Mid-Range BP/W Suggestions for Newbie

[Entacmaea]

Hi everyone- new to diving and the board- thanks for the wealth of knowledge here. I've already researched quite a bit elsewhere, and read here as well, especially two long threads about BP/W vs. the traditional jacket BCD's. Kind of funny, one of the threads mentioned someone going into a dive shop and mentioning "back plate" and having the employee get annoyed- that is exactly what happened to me : ) Anyway, my thought is to buy gear that is modular and expandable (buy a wing for doubles down the line, for instance, if I ever go that route). I'm about 15 dives in and ready to invest in some gear.

So, my questions are can you suggest a good mid-range set up that meets these criteria (if it can- or meet them with switching out some gear- plates, wings, etc.). First- my particulars, I'm not big at 5'9" - 185lbs, so need guidance on how much lift I need. From what I understand I need a harness, back plate, wings- anything else?

- Coldwater diving in California (I live near Monterey)
- Travel-able to warm water locations
- Will last (rather invest in good gear I only need to buy once)
- Can utilize an integrated airline octo
- I'm going for long bottom time to do photography (so don't know if ultimately going with HP steel tanks should be taken into account now when deciding on lift and a wing for a single tank)

Lastly- weights are a question, as I will likely need some for cold water diving here in CA. Is there a good weight belt/integrated weight solution to a BP/W set-up? I read many people don't even need weight in warm water with some setups, and wonder if the inability to "drop weights" is an issue? That may be a naive newbie question ; )

Thanks all- school me!

Best, Peter

 

[diversteve]

I'd suggest you contact Tobin - [user]Cool_hardware52[/user]

He owns Deep Sea Supply. They're located in SoCal.

Their ScubaBoard manufacturer's forum is here: Deep Sea Supply

 

[SangP]

Hi Peter,

I have a couple more questions for you to consider.

1. What's your budget?
2. Wetsuit of dry for cold water diving?
3. What's your current weighting?

One of the rule of thumb I know some people use for weighting calculation is 10% of your body weight +10lbs so in your case it's 29lbs max.

Anyway, these are the 2 setups I'll consider if I was in your position.

1. Deep Sea Supply complete rig $460

Medium Hybrid Kydex plate
Hogarthian Harness

Torus 35 Full Circle Style Single Tank Wing
The wing has an inbuilt sta so you won't need to get one and the setup includes 2 Cam Straps and a pair of Wedge Blocks
$460 (that's the retain price but some dealers might be able to give you a discount)
https://www.deepseasupply.com/index.php?page=links

2. Aluminum plate setup $390
AL Back Plate (try and bug Edd to see if you could swap out the Diverite for an OMS plate)
Oxycheq Hog Harness
Oxycheq Mach V Signature Series wing 40lbs
2 inch crotch strap
2 SS cam bands (again, bug Edd to see if you could get either dive rite or even better, highland mills ss cam bands) The highland bands have a ss loop that you could just unhook so the setup lays flatter during travel.
Sex Bolts ( +$15.30 )

You'll need weight pockets or the weight plates however, the plates are rather expensive so I'll opt for some weight pockets which you could get from leisurpro for example.

Accessories:
XS Scuba Single Weight Pocket $10 You could get 4 of them for up to 20lbs, 2 on the belt n 2 on the shoulders they are easy to just rip and push the weight out in case of an emergency
XS Scuba Cargo Pocket $25

 

[Insta-Gator]

I'd suggest you contact Tobin - [user]Cool_hardware52[/user]

He owns Deep Sea Supply. They're located in SoCal.

Their ScubaBoard manufacturer's forum is here: Deep Sea Supply

Yup, what Steve said. But I use a stainless steel plate. In cold water you could use the heavier plate to take some off your weight belt. Even in the Caribbean I use my SS plate with a 3mm suit and no additional weight.

You can't go wrong working with Tobin.

 

[rongoodman]

I take my SS plate on Caribbean trips too. Between the salt water and floaty Al80s, the weight comes in handy.

 

[fnfalman]

I understand that HOG brand gears are also very economical.

As far as inline octopus goes, any BC can be equipped with one. All you have to do is get a longer corrugated hose and slap an inline octo on the end where the power inflator goes.

