Advice on Setup

[cppike79]

Tobin,

I wanted to ask for your opinion on a possible bp/w setup for me. I've read nothing but good things about your products and am getting ready to pull the trigger.

First off I'll tell you what my current setup is:

Most diving is in a Drysuit in SoCal
I currently use a Zeagle Ranger, Worthington HP100 (-8 full; -2 empty)
I dive with 18-20 lbs weight, depending on undergarment.
I am approx 6'1" and about 195#'s

What set up would you recommend, and also I'm interested in the additional weights that can be mounted to the backplate, however, if I were to add the 8 lb weights I would require almost no additional ballast........therefore would have almost no ditchable weight. I know you dont typically recommend this, but I would love to hear in more detail as to why??

Also what are the main differences and pro's and con's to the LCD wing and the Torus wing?

Thanks so much for the help, I look forward to your response.

Brian

 

[cool_hardware52]

Tobin,

I wanted to ask for your opinion on a possible bp/w setup for me. I've read nothing but good things about your products and am getting ready to pull the trigger.

First off I'll tell you what my current setup is:

Most diving is in a Drysuit in SoCal
I currently use a Zeagle Ranger, Worthington HP100 (-8 full; -2 empty)
I dive with 18-20 lbs weight, depending on undergarment.
I am approx 6'1" and about 195#'s

What set up would you recommend, and also I'm interested in the additional weights that can be mounted to the backplate, however, if I were to add the 8 lb weights I would require almost no additional ballast........therefore would have almost no ditchable weight. I know you dont typically recommend this, but I would love to hear in more detail as to why??

Also what are the main differences and pro's and con's to the LCD wing and the Torus wing?

Thanks so much for the help, I look forward to your response.

Brian

Brian,

It looks like you are currently carrying about 24 lbs of total ballast. 20 is lead, 2 is your reg, and about 2 for an empty tank. If you are properly weighted, we can assume your exposure suit is about 20 lbs positive. (Many jacket BC's are 2-4 lbs positive)

A large SS Backplate and harness is a bout -7. With a reg and a full HP100 your rig will be about -19 lbs. With an empty tank your rig will provide about 11 lbs of ballast.

If your Exposure suit is +20 and your rig provides 11 lbs of ballast you need another 8-9 lbs.

I would not recommend using our weight plates as this would require a larger wing, and would leave you with no ditchable weight. I like to see some ditchable ballast when diving in cold water with buoyant exposure suits.

I would recommend:

A large SS plate
Hogarthian Harness
Torus 26 wing

With a rig that's ~-19 lbs a 26 can easily float it at the surface if you ditch it.

A 26 lbs lift wing can also offset a total Drysuit failure. Unlikely for your suit to loose all of its buoyancy, but cannot loose more than it's initial buoyancy.

Torus vs LCD? Not much difference in Perfomance. I recommend using th wing that offers the best match of required lift.

Let me know if you have other questions.

Tobin

 

[digital_steve]

Can i have your ranger when you become a BP&W convert?
I need a backup jacket to travel

First time i've seen different sizings in backplates. is the large dss equivalent to other plates on the market (i.e. zeagle ss backplate)?

 

[cool_hardware52]

Can i have your ranger when you become a BP&W convert?
I need a backup jacket to travel

First time i've seen different sizings in backplates. is the large dss equivalent to other plates on the market (i.e. zeagle ss backplate)?

The DSS plates have no equivalent.

Most plates sold today are just under 16 inches tall, 15 1/2 - 15 3/4 is typical. This is primarily due to the fact that it is possible to cut 3 "sub 16" inch plates from a 48 inch wide sheet.

Our small plate is just over 13 inches tall, our medium is 15 inches tall, our large is 16 inches tall, and the Long Pattern Plate is 17 1/2 inches tall.

I should point out that overall height of the plate is only on factor in sizing. Slot location, shape and bend angle also play a part.

Tobin

 

[mwhities]

The DSS plates have no equivalent.

Most plates sold today are just under 16 inches tall, 15 1/2 - 15 3/4 is typical. This is primarily due to the fact that it is possible to cut 3 "sub 16" inch plates from a 48 inch wide sheet.

Our small plate is just over 13 inches tall, our medium is 15 inches tall, our large is 16 inches tall, and the Long Pattern Plate is 17 1/2 inches tall.

I should point out that overall height of the plate is only on factor in sizing. Slot location, shape and bend angle also play a part.

Tobin

I'm 6' 6" and I use the 17.5" long pattern. Fits perfectly. I don't think there is anyway I'd be able to use a standard plate. I could but, it wouldn't be comfortable.

So I'm stuck with DSS.