misc questions about single tank bp/w

[tbone1004]

They tell you not to do it because it isn't designed to have a plate go in between it. The Transplate harness exists for a reason, if you want the Transpac harness but want a rigid backplate whether that is aluminum, kydex, steel, ABS whatever, then use that. They make a backplate pad if you really feel like you need it for your diving. Mainly using no exposure protection, though I have somewhere well over a thousand hours in a backplate with one piece harness and diving without a t-shirt on and am no worse for the wear. This was also with an STA, so the wing nuts and bolts were there. Put any sort of rash guard or wetsuit on and the backpad becomes pointless.

The other issue is the dimensions of the X-Tek and the Transpac are very different. The X-tek harness is about the dimensions of a standard backplate, but the Transpac is VERY narrow, about the width of a scuba tank. There is literally no way you could get a stainless steel plate between you and a transpac, and while you could bolt a plate to the back of it, it would be quite difficult to get the transpac bent into the channel of the backplate.

So, they told you not to do it because it wouldn't work, quite simple, it really just won't work. If you want the comfort of the transpac, then buy one, it works wonderfully for single tank diving, just weave the cam bands straight through the wing and you're good to go. You are limited to the Dive rite wings for the most part because they have the thin strip in the middle that allows it attach properly to the Transpac, but their wings are quite nice and work very well. If you want the backpack style harness, just buy a Transplate and put it on whatever backplate you want, preferably with an STA, but if you choose not to use one, as long as the wing has stabilizer bars you'll be fine and you can then use any wing on the market.

Now, the other parts of your post.

Backplates come naked because there are a bunch of choices for harnesses and attachment points. The STA has been covered above and is dependent on two factors, if the wing is designed to be used without one, Hollis, Hog, Deep Sea Supply etc, and if the plate has cam band slots, most do these days, then you don't need one. If the wing is designed to use one, DRiS Trianta, Halcyon, Dive Rite, or if the backplate doesn't have cam band slots, then you need to use one. I have older plates that don't have these slots. If you switch between singles and doubles, then a STA is more useful because you don't have to thread and unthread cam bands every time you want/need to switch. The STA is also nice because in cold water it adds an extra 2lbs to the rig taking that much more off of the belt. Downfall is they put the tank about an inch farther off of your back which bothers some. I learned to dive with one, so I don't notice.

If you want this for travel, the Transpac weights almost 5lbs on it's own, a standard backplate weighs between 4.7 and 5.5lbs without harness. Transplate harness is about 2.5lbs, one piece harness is just over 1lb. So even with a stainless steel plate and a transplate, you're only about 3lbs heavier than the Transpac to be able to drop 6lbs from your belt. Most feel that is worth it and travelling with a stainless steel plate is a non issue. The Deep Sea Supply plates are especially flat and pack in the bottom of a rollaboard very well and most people will take them as carryon. They also have the advantage of drying much faster than soft type plates, so while you have a minimum 12 hour restriction before flying, if you pack early, then the hard plates have a bit of an advantage there.

I own and love my Transpac, I have two, one for warm water doubles, one for sidemount, I also have a SS plate that I use for cold water doubles, but if I were in your situation and were to do it all over, I would get a Deep Sea Supply backplate, with the weight plates, and use that for backmount. I would still go Stainless Steel over Kydex just because I travel with carryon and the extra 2-3lbs is worth it not to have to wear lead, but for around $100 USD, he sells weight plates that literally bolt to the backplate so you can use that for extra ballast at home, unbolt for travel, and you're good to go. He only sells one piece harnesses with his rigs, and I would recommend diving with the one piece harness at least a few times and if you really don't like it, then go to a different harness.

 

[rick00001967]

thx tbone. an excellent explanation. this helps me understand a lot better.

i hate to repeat myself but it is really tough when you have no access to put your hands on this stuff which i am sure would go a long way in fully understanding how and why this all works.
my main concern between a transpac style vs a transplate style is comfort and fit. for someone who has never had a plain old plate on their back it looks like it would be horribly uncomfortable. but it seems once you get used to it, it is not an issue.
i may just have to bite the bullet and get one as economically priced as i can (maybe a used set up), and if it doesn't work for me, then hopefully dump it for what i paid, or as close to it as i can.

thx everyone !!

 

[DarinJ]

...for someone who has never had a plain old plate on their back it looks like it would be horribly uncomfortable. but it seems once you get used to it, it is not an issue.
i may just have to bite the bullet...

My son and I switched last year from jacket to BPW (bought HOG from Jim Lapenta). We never felt them to be even slightly uncomfortable. Even with straps poorly adjusted, the HOG BPW is still comfortable to wear. We've used them mostly with double layer 7mm wetsuits or Fusion drysuits, but 3mm wetsuits in Mexico in November felt just as comfortable. I think you will be fine--go for it!


