Backplate wing setup for entry/transition

[TSandM]

I've been advised that to achieve proper trim, it's better to have as much of the weight on one's back as possible and as little on the waist as possible.

This may be true for your setup, but isn't always. For example, folks diving wet here in the PNW often find they are very feet-light because of all the neoprene on their legs. The right place to put weight is where it works.

To the OP -- a wing in the 30 lb range will work for warm and cold water. It's a little bigger than you need for warm water, but still small enough not to taco badly and to remain easy to vent. I dove my 32 lb wing in the tropics in a wetsuit for the couple of trips we did where I was still silly enough to use thin wetsuits, and it worked fine.

 

[fjpatrum]

fjpatrum, I agree that plates are plates and I DEFINITELY agree that a harness is a harness. I also know that after fiddling with multiple "fancy" (read: "complicated") harness setups....the basic/boring hog harness is the best. Most people end up realizing that after they've bought the "nicer" one. That's what happened to me. What's NOT the same is the wing. A nice wing mfg will be more resilient to leaks/tears/pinches/failures of the air cell. Nice wings will have nicer hosing that is more trustworthy as well as a more simple/secure and higher quality LPI and OPV. The sealing procedures for the threads for the opv/lpi should also be better. I'm not saying more expensive is better, I'm just saying there's a lot of headway to be made with a nicer wing. If I were on a budget (I am, and who isn't?), I'd buy cheap plate and harness and get as nice of a wing as I could afford. Part of the wing decision would be on current online specials and/or what my LDS sells and their prices.

What you're saying in this post seems to be opinion (your use of the word "should" rather than "is" with specific examples) and does not match what I've actually checked out and inspected myself. What I said was that parts are almost all identical (I agree the inflator mechanism itself is an exception and the quality difference is fairly obvious) on the 8 or so wings I've inspected (for shopping purposes) or used. There is some variation in the bladder materials that some folks imply means more durable. (I haven't seen that to be the case but I'm not trying to deliberately break the things to test that theory either.) There is some slight variation in the nylon cover materials some use, but for the most part it's the difference between 800 denier and 1000 denier, which is nearly negligible with respect to durability. I've definitely never seen any variance in "quality" of an OPV or the "thread seals" on any of them.

The biggest variation I've seen of wings is horseshoe versus donut. (I'm considering only wings of modern manufacture and of the same volume.)

In any case, I haven't found anything in my searches so far to justify paying $400 for any wing versus $200. Tobin's customer service would lead me to pay a higher price than say buying my recommended DRIS but I've found their service to be excellent too, so that might be a wash in the end.

I recognize that not everyone is as much of a "budget shopper" as I am but the reality is there isn't that much difference between the high end and the low end of wings and plates. They will all last a couple thousand dives (or more) if well taken care of and will all fail if they aren't maintained properly.

---------- Post added June 13th, 2013 at 02:34 PM ----------

One thing about warm water diving and needing the weight.....if you're traveling, wouldn't you rather that weight on your waist than in your suitcase? I have to fly to good warm water destinations....and I'd much rather rent weights for my weight belt than lose poundage in my suitcase.

Also, I really don't get this hatred of weight belts. When you walk around fully geared up you weigh the same whether it's on your waist or on your back. A heavy, stainless plate just keeps the minimum amount of weight you dive with higher.....reducing how flexible your weight selection can be.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 2

For those of us with no hips, weight belts can be a serious source of discomfort. My weight belt (the rare occasions where I need one) invariably sags down my hips and is "held on" by my crotch strap. If it doesn't sag that much it rotates around and gets in my way. If I can avoid wearing it, I will every time. I usually put all of my weight on my cam bands. If that doesn't suffice, I'll add a couple of 2 pounders to my harness waist strap before I put on a separate weight belt.

---------- Post added June 13th, 2013 at 02:36 PM ----------

Thanks for a very detailed reply.
I have the same interest as the original poster and, unfortunately, do not have access to a store where i can try the win(s). I also note your remark concerning no pocket. A change after diving a BC!!
My question is the following:

If one dives in various conditions (all single tank) i.e. 3, 5 and 7mm wetsuit as well as (trilaminate) dry-suit, is it feasible to buy a universal or modular wing or does one need a warm water (3 / 5mm) and a cold water (7mm / dry suit)?
Except for travel weight, anything speaks against Steel backplate or should one consider two, includign one for travel when limited by total luggage weight?

I wear an 18 pound wing in all conditions, from my 3mm to my dry suit. I've had no problems with that configuration so far. I tried going to the 32# HOG that JimLapenta showed in his picture in this thread but ended up not liking it so I sold it and went back to my small one.

 

[KnCDIVE]

bringing this back up, figured out the setup i want to go with, plan to go up to DGX and try it on before i pull the trigger this summer.

