Which back plate and wing is right for me.

Hello. I am looking to upgrade from a traditional jacket style BCD (Current: Scubapro Knighthawk, Previous: Aqualung Axiom i3) to a BPW. I am quite confused in the sea of options that are available to me. I was hoping to pick the collective brain that is Scubaboard and settle on an option that will work best for me, given my circumstances.

- I live in Melbourne, Australia and plan to use this BPW locally and around Oz.
- I am 6"2 and weigh 100kg.
- I dive dry with a 12lt Faber steel tank.

Will a hogarthian harness be compatible with a steel tank, or is there too much weight in the tank?
What are the pros and cons of a hogarthian harness vs a deluxe quick release harness? Thoughts on the Dive Rite Transplate harness?

How much lift capacity should i be looking in the wing for somebody of my build?

Considering i dive a steel tank, can i still use a stainless steel backplate so i have less weights on my belt? Also if i was to dive without exposure protection are there any backplates that are more comfortable?

Could anybody recommend any good sites aside from divegearexpress.com where i could get the items i require?

Your input is greatly appreciated. Thank you

Nate

I'm 168cm and 70kg; with a single steel faber 12L and drysuit, I use a Halcyon steel 3kg BP & 15kg lift capacity Wing (a very old & now leaky Pioneer model). Weight belt has an additional 6 to 8kg for a total of 9 to 11kg range. Compared to an Alu 11L cylinder, I removed 3 to 4 kg from my weight belt diving the steel.

Instead of the quick release harness, take a look at something like the Halcyon Eclipse adjustable harness: Halcyon Dive Systems

Be advised and try on a demo BP/W for single tank: you may not like your cylinder valve & Reg first stage "butting" the back of your head (i.e. Tank is too high), compared to the tank placement level of your old jacket style BCD.

Kevrumbo:

Be advised and try on a demo BP/W for single tank: you may not like your cylinder valve & Reg first stage "butting" the back of your head (i.e. Tank is too high), compared to the tank placement level of your old jacket style BCD.

Click to expand...

And if it does butt your head... slide the tank down a bit. (Just like you would in a jacket-style BCD.)

OP - I'm 6'2" and 85kg. I dive doubles these days, but when I did dive single tanks I dove steel 119's(15L) with a Halcyon steel backplate. Worked out perfectly. At that time I was using a wing with 45lbs of lift. Probably a touch more than I needed.

Hi Drizzle, I dive Melbourne in either a 7mm semi dry or a compressed neoprene drysuit. I use a steel 12l tank and steel backplate. I'm smaller than you and still need the weight of the steel plate provides.

Look at divetub.com in Perth for backplate and wing combinations. I'd suggest a 30lb donut wing would be spot on for single tank diving.
If you later get into doubles, then get an aluminium plate and doubles wing at that time.

I've also purchased from divegearexpress.com and if spending enough to get free freight would consider doing so again.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

OP - Easiest way to determine wing lift requirement is ((negative buoyancy of full kit)+(full tank buoyancy)+(10# head)) = wing lift required. Round up if this is between manufacturer's wing sizes. Your environmental protection will provide some additional lift if you need it at the surface.

Insta-Gator:

Your environmental protection [-]will[/-] may provide some additional lift if you need it at the surface.

Click to expand...

Fixed it for you.

Drysuit is always good fir redundant buoyancy control. But personally, if weighting were close, I wouldn't want to count on a drysuit (which OP said he'll be diving) to establish/maintain positive buoyancy at the surface.

- suit failure (such as inflator issue or torn neck seal) would be a problem holding air
- reg issue (or OOG) would be a problem since you can't orally inflate a suit

I've also seen people unable to use the suit at the surface for buoyancy because their neck seal was loose enough that - in a vertical position as you would be at surface - the suit would simply burp additional air from the neck. This would be exacerbated further if you needed to move around such as swimming or working with your arms. I had this problem with one of my suits after losing some weight; need to change the neck seal.

Thanks, RJ. You're right ... MAY. Being a wet diver my thoughts tend to think along those lines.

I have 3 backplates and three wings...I've sold a bunch too.

1) Halcyon Infinity (cinch) with steel plate - love love love it. I use it for travel and fun dives. My favorite by far. Super easy to adjust with the cinch, although I don't really change it often. I don't mind the 3lbs more it weighs for travel, it's worth it in the water. No weight needed and perfect balance. I wish my LDS would pick up the H brand, as I would sell all the others and just keep this one, but I can't use it when teaching classes so there are more in my closet.

2) OMS AL plate, Dive Rite deluxe harness (no quick release buckles) - This is a great plate and I like the harness. I keep it loose enough to use with drysuit and it still works with a wetsuit, just a bit loose, but not an issue. Use locally diving wet & single tanks and all technical with doubles.

2) Scubapro X-Tek form harness w/AL plate. I use this rig when I teach for the LDS. I might pick up a SS plate for it for winter (drysuit) diving.

Wings:
Hollis S38 (the new version) - really nice wing with internal retraction system. Keeps it tight and streamlined, but it's not big anyway.

Oxycheq Mach V 40lb - I really dig this wing too, it's for sale, but not aggressively. It is only a few ounces heavier than their 18lb wing, and it's been all over the world. I will probably keep it as a spare wing since it's a bit rough in some areas.

Dive Rite classic EXP - doubles wing, for tec, using steel doubles.


Sold:
Dive Rite transpac & transplate systems - I liked them well enough, but they were just too busy. Too much stuff, too many d-rings, buckles, clips, and so on. The transpac was really nice for travel as it didn't weigh much at all.

Dive Rite travel exp wing - sold it b/c as a single wing it wouldnt float my Faber Fx100 & steel plate with if I left it at the surface. Replaced it with the Oxycheq I metioned above. It was a fantastic wing for travel, though, and I wouldn't mind having another one.