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Hi all, this question may seem elementary for most of you. I'm =a quite new diver but landed in this forum because I've decided to buy a BP/W and begin my diving with a Hog configuration. I expect to continue my diving education and eventually dive deep, dive wrecks, etc.
I am 5'5", 140#,and slightly negatively buoyant in swim trunks in fresh water. I'm almost neutral in salt.
Initially, my diving will be in warmer water, from 72 degree fresh and a small 5 mil wetsuit to 85 degree salt and in a 2 mil shortie or maybe just swimming trunks and a t-shirt.
I will probably be diving on AL80 tanks until I buy my own tank at which point I may buy an HP100.
Not sure if I've provided enough info for a clear answer to my question, but given what I have provided, would you buy a Aluminum, a Stainless, or a Heavy Stainless backplate. I'm pretty sure the answer is not Heavy Stainless.
Also, keep in mind I'm a new diver and might like to have a little bit of ditchable weight on me. - maybe a weight belt.
My guess at the correct answer is: Aluminum + a little trim weight for the AL80 that i can lose when I buy the Steel Tank + a weight belt for when I'm in a wetsuit or in the salt.
Keep in mind that the difference between most steel and aluminum plates is about 3 1/2 lbs. To me and my wife not enough to worry about for travel. Wife has an alum plate and used no weight with steel tanks/5mm suit. With a alum 80 maybe up to 4 to 6 lbs on a belt or pockets. I travel all over with a steel plate because of aluminum tanks. I hate weight belts and weight stuffed in pockets. You will hear from divers that you must wear weights to be able to drop them. I always make sure I can swim up with no air in my BC. Hope that helps, you will like plates as you progress.
AL or maybe even kydex. You are about like me, a SS plate will overweight me by 4-6 lbs in warm fresh and a couple in warm salt water with an AL 80. I dislike being overweigh esp by that much and if you travel by air, SS adds a few more unnecessary pounds to your luggage. If you go to a steel tank, the problem only gets worse. You can always add a few pounds with a weight belt, add a weight intergration system or other options if you need more weight later but taking more off is not an option with a heaver plate.
AL or maybe even kydex. You are about like me, a SS plate will overweight me by 4-6 lbs in warm fresh and a couple in warm salt water with an AL 80. I dislike being overweigh esp by that much and if you travel by air, SS adds a few more unnecessary pounds to your luggage. If you go to a steel tank, the problem only gets worse. You can always add a few pounds with a weight belt, add a weight intergration system or other options if you need more weight later but taking more off is not an option with a heaver plate.
What do you guys think about the blended Kydex/Stainless models offered by Deep Sea Supply? It looks like a good idea as an aluminum substitution - the Kydex should be easier on the webbing than Aluminum or Stainless. Not sure if abrasion of the webbing is ever a problem anyway, but the Kydex seems like a good solution for that.
travel, see if you can get your hands on a couple of different rigs to borrow, one with a stainless plate, one with an ali, one with a kydex. Hit the pool, and use them various types of exposure protection. See which works best. Everyone is different. I wear barely any weight with an ali backplate and a drysuit (2kg fresh water, 5 kg salt), but someone else that is roughly my height, weight, and build, may well wear a lot more or even less.
Haven't seen one so all I can do is speculate but seems a waste to me. You use kydex for weight reduction, adding SS back into the mix counters that so might as well go with a standard AL. There may be some other advantage but I don't see it. As long as the edges are properly smoothed, the wear on the webbing is minimal on all of them.
Travel, in full gear with 500 psi in your tank how much weight do you need? Also if you plan on going tech then you will probably "collect" a few backplates. I always needed weight so I went with stainless. As other people have mentioned the difference is only about 4 lbs. A compromise would be to go with an aluminum plate with a weighted STA if you dive with a heavy wetsuit and aluminum tank.
You may want to consider the Kydex because of the bolt on weight option DSS offers....It'll give you multiple options for, travel/salt/fresh/aL-vs-steel tank and dry-vs-wet suits...To my knowledge they're the only one that has this feature.....It'll reduce the amount/variety of equipment you'll have to buy......Only down side is they're not 'ditchable'.......
It's a preference and availability thing. I am 5'8 @ 175lbs and use steel cylinders on both single as95 and ss120 doubles and capable of swing these rigs up in a wetsuit. I recently added a drysuit and use no air at all in my wing during my 16ft stop on double steel 120's. I need to add weight to this if I dive in salt.
I never liked Ali or their weight out of the water, or the need to drop weight. Fortunately this is only my opinion
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Originally Posted by herman
