You have the same wing options with a back plate. Listen, with a back plate wing setup you have 3 pieces. You have a harness, a backplate, and a wing. There are several different types of harnesses from single continuous webbing hardnesses to Dive Rite deluxe harnesses. There are also different types of back plates. You have Stainless steel, Aluminum, and ABS Plastic. Then you add a wing based on what kind of diving your doing. If your diving single tanks a 20-30 pound wing will be fine. I personally use a 50 pound wing. The nice thing about a BP/Wing setup is that you DONT have to REBUY the entire setup to make a change. If you wanna dive doubles you just get a bigger wing. If you wanna dive a drysuit and want a setup that is heavier so you dont have to wear 30 #'s of weight trade your ABS BP for a Stainless steel one. BP/Wing simply give you options that standard BC's can't. Its not that they are bad its just that your diving will change and you will want a bouyancy device that will change with you without having to spend big bucks.