Weight belt or integrated weight? Either will work with a BPW. You pick your poison and learn how to dive with whichever configuration you want to dive with. As far as non-ditchable weight rigs, I do it with my gears. However, it's all about weighting yourself down to a gnat's ass. That way you won't be overweighted and if something wrong with your BC you can swim up. It's a configuration that you should put some serious thoughts in and not just go because of the convenience of no weight belt/weight pouches.

 

[Dr Dog]

An important factor in getting your gear set up is a balanced rig. Meaning one that allows you to stay trim and one that you can swim up if need be( inflator not working). I dive HOG gear and I recommend it. It is about Half the cost of the current market leaders.

I use a weight belt, my wife has integrated, we both have same set ups. I use the weight belt mainly because it was a much cheaper option, and I do not need my single tank bp weighing a ton, because my weights are built in. It is much easier to carry my weight( normally 10 pounds) on a strap, then loose or adding to my bc.

I pretty much dive cold exclusively, but I am coming down to FLA this winter to dive, and this will be my single tank bc that comes along, with an AL bp the whole setup weighs like 5 pounds, so quite manageble to travel with and then source lead locally from LDS

 

[decompression]

Big recommendations for Tobin at DSS, also HOG gear and in SoCal(Carlsbad) is Unified Team Diving, great gear.

 

[Entacmaea]

Thanks all- I checked out DSS and will check in with Tobin. To answer some questions, diving in Monterey with an AL80 and two piece 6.5mil suits, I had 34lbs on me, which was about perfect. Budget- mid range, I'd say I'm willing to spend $6-700 on the BP/W setup. Inline Octo run $150-200, so $500 for the BP/W with the octo is about right. I could go a little higher. Thanks SangP for the weight pocket suggestions- those are perfect and exactly what I was looking for.

These questions DSS may be able to answer, but I'll post them here as well:

1) There doesn't seem to be any padding or cushioning on the OSS harness. How comfortable is the harness on the shoulders without padding? I found this, which has padding: Hollis Elite 2 Scuba Harness 208.1222 with reviews at scuba.com
2) Same for the BP- the OSS one looks flat- is this ideal and are they comfortable? Or are there BP's that curve to your back more comfortable (assuming they have to be relatively straight for tank mounting...)? Found some BP pads out there, which might solve the issue (and 7mil wetsuits are padding in and of themselves!)
3) The OSS Pro fit medium backplates say they are usable for doubles as well. So, all I would need would be a doubles wing (and the stuff for double tanks of course)?
4) What are "wedge blocks" on the OSS set-up? Couldn't find them on the website anywhere..

Thanks all- getting closer!

Best, Peter

 

[rivers]

Thanks all- I checked out DSS and will check in with Tobin. To answer some questions, diving in Monterey with an AL80 and two piece 6.5mil suits, I had 34lbs on me, which was about perfect. Budget- mid range, I'd say I'm willing to spend $6-700 on the BP/W setup. Inline Octo run $150-200, so $500 for the BP/W with the octo is about right. I could go a little higher. Thanks SangP for the weight pocket suggestions- those are perfect and exactly what I was looking for.

These questions DSS may be able to answer, but I'll post them here as well:

1) There doesn't seem to be any padding or cushioning on the OSS harness. How comfortable is the harness on the shoulders without padding? I found this, which has padding: Hollis Elite 2 Scuba Harness 208.1222 with reviews at scuba.com
2) Same for the BP- the OSS one looks flat- is this ideal and are they comfortable? Or are there BP's that curve to your back more comfortable (assuming they have to be relatively straight for tank mounting...)? Found some BP pads out there, which might solve the issue (and 7mil wetsuits are padding in and of themselves!)
3) The OSS Pro fit medium backplates say they are usable for doubles as well. So, all I would need would be a doubles wing (and the stuff for double tanks of course)?
4) What are "wedge blocks" on the OSS set-up? Couldn't find them on the website anywhere..

Thanks all- getting closer!

Best, Peter

to answer some of your questions:
skip the hollis elite 2 harness. my first harness was the original elite, i wore it for 2 dives before i switched to a one piece harness. waste of money. no need for padding. i was perfectly comfortable in a 2mm shorty with no padding. still comfy in a drysuit in my OPH.

i currently have a HOG brand 32lb single wing with a dive rite backplate for my single tank set-up. when i want to dive my twins (which is most of the time now since i just got them), i just swap the wing out for my twinset wing.

any reason why you are looking at in integrated octo/inflator?