Backplate Recommendations for Oxycheq Wing

[rhwestfall]

I'll comment on a few wings I have... (three divers in the family, each with warm and cold water kits)

DSS - LCD30 - out of business, no reason to review further....
HOG - (32 & 23) - "shorter", wider profile than I like.
Deep6 - (30 & 20) - a lot bigger than others, quite wide at shoulders, tapers to bottom - not great if leg heavy. Question material longevity as it is very different. Long. Material seems to allow it to pack better than most, but as I said, it is a big wing that negates the benefit.
OhyCheq MachV (30) - rock solid build, long(er) and narrow. Problematic with HP80 tanks. Opposite taper of the Dee6, and I like that. My current favorite cold water singles wing. They do carry a premium price. Colors are a plus if you like that.
VDH (18) - Love the profile. Great build, and my favorite warm water wing. Likely would got the larger ones if I needed another wing.
DiveRite (23) - older model travel wing - like the material, seems to be holding up well. Open web is "different" - new model, resembles the VDH/Oxy design.

The Oxy/DiveRite/VDH are a great wing, each having their own tweaks you may like or dislike to set them apart. Price has Oxy at the bottom of the three. Internal bungie on the VDH is something I like. Haven't tried the new DR.

If starting from nothing, VDH, then DiveRite would be my choices... 18/23 for warm travel, 30 for cold.

YMMV

 

[CLW]

Thanks for the detailed info.
As I mentioned earlier, VDH seems difficult to find. I sent them an email asking when they would have new stock for the 23.

So.....don’t crucify me but I’m new to the calculations for lift. The days of renting a bcd and adding 4 kg of weights seems a little naive now. I’ve been trying to do some research on appropriate lift. I’m about six feet tall and athletic 180 lbs. As mentioned, I dive with 4kg of weight with a 3 mm wetsuit....sometimes I’ll just use one 2 kg weight. I Wear 5mm boots and avantiquatro +. Sometimes I’ll add a weight if I’m wearing 5mm wetsuit.

I doubt I’ll be doing cold water dives anytime soon....so many warm water dive locations around SE Asia. And if I do happen to venture to colder waters, I’ll adjust my gear.

Will the 18 be enough? I’m a little split because I prefer streamlined and minimal but I also like the “just in case” factor of a 23 or 30. Will additional lift play a role in potential rescue scenarios?
Thanks

 

[lexvil]

My guess for the locals only stocking 30# wings if fear of the buyer, most standard b/c’s come with at least 30# of lift and its sometimes to wrap your head around such a small compact wing being enough, rest assured it is. I have 18# oxy but use the VDH 18 for warm water, I use the VDH 35# for cold water drysuit. I have a Deep 6 20 and like Bob I really don’t care for the shape but I have considered trying it again because I like the instant drying of the material, I have Deep 6 webbing on my aluminum freedom plate for this reason.

I would suggest the VDH 18.

 

[lexvil]

Oxycheq makes a SS travel I shaped backplate and they are nice (have one as a loaner) you may find with a small SS plate like this, 2# negative, and not using a b/c that is positive you won’t need any additional weight.

 

[CLW]

Any thoughts on XDeep?

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

Any thoughts on XDeep?

XDeep - Martin at Marlin Divers is a great guy. XDeep has pretty good stuff. Very solid and robust. If I am doing SM, then I would go with XDeep. But with BP/W, there are quite a lot of options out there and you can get it for cheaper.

30# should be ok for diving around Singapore and SEA. It is a bit of an overkill but it will give you a bit more versatility and flexibility.

Seems like you are set on getting Oxycheq. Oxycheq is great. I won't bother go into how great it is since other posters have detailed out the specifics. You getting yours from Friendly Water?

Personally, I have a VDH 23# and the freedom plate from @Eric Sedletzky. I was going to buy an oxycheq set-up then I did some research and ended up with my current set-up.

I don't know if you are in a hurry to get your BP but if you can wait, I highly recommend you to give Eric a shout out and see if you can get a plate from him. There are plenty of threads on this forum that hand out hosanna to the freedom plate so I won't regurgitate what have been said over and over again.