Backplate, Harness and Wing Systems (BPW) by Dive Rite - Dive Gear Express

1st one on the list. figured out i will be ordering some XS scuba weight pockets through my shop i work at for weights, and some other pockets for accessories i carry like my SMBs, lift bag, reel and finger spool, shears and lights. hoop stringer for spearfishing will be clipped to a waist d ring, Princeton tec Impact XL clipped to a shoulder d ring with bungee tied around the shoulder strap to hold it in place when not being used.

Plan on diving this setup with steel 100s and aluminum 80s with a 19 cubic ft pony, and purchasing a bigger wing in the future for bigger steel tanks as well as eventually giving doubles a shot for some deeper trips i have planned.

excited to finally make this jump. so tired of my standard back inflate BCD and feeling overloaded and cumbersome in the water... and slimming down my dive bag, getting way too heavy to drag around anymore.

 

[victorzamora]

On every dive, I take a canister light, two back up lights, two tanks, two bungees, a spare mask, three spools, two reels, a computer, a slate. ...and an smb/lift bag for ow dives. The only thing in a pocket isthe backup mask. ... which is for protection and streamlining more than anything.

I'm under dressed compared to others (that plus four tanks, two scooters, and double the lights.

My point? There's no need for pockets. adding pockets will make it more and more like a jacket bcd. You wanted a smaller cleaner bcd than a jacket, right? Then why convert your BPW into the jacket BCD that you're trying to get away from?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk

 

[KnCDIVE]

The less stuff that dangles off me the better, Im spearfishing anywhere from 60-130 feet and targeting large fish. Shooting lines like to grab anything they can when I shoot a big fish and it flips out.


CTRL + Q to Enable/Disable GoPhoto.it




CTRL + Q to Enable/Disable GoPhoto.it

 

[fjpatrum]

bringing this back up, figured out the setup i want to go with, plan to go up to DGX and try it on before i pull the trigger this summer.

Backplate, Harness and Wing Systems (BPW) by Dive Rite - Dive Gear Express

1st one on the list. figured out i will be ordering some XS scuba weight pockets through my shop i work at for weights, and some other pockets for accessories i carry like my SMBs, lift bag, reel and finger spool, shears and lights. hoop stringer for spearfishing will be clipped to a waist d ring, Princeton tec Impact XL clipped to a shoulder d ring with bungee tied around the shoulder strap to hold it in place when not being used.

Plan on diving this setup with steel 100s and aluminum 80s with a 19 cubic ft pony, and purchasing a bigger wing in the future for bigger steel tanks as well as eventually giving doubles a shot for some deeper trips i have planned.

excited to finally make this jump. so tired of my standard back inflate BCD and feeling overloaded and cumbersome in the water... and slimming down my dive bag, getting way too heavy to drag around anymore.

That 45 pound wing is already a "doubles wing" and might be ridiculously large (might not) for your needs diving singles. Can I recommend, before buying, that you check out this thread and find the right size wing for what you need now, especially since you plan to buy a second wing for doubles anyway.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/bu...ems/158370-ultimate-wing-lift-calculator.html

EDIT: As I indicated, I have an 18-20 pound wing that lifts me just fine, even when I have 14 pounds of lead added to me. I always carry an SMB with spool, two small lights, sheers, a z-cutter, and a couple of other minor accessories, plus a camera on most dives. No need for a giant wing.

I'll also agree with victorzama on this pockets. If you need pockets, strap or glue a couple onto your legs, they're far more comfortable (in my opinion) than the ones on a harness and definitely less cumbersome. They're also less likely to get in the way of your lines when spearing.

 

[BVickery]

Have to say make sure you get a proper wing. There is no wing that will do singles and doubles, at least well. This was a major problem with the wing I used with a Transpac from DR. The wing was just to big and bulky, vented horribly and taco'd almost all the time.

 

[victorzamora]

The less stuff that dangles off me the better, Im spearfishing anywhere from 60-130 feet and targeting large fish. Shooting lines like to grab anything they can when I shoot a big fish and it flips out.

60-130 ft is a nice, easy, shallow dive. I know plenty of guys that spearfish OFTEN, exclusively in a bpw with no pockets. If your line gets caught on stuff "dangling" off of you, it's purely user error. Nothing should be "dangling" in the way of your shooting line WITHOUT pockets. Pockets might get in the way. They'll definitely make it more like a jacket BC that you're trying to get away from. I dive all the gear I listed above, in sidemount (way more crap dangling), AND in a cave (lines everywhere, sometimes) and haven't gotten any of my "danglies" caught because I stow them properly.

Also, I didn't even check the link until now.....that's NOT the right setup unless you'll be diving doubles exclusively. Buy a singles wing if you're diving a single tank. Doubles wings can be had used for ~$100 used on the forums. Doubles wings are ONLY for doubles.