BP/W set up help/advice

[halocline]

I'm hoping for some advice regarding set ups. Obviously basic tips like recommended plates/wings. I need something a) fairly lightweight (I travel a LOT for work and take my gear with me) b) ......d) I'd like weights in pockets (quick release???) rather than on a weight belt.

Also, as well as these sort of tips, I was hoping for some advice, if anyone knows where I might go in the Tampa area that could help me out with my gear?

Deep sea supply makes excellent gear, and the customer service (Tobin has already started giving you good advice) is fantastic. So my first recommendation would be to look at DSS rigs. If you're super freaked about the travel weight, his kydex plate/tropical wing is one of the smallest and lightest set ups available, but I would urge you to stay with a steel plate; it's still very compact to carry, and the weight distribution will be better for you, especially with Al tanks that are the norm for rental. A steel plate/small wing/webbing harness still only weighs about as much as a full featured jacket BC and is much more compact to pack. Besides, it's not like you're dragging this stuff up a mountain. It always amuses me how people prioritize the packability of their dive gear over the actual performance.

If you don't see what you like at DSS, and you don;t mind a bit of a trip, take a drive to Marianna (I don't know how far that is from Tampa) to caveadventurers, and try out some oxycheq gear. Their mach V wings are terrific. Dive rite makes decent stuff as well; the steel plates are on sale at dive gear express, and I think the newer style travel wings are on sale at North East scuba supply. So you could piece together a set up at a very reasonable price. One issue with the dive rite set up is that you might want to use a single tank adapter because the wing does not have built in stabilizers like the DSS and oxycheq wings do. No big deal, but it is another thing to buy and does add a little weight.

The simple solution if you need clear advice and assistance putting together a well designed entire rig is to call Tobin and let him help you choose a DSS rig.

I would not get too hung up about quick release pockets; in fact I would not bother with anything like that in warm water. You can get these XS scuba camband pockets, put a couple right on the waist belt of your harness, and if you absolutely need to dump the weights just pull them out of the pockets.

You are absolutely on the right track getting into a backplate/wing right out of certification. Congratulations!!

 

[irishsquid]

I was going to recommend looking into DSS and that Tobin will be a big help.
He beat me to it. After checking around when I was looking to change to a BP/W, all the positive feedback about DSS and then getting to discuss my setup with Tobin on the phone pretty much set my mind that was the way I'd go. Not one regret and haven't looked back since.

 

[rrweather]

This is a bit beyond where our OP is, but I did want to mention the impacts of hanging all your required ballast on the rig.


Tobin

I only brought up the weight pockets because she mentioned them in her original post not because I thought loading up the BC or BP/W is the best course of action. I agree, knowing the buoyancy of her body and wetsuit would help.

 

[flyingvisit]

Thanks for the information/advice all (especially Tobin !!). I've been checking out the various brands/websites etc.

The weighting "test" I'll try within the next week or so and hopefully then I can get more solid direction from there. If it helps at all, I did manage to "sink" on less than 20-22lbs (I think I was around 16lbs weighted as in fresh water I'd used 12lbs), but as my tank got empty I began to ascend and my buddy (who was the DM) had to ensure that I didn't ascend too quickly. I added an extra 2lbs per pocket or so, and was much better after that, no more floating off at the end of the dive.

I'm still not sure about the whole weight belt/pockets thing. Another of the reasons I am leaning towards the BP/W set up is because I'm a bit on the tubby side and I find the wider cummerbunds are a pain. I'd rather have something a bit more fitting around the waist, but I'm not sure that if I add pockets etc I'm not going back to a thicker "cummerbund" style waist and losing some of the benefit of the harness. But then again, still being a novice diver, I "fear" weight belts as a point of failure, where as pockets seem more secure... *shrug*

 

[rstofer]

I don't want to add weight to my BP/W because my back is so trashed that I would have a problem lifting it. I don't really have hips so a weight belt is out of the question.

A DUI Weight & Trim Classic harness works great. I can put on the weight and then put on the rig.

I didn't go back and read this entire thread but I'm sure it has been pointed out that if you put all your ballast on the rig, you will need a larger wing to float it at the surface. You don't want to go this way.

