backplates
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detroit diver
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Does FredT sell aluminum plates, or just stainless? Atomox's solution above seems to work for you, but without the built-in STA. The built-in STA has no weight to it.
One of the more interesting things about going to a bp/wing this year has been that I am carrying less total weight than I did with my Zeagle. With the bp/wing I need 22# with my neoprene drysuit and 20# with my 6.5mm 2-piece. The two are so close together because I use jetfins with the dryuit and they add a bit of weight. With the Zeagle I needed 32# with the drysuit and 28# with the wetsuit. With both systems I spent time in a pool with a nearly empty tank and an empty wing to figure out the correct weighting.
The question that I have is how much ditchable weight do you really need? If you are neutral with an ss plate and
2# in a suit that doesn't compress much, if at all, at depth, dumping 2# should get you headed to the surface. If you start adding gear then you may want more ditchable weight in the event of a complete wing failure. At that point the gear becomes ditchable weight. The one thing that worries me a bit about ditching weight is what happens if I ditch too much.
On the personal opinion side, I wouldn't go back to the Zeagle, or probably anyone elses BCD, after using the bp/wing and I am a single tank diver. Tooling around last evening with the plate was a lot less effort. Outstanding.
JoelW
The question that I have is how much ditchable weight do you really need? If you are neutral with an ss plate and
2# in a suit that doesn't compress much, if at all, at depth, dumping 2# should get you headed to the surface. If you start adding gear then you may want more ditchable weight in the event of a complete wing failure. At that point the gear becomes ditchable weight. The one thing that worries me a bit about ditching weight is what happens if I ditch too much.
On the personal opinion side, I wouldn't go back to the Zeagle, or probably anyone elses BCD, after using the bp/wing and I am a single tank diver. Tooling around last evening with the plate was a lot less effort. Outstanding.
JoelW
detroit diver
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Joelw,
Well, I didn't try to dump the 2lb, so I wasnt' sure if it would work or not! Heck of a time to find out though!
Well, I didn't try to dump the 2lb, so I wasnt' sure if it would work or not! Heck of a time to find out though!
I use a backplate or my TranspacII. I have one thing in my favor that many of you don't... I am old... and I've been accumulating dive gear for 30 plus years. Still have a hard plastic "backpack" for a single steel 72 - still use it, too (cleaning the pool). I have three jacket style BC's that range from the tropical "Explorer" travel BC to the huge Seaquest Pro-QD monster jacket that I use in cold open water, with an old Techni-Pro that I use for general work or spearfishing in the middle. When the diving starts getting "technical" I have a backplate/harness and a Transpac II - for these I have travel wings and Rec wings.
My point is that if I had to choose a single BC out of the bunch and use only that one, it would definitely *not* be the backplate/harness, but rather the Transpac, which is excellent with a single tank or with doubles. If I *had* to settle on one set of wings it would be the Rec wings or the Classic wings, which are great with doubles and useable though not optimal with a single tank.
Rick
Rick,
The word is not "old". It is "experienced". I refuse to get "old"! But, "experienced" sounds pretty good.
Let's see how "experienced" you are. Who was the Cisco Kid's partner--and who played the parts of those two. And if you were raised in Southern California--name two characters who were on "Time for Beanie"(besides Beanie). And, finally, what two singing groups entertained us surfers in the 50's?
Joewr
The word is not "old". It is "experienced". I refuse to get "old"! But, "experienced" sounds pretty good.
Let's see how "experienced" you are. Who was the Cisco Kid's partner--and who played the parts of those two. And if you were raised in Southern California--name two characters who were on "Time for Beanie"(besides Beanie). And, finally, what two singing groups entertained us surfers in the 50's?
Joewr
detroit diver
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Well, if it was me I'd go with the aluminum. You'll need the keel weight and need to add more weight to your belt with the thicker wetsuit/drysuit. The plus side is that you can travel lighter with this rig if you have weights available to you at the dive site.
Let us know what you decide.
Let us know what you decide.
svs3
Contributor
and liked it from the get go. I've found it to be a superior performer to both my previous bcd's (a Dive-Rite TransPac II and a Tusa Inpres(sp?)). Although, I only have about 30 dives on it. For singles, the 35 lbs Pwing should be good for just about everything.
Sam
Sam
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