BP/W for Tall, Overweight Person

OK, for all those who will tell me to search the site for other threads that have already been posted, let me say that I have searched using the following: "BP/W For Tall Person". I also looked at all posts on the first three pages and none fit the bill for me.

Now, to the meat of the post. I am 6'7", 330#. I have a 56" chest and a 44" waist. I am looking for recommendations for a BP and a Wing layout for recreational diving. I am AOW certified and will be getting Nitrox certified in the next few weeks. I also will be traveling with the BP/W, so the weight of it is a factor for me. I do not believe I will need a 2-tank setup any time in the near future, but would like the option to upgrade the BP for a 2-tank setup. That would mean that the Wing would need to accept both BP's. (I don't know whether that makes a difference or not for the Wing.)

I am headed to Cancun/Cozumel on April 30 and would like to be able to take the setup with me at that time. I currently live on a Navy base, Diego Garcia, in the Indian Ocean, but am not allowed to dive around the island (no decompression facilities or full medical center). Since I will have to pack the BP/W (and am only allowed 2 check-in bags @ 50#'s each), I believe it would be best to get an AL BP, but if you feel a SS would be better, please let me know why.

Thank you for any and all replies to this post. When I took my OW and AOW, I used a BCD and found that it was too constraining for comfort, in my case. I am now planning on dive vacations at least twice a year, in different parts of the world, so need to be able to travel with any and all gear I plan to use, except tanks. Again, thank you for any help that you give.

No problem, talk to Tobin at Deep Sea Supply:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/deep-sea-supply/
http://www.deepseasupply.com

He has what you are looking for.

Good luck.

I would recommend Deep Sea Supply. Check out the DSS forum here on SB, and talk with Tobin, the owner of DSS. He's an expert at helping people find the right set up. (at least among his products!) I think you will find that the long pattern SS plate is best for you. I would not sacrifice the SS plate for the sake of luggage weight if you can avoid doing so.

Another vote for Deep Sea Supply, based on Tobin's great reputation on this board.

I am not quite your size (6'5", 260lbs) but have been researching BP/W setups for awhile. When I've saved up my pennies and get the "ok" from my boss (wife ) I'll be contacting Tobin. He seems to be super-helpful to anyone who asks for help, really knows his stuff, has a great line of products, and his prices for BP/W packages are very good. Hard to go wrong with that combination!

Good luck!

Thanks all for this advice. I will go over to that section of Scubaboard and start asking Tobin. (He's sure to get fed up with my questions, as I am newly certified, and certifiable. I don't even know all the questions to ask, so you know I will be confused. )

Anyway, thanks all. You've been a big help directing me where I need to go. It's just what I was hoping to get when I posted this thread.

Im merely 6'4, 290, 52" chest. I have both a Tobin regular, as well as a backup DiveRite back plate. They fit me fine. If you want a light weight travel wing than Im sure any will work for you. If you want one a SS, then you would probably want to look at Tobins tall plate. The reason you would want a SS plate is to evenly distribute weight over you torso. Im assuming being of similar size that your torso is buoyant and you need more weight up higher... if you go with an aluminum plate then you will need an additional 5lbs around your hips, making your trim even worse. Im assuming again that wherever you plan on traveling is a dive resort where getting lead is a non issue. Another thing to consider with al vs ss, is your weighting needs, are you diving tropical, where a pair of shorts is all the exposure protection you will be using or are you going to be in a 7mm farmer john?

Honestly either way you will be fine, any ol' backplate should do you fine, just get some extra webbing for the harness.

I had enough of that white flaky stuff and the temps that came with it when I was working in Greenland. I am a cold water coward. Give me bathtub water any day. (If you haven't figured it out, I am not fond of cold water. )

To me, exposure protection means I am wearing just enough to not get run in for indecent exposure. (It is ugly, seeing me in a Speedo. Even I cringe at the thought, and that shoud be considered indecent exposure. That said, I do wear jogging shorts.)