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[tbone1004]

If you are planning on carrying doubles for anything longer than say 100m or so, or have to legitimately hike with hit, then the Transpac is the best option on the market. It was designed specifically to fit like a hiking pack and nothing is more comfortable on land. If you are diving normal conditions, especially with a single, the normal backplate is quite comfortable, especially if you have anything more than 3mm wetsuit on.

I would still suggest getting a DSS rig, since if you like it, it will give you the option to add the bolt on weight plates for local diving.
For about $10 you can get a set of neoprene pads for the shoulder straps. Northeast Scuba Supply has some old stock Transplate harnesses for $80USD.

If you want to use an STA, I would go to Dive Gear Express and order one of their Dive Rite Systems.
https://www.divegearexpress.com/bcs/pkg_metal.shtml
About $350 USD for that system with an STA. You have to add one to the order, but it's only $25.

DRIS Dive Gear 28lb BP/W System | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL - Dive Right in Scuba
$380 for that system, includes STA, but has a made overseas wing. This wing design is copied directly from the Halcyon Eclipse wing design and is a wonderful wing shape especially if you are head heavy normally.

Deep Sea Supply is about $470 for a full setup, but it is top 3 for best single tank backplate wing systems. Tobin has flattened the plate for a bit more comfort for singles, and has a really wonderful tank stability system on the wings. He will also go above and beyond in customer service to make sure you get the right system for you.

Used rigs might save you $100, the Transpac is going to be much more expensive than the bp/w systems, and isn't really what you need anyway. Try the one piece harness, if you don't like it, spend the $120 on a Transplate, but unless you are carrying it for long distances on land, you don't really need it. The one piece works wonderfully for the vast majority of people. For about $600 which ships for free, the Transplate system from DGX comes with weight pockets, an STA, and either the Travel or Voyager wing. If you don't need the weight pockets it is cheaper to buy the one piece harness from either DRiS or DGX and then buy a Transplate if you need it.

 

[TSandM]

We have had quite a few of our students, who have taken their OW classes in the shop's jacket BCs, try a dive in our backplate and wing setups. Unanimously, they have found them more comfortable, and have preferred them. A plate and simple harness looks like it would be uncomfortable, but nothing could be further from the truth!

 

[rick00001967]

I would still suggest getting a DSS rig, since if you like it, it will give you the option to add the bolt on weight plates for local diving.

i did check them out as Jim had suggested earlier. i do like the weight plate option. although i think 100 bucks is a bit steep for what your are getting. they are the only ones i have seen offer it though. supply and demand i guess.

all other info appreciated. i have also looked at DGX like you said. i like some of their options as well. thx. i will be sure to check out all thos other links you posted.

---------- Post added December 28th, 2014 at 02:07 PM ----------

We have had quite a few of our students try a dive in our backplate and wing setups. Unanimously, they have found them more comfortable, and have preferred them

interesting. thx

 

[decompression]

As mentioned, DSS plates are great. But, If you use a regular plate, you can use a V weight or sta weights.


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[tbone1004]

It's not all that steep when you consider that it costs him minimum of $40 in material *sheet stainless is certainly not cheap and there is a lot of waste in the cutouts*, probably another $20-$30 in machining costs for the water jet, and a 30% margin. That's a helluva lot better than most of the scuba manufacturers that have around a 50% margin. Industry standard is 100% markup for the big companies.

Hollis DC1-212 Regulator Set | Dive Right In Scuba - Plainfield, IL - Dive Right in Scuba
Hog D1 Regulator Set - Dive Right in Scuba
These are essentially identical products coming out of the same manufacturer, backplates do the same thing from Hollis and Hog. Tobin is charging $470 for a bp/w setup, Hollis charged almost $100 more for the same setup. If you like the weight plate concept, then you are limited to DSS, if you don't want/need that you can get the DGX Dive Rite Package, save $100, and put that towards a different harness if you need it.

 

[rick00001967]

anyone ever used two s/s plates bolted together ??
i wear about 22lbs when using a lp77 steel tank. if i had 10 or 12 lbs in plate weight (if using 2) i would only need 10 or 12lbs on a belt or in pockets which would be ditchable.
dgx has plates for like $75 which makes it actually cheaper than buying the DSS weight plates. no reason this wouldn't work is there ? or am i just thinkin too outside the box?

 

[tbone1004]

you could bolt them together, it's been done before, works fine if you use an STA. Weighted V-weights in STA's work well too, Halcyon makes them as do a few others. They aren't cheap though. You can also put weight on cam bands if you want, but you do want some ditchable weight to offset some of the exposure protection. A SS plate with STA and stainless cam bands is about 10lbs negative on its own. With the STA, you can put a second plate behind it and bolt it in, but if you use a wing that requires an STA then you limit yourself for travel since the STA's are heavy and don't pack flat.