Have you seen this set-up from DGX? It is a great deal:
DGX Custom - DGX Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package | Dive Gear Express®

If you still want to go with HOG or Hollis, I'd say HOG over Hollis.

 

[NAM001]

Hello
Warm water diver looking to build my first backplate/wing. I need something travel friendly and have my eye set on an Oxycheq 30# wing. The Oxycheq tank cam straps seem to be closer together than some of the other wings. Can anyone confirm this and make a recommendation on an aluminium backplate that will work with an Oxycheq wing (besides Oxycheq backplate)?
I'm looking at Hollis and Hog since they are easy to find where I live.

Thanks for the help.

I use oxycheq wings and the plate makes no difference as far as I know or have seen. get teh cheapest plate that works for you Your read decision will be Al or steel.

 

[CLW]

XDeep - Martin at Marlin Divers is a great guy. XDeep has pretty good stuff. Very solid and robust. If I am doing SM, then I would go with XDeep. But with BP/W, there are quite a lot of options out there and you can get it for cheaper.

30# should be ok for diving around Singapore and SEA. It is a bit of an overkill but it will give you a bit more versatility and flexibility.

Seems like you are set on getting Oxycheq. Oxycheq is great. I won't bother go into how great it is since other posters have detailed out the specifics. You getting yours from Friendly Water?

Personally, I have a VDH 23# and the freedom plate from @Eric Sedletzky. I was going to buy an oxycheq set-up then I did some research and ended up with my current set-up.

I don't know if you are in a hurry to get your BP but if you can wait, I highly recommend you to give Eric a shout out and see if you can get a plate from him. There are plenty of threads on this forum that hand out hosanna to the freedom plate so I won't regurgitate what have been said over and over again.

Have you seen this set-up from DGX? It is a great deal:
DGX Custom - DGX Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package | Dive Gear Express®

If you still want to go with HOG or Hollis, I'd say HOG over Hollis.

Thanks for the feedback...
Seem like you and I know some of the same people. Are you located in SG as well?

 

[sea_ledford]

Thanks for the detailed info.
As I mentioned earlier, VDH seems difficult to find. I sent them an email asking when they would have new stock for the 23.

So.....don’t crucify me but I’m new to the calculations for lift. The days of renting a bcd and adding 4 kg of weights seems a little naive now. I’ve been trying to do some research on appropriate lift. I’m about six feet tall and athletic 180 lbs. As mentioned, I dive with 4kg of weight with a 3 mm wetsuit....sometimes I’ll just use one 2 kg weight. I Wear 5mm boots and avantiquatro +. Sometimes I’ll add a weight if I’m wearing 5mm wetsuit.

I doubt I’ll be doing cold water dives anytime soon....so many warm water dive locations around SE Asia. And if I do happen to venture to colder waters, I’ll adjust my gear.

Will the 18 be enough? I’m a little split because I prefer streamlined and minimal but I also like the “just in case” factor of a 23 or 30. Will additional lift play a role in potential rescue scenarios?
Thanks

No, the 18 won't be enough. I have an OXY 30#, and have tried a 18" Oxy (hot pink! It was awesome) a few times.You are about 20 lbs more lean than I am, and in freshwater, the 18 was just barely enough buoyancy to to keep my lips out of the water. That was in a 3mm two piece suit. In salt water it would probably be just enough, but only in calm conditions. The difference in size/drag between the two underwater is insignificant, just get the 30.

With the 30, I have dove everything from no suit tropical diving to 5mm wetsuit to drysuit. Al63s, AL 80, steel HP100's... doesn't matter.

For back plates, I'd go with aluminum or dive rites travel ss plate with all the cut outs to keep the weight down. If you find a plate/wing combination that doesn't work together, I'd be surprised since they seem to be pretty universal.

-Chris

 

[CarcharodonCarcharias]

Seem like you and I know some of the same people

Probably. It's a small circle.

Are you located in SG as well?

Correct.