings literally anywhere you want, and an absolute perfect fit every time. It can also be replaced for about $15 when you wear it out.
...But perhaps the biggest advantage of a backplate and wing is it's modularity - that is, it can be used with doubles or singles and with a variety of wings suited for different purposes. Very rarely do other BCs allow for the application of both single or double tanks, and even more rarely do they allow for different wings for different conditions - which is to say that with most systems, the air cell that you have is what you're stuck with, and it's often either too big or too small.
1> There's a variety of different systems out there for attaching weight to the backplate, including "quick release" style like you're accustomed to. These slide onto the 2" webbing that makes up the waist band. Some people prefer to use a weight belt. I'm a fan of simply threading a few pounds of weight right onto the waist band directly.
Yes, this does prevent dropping any weight in case of an emergency (the pockets and the belt method don't), but the theory is that if a diver is already diving with a minimum amount of weight, he/she shouldn't need to dive with ditchable weight. In case of an emergency, the diver simply swims up. For this reason, correct weighting is critical - as it always is, regardless of what you're using as a BC.
2> Backplates and wings excel at a few things - stabilizing the tank on your back, getting six pounds of weight over your lungs (and off of your waist) where it belongs, streamlining, and durability. The hogarthian continuous harness has an advantage in clean design, steamlinedness, infinite adjustability, D-rings literally anywhere you want, and an absolute perfect fit every time. It can also be replaced for about $15 when you wear it out.
...But perhaps the biggest advantage of a backplate and wing is it's modularity - that is, it can be used with doubles or singles and with a variety of wings suited for different purposes. Very rarely do other BCs allow for the application of both single or double tanks, and even more rarely do they allow for different wings for different conditions - which is to say that with most systems, the air cell that you have is what you're stuck with, and it's often either too big or too small.
