Alum or Steel for warmer water single tank diving

[travelrider]

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.

Thanks all!

 

[Chuckitall]

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.

 

[herman]

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.

 

[travelrider]

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.

 

[rivers]

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.

 

[herman]

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.

 

[ams511]

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.

 

[ams511]

Being your in Tampa you should check out Golem Gear, there in your neck of the woods. Golem Gear, Inc.

 

[j2s]

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'.......

 

[ajduplessis]

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