Besides, my tank weights 43#, my rig about 10#, ballast 18# (for the moment) for a total of 69# if I had the weight on the rig - I don't want to lift that much. My wing would have to float 10# tank, 10# rig and 18# of ballast or 38#. If I wear the 18# (and as long as that is less than the buoyancy of my wetsuit at the surface), I can float without the rig and the rig can float without my wetsuit using just a 30# wing.

Short answer: if you need a bunch of weight, you need to get some of it off the rig.

Richard

 

[flyingvisit]

The loud clunking noise you may have heard was the penny finally dropping for me with what you guys are all saying!!

So if I understand it right, if you are weighted yourself (I assume you must be bouyant still regardless, for safety purposes?), then your rig is only having to lift "its" weight, and that weight doesn't include what weight you are personally wearing, as you are ensuring that is bouyant? (and assuming that I'm not terrifically overweighted by the story I told on my previous post about being "floaty", then I can probably handle quite a bit of the weight myself).

Apologies for the stupidity - I appreciate the time you've all taken to explain this to a newb!

 

[Bonairetrip]

I'm still not sure about the whole weight belt/pockets thing. Another of the reasons I am leaning towards the BP/W set up is because I'm a bit on the tubby side and I find the wider cummerbunds are a pain. I'd rather have something a bit more fitting around the waist, but I'm not sure that if I add pockets etc I'm not going back to a thicker "cummerbund" style waist and losing some of the benefit of the harness. But then again, still being a novice diver, I "fear" weight belts as a point of failure, where as pockets seem more secure... *shrug*

Being blunt, a weight belt can be great or a giant pain. If your body shape is more of a pear (large hips, smaller waist), a weight belt won't slip off. In this case, a regular weight belt would work. It could be as simple as some resin impregnated webbing with a stainless buckle and some tri-glides. Or it could be one that has built in pockets to hold each weight. Or it could be a harness.

OTOH, if your body shape is more apple (large waist, small hips), keeping a weight belt on is a huge challenge. In this instance, a harness like DUI classic is great and well worth the price.

Aside from sliding off depending on body shape, a weight belt with a stainless buckle is not at much risk of failure. Probably less so than integrated pockets.

If you go with a steel plate, you will already be able to get rid of some lead from your belt. That will help make things a bit easier. From there, I would either go with the DUI harness or a standard belt. Locally, I would switch to a HP steel tank.

There are a handful of gear purchases I have been very happy with year in and year out. A DUI classic harness for me was probably at the top of that list. A close second was a DSS plate and wing. (I got to the point where I have two wings -- one for tropical and one wing for everything else, all using a stainless plate).

 

[cool_hardware52]

The loud clunking noise you may have heard was the penny finally dropping for me with what you guys are all saying!!

So if I understand it right, if you are weighted yourself (I assume you must be bouyant still regardless, for safety purposes?), then your rig is only having to lift "its" weight, and that weight doesn't include what weight you are personally wearing, as you are ensuring that is bouyant? (and assuming that I'm not terrifically overweighted by the story I told on my previous post about being "floaty", then I can probably handle quite a bit of the weight myself).

Apologies for the stupidity - I appreciate the time you've all taken to explain this to a newb!

Sort of.

If you have ballast equal to the weight of your gas, typically 6-10 lbs for a single tank diver, on your person vs on your rig, you can avoid the requirement for a larger than necessary wing.

Tobin

 

[kanonfodr]

Flyingvisit,

You are getting some of the best help available as far as choosing your rig so I'm not going to intrude. But, if you do plan on flying when you are traveling, the extra weight of the steel backplates can be both a blessing and a curse. All my diving gear added up to about 40 pounds to pack. Of course, that only leaves you so much for clothes.

Granted, I could have reduced that by 10 pounds through selective packing, but I chose to carry everything I could with me because I was taking a class. If you plan to travel more than you dive locally, an aluminum or kydex backplate may make your packing headache not so bad.

Peace,
Greg

 

[paddler3d]

But, if you do plan on flying when you are traveling, the extra weight of the steel backplates can be both a blessing and a curse.

Really there is not necessarily extra weight when using a SS BP/W set up.

For giggles, I pulled up Zeagle Recreational BC's. Most of them were close to 7#'s. With a couple tipping the 7# mark.

My wing with SS plate and harness (HOG one piece) is right around 7#'s.

If weight is an issue and you want to do the BP/W thing, look at the AL plates.

I guarantee that a BP/W with a webbing harness is going to pack up flatter than a traditional BC.