DSS (Old stock) vs Diverite Travelpac vs Zeagle Express Tech

[rhwestfall]

If you select the SS DSS plate, DSS has a Glide Harness Adapter (GHA) that is proprietary for their plates which allows one side to slide ($50, IIRC). This makes doffing/donning much easier. I find it very beneficial as I have shoulder issues.

As to the weight pockets by XS-Scuba - they are $9 -$12 each....(worst case, $15 if your LDS is gouging), not sure what you are looking at.

Pick what you want, but if you poll here, there are literally dozens who thought they just had to have the "fancy" harness, and after a short time, changed to a basic one (yep, me too), and the fancy one is now in a bin, or gutted for some basic parts, or sold on e-b$$ for nothing (so you bought twice, and spent a bunch the first time)..... Your money, your choice.

 

[AdivingBel]

Anyway, may I ask who you (and other people) seem to prefer a hogarthian harness to the Deluxe style harness (with extendable shoulder straps/clips and all). To me, the hog harness seems much more limited...

I didn't need the deluxe harness. Because of the way the ZET harness attaches, it expands and contracts for donning a doffing. As Bob said, if you like (or need) that functionality, there are adapters for the standard bp/w. One of the reasons I switched from a jacket BCD was to lose all the cummerbunds, straps, clips, (wrap around bladders) etc. I just really like the open, streamlined configuration. Personal preference.

Too bad about the lack of wt system. Again, as Bob said, the XS weight pockets are relatively inexpensive. If you don't carry too much weight, you can flip them over and make them ditchable. I don't find it that difficult to open them from the top and pop the weights out, but some folks like the added safety. When I'm diving tropical, I don't carry enough weight to make much of a difference. YMMV

 

[cwoco]

Hmm.. I happened to see this review of the Kydex backplate: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...review-dss-kydex-backplate-20lb-lcd-wing.html

And noticed that the reviewer said he dropped 6lbs of weights just going from a jacket BCD to a Kydex + hog setup. I am in the same position as him, but I started with 7-8lbs of weight. If I were to lose 6lbs of that, and since I think I have added 1-2lbs of gear, I wonder if that would be about right?
And if I get the SS plate with another 4.7-5.8lbs of weight, what are the chances are that I am overweighted by some measure?

Sorry, I don't mean to doubt all the advice, I'm just worried I'll end up with way too much weight and have to dive with a half inflated wing all the time, or, in the worst case of wing failure, end up struggling to stay at the surface. Things would be much easier if I could tell you which BCD I used previously so I can do a buoyancy comparison, but since they were rentals, I really can't remember.
Edit: digging in some photos seems to show up a Mares BCD, but I really can't tell which model - something basic I suppose, probably the Prime or Spirit or Vector? since they had no integrated weights).

Would it be safer to go with Kydex, then pick up a couple of weight pouches to add to my tank straps? Or is there significant benefit to having the weight in the plate?

 

[AdivingBel]

I only dropped 2 to 3 pounds when I went from a jacket BC to the ZET (plastic plate). I'm 6' 190 lbs. With a steel plate you might not need alot of additional weight diving tropical with little to no neoprene. I don't think you would have an issue swimming up your rig with that little weight, but if you wanted to use one of the bigger tanks (say a 120 steel you can get in Coz) you might end up a good bit negative and that might take some getting used to. I'm sure one of the steel bp/w guys will weigh in on this situation.

 

[tbone1004]

most of the jackets are 2-3lbs positive, the kydex plates are neutral, aluminum about 1lb negative, SS depends on the size, but standard sizes are about 6 give or take.

That review never mentioned a proper weight check on either BC so it's quite possible he didn't get all of the air out of the stab jacket, or he was using a particularly floaty one.

Being a couple of pounds heavy isn't necessarily a bad thing as it allows you to make quick descents which might be required in an ocean environment, boats overhead etc. The difference is huge between being 2lbs and 6lbs overweight though. If you're diving an AL80, you need at minimum 3lbs to sink it, 4.4lbs positive, with about 1lb for the first stage, this is in fresh water, a bit more in salt water. Conveniently the SS cam bands account for 1lb each, and if you use an STA which I prefer, that accounts for the other 2, so you're good to go there. The plate then becomes the amount of weight required to sink you which in salt water without a wetsuit is generally about 2-3lbs or so.

If you're diving steel tanks regularly with no wetsuit then I would recommend the kydex plate, but if you're diving in a wetsuit regularly, especially with AL tanks, then going to a SS plate is pretty much a no brainer.

 

[cwoco]

Ahah I'm thoroughly confused.. I asked on my local dive forum, and they generally suggested the lighter plate. But over here people generally recommend the heavier plate. I have sent an email to Tobin, hope he replies before I go to the shop later today!

Oh yeah, I also happen to be quite dense as an individual. Without a wetsuit, I can't float in freshwater on my back, and in saltwater, I can float only if I basically don't breathe (hold lungs expanded and hardly breathe out). My sister is the same, so we suspect it might be genetic. That's one reason why I'm paranoid of being overweighted.

Oh and I just remembered, since I last dived, I also added a slightly thicker wetsuit (feels slightly thicker than normal 3mm but thinner than 4mm, probably because it is new) and slightly thicker booties. On the other hand I have gotten more negative fins also.

Here is the link to our local diving forum: http://scubasg.com/index.php?topic=11027.0

 

[tbone1004]

if you sink like that then the kydex may be better if you are nervous about it, but you'll likely have to add 2-4lbs. The medium size plates are less negative than the larges, 4.7 vs. about 6lbs, so there's that to take into consideration.

 

[rhwestfall]

Holy OCD -- even if you had to offset the full weight of the SS plate, you are talking about less than 1/5 of the wing's capacity (if wing is 20-25#)...... we are talking about 4-6# here....

either the Kydex and maybe some weight, or the SS and maybe some weight (but maybe 4-6# less than the weight required by the kydex).....

 

[Damselfish]

I think you just happen to be getting a lot of advice from cold water oriented divers here so far, along with the strong bias on this board for BP/W. You keep mentioning concerns about being overweighted with a SS plate and I think that's valid. I know I would be - I'm a warm water traveling female diver and if I were to get a BP/W, it would certainly be the kydex one. (If I still dove at home in cold water it would be different, and I suspect I'd have a different rig for traveling.) I think it's worth paying attention to advice on your local forum. I know people say they travel with SS plates but for most people traveling, luggage weight is always a concern. This isn't something you already have, so in your situation I can't see getting something that will make your bag heavier and give you a chunk of (non-ditchable) weight you may not need.

As far as crotch straps, whatever works for you is great. But I disagree with the statement "Any bc without one will never sit right" - a properly fitting BC absolutely can sit right without one. I've got a Ladyhawk, no crotch strap, and it's perfectly fine. (Plus I've got my integrated weights so I don't have to figure out solutions for that, though pockets are another matter.) So much is about fit. It can be hard, especially for some people, to find a good fit in a "traditional" BC. Wherever you find that can be a valid choice for rec diving.

 

[AdivingBel]

But over here people generally recommend the heavier plate.

I'm not. Get the kydex or the ZET for tropical diving. If you're going to get the slide attachments for the kydex to make the harness easier to get in and out of, just get the ZET. It's not quite as good a deal ($) without the weight system, but for tropical diving it's great. It's Zeagle, it's new, it will last forever and if it's the 24# wing, it's the right size for tropical diving. It's handy to have a little ditchable weight if for no other reason you can pull the weights out when you're changing over the tanks. Good luck.