DSS BP+W Configuration

[DiverEngineer]

Hi,

I am 5’ 8”, ~170 pounds, with a stocky build but I could lose 15-20 pounds of “organic buoyancy lipids”.

Most of my diving is in warm water above 75F degrees in a 3mm wetsuit, but I may do some occasional dives in the low to mid 60s in a 5mm wetsuit. I will probably be using a single AL80.

Do you think an LCD 20 single tank wing and a medium stainless steel backplate would work for the environments mentioned above?

Thanks,
DE

 

[buddhasummer]

How much lead do you currently use in your 5mm? The plate I'm sure would be fine.

 

[DiverEngineer]

I'm not sure to be honest, I'm a newb.

 

[mmadiver]

Yes You'll be fine with that setup.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Hi,

I am 5’ 8”, ~170 pounds, with a stocky build but I could lose 15-20 pounds of “organic buoyancy lipids”.

Most of my diving is in warm water above 75F degrees in a 3mm wetsuit, but I may do some occasional dives in the low to mid 60s in a 5mm wetsuit. I will probably be using a single AL80.

Do you think an LCD 20 single tank wing and a medium stainless steel backplate would work for the environments mentioned above?

Thanks,
DE

At 5'8" you need a medium plate. With a 3mm suit (or 5) + a buoyant tank + a slightly buoyant you, the ballast a SS plate provides is a benefit.

Any BC needs to be able to float your rig with a full tank and be able to compensate for the maximum possible change in buoyancy of your exposure suit.

With a medium SS Plate, harness, regulator, and full al 80 your rig will be about -10 lbs.

Even a 5mm suit on a guy your size is unlikely to be more than about ~12 lbs positive.

That makes either a Torus 17 or LCD 20 reasonable choices for a wing. I'd probably go with the 20 if I saw more cold water diving in my future.

Recap:

Medium SS Plate
Hogarthian Harness
T-17 or LCD 20 wing
(cambands and wedge blocks included)

Tobin