DSS Steel BP - travel report

[S&V]

I'm sure some folks are considering the weight of the DSS Steel BP vs the Kydex plates when planning on a travel rig. My wife and I just made our first Caribbean trip (Cayman Brac - Hurricane Paloma, but that's another story) last week with our DSS steel BP rigs, and we packed them up with all the usual gear plus shorts/tshirts/etc at about 46-48 lbs per bag. We carried regs/computers onboard separately, of course. The way the DSS BP/W combos break down for packing is simplicity itself - always a sign of good design engineering.
Given that most resorts are going to give you Al80 tanks, having the steel to offset some of the tank buoyancy is really nice. With 83 deg F water, we were in light 3mm exposure suits, and we both carried 4-6 lbs in soft waistbelts (XScuba) under the harness. Very easy to grab a couple weights out of the boat's weightbox, put them in the pouches and go.
OBTW, my wife is a recent convert to the BP/W configuration. After 30 yrs of diving the usual rental BCs with tank roll, trim, ride-up, drag and comfort issues, I had her try on my DSS rig in a pool tuneup session. I didn't adjust anything, just strapped her in, and after 5 mins in the water, she had me online w/DSS ordering her own rig - small steel plate, hog harness, and a 17 lb Torus wing I already had.
So, it's just one data point, but from a travel perspective, we think a steel BP is fine. There are surely good reasons to get a Kydex, but I wouldn't assume travel weight is necessarily one of them.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I'm sure some folks are considering the weight of the DSS Steel BP vs the Kydex plates when planning on a travel rig. My wife and I just made our first Caribbean trip (Cayman Brac - Hurricane Paloma, but that's another story) last week with our DSS steel BP rigs, and we packed them up with all the usual gear plus shorts/tshirts/etc at about 46-48 lbs per bag. We carried regs/computers onboard separately, of course. The way the DSS BP/W combos break down for packing is simplicity itself - always a sign of good design engineering.
Given that most resorts are going to give you Al80 tanks, having the steel to offset some of the tank buoyancy is really nice. With 83 deg F water, we were in light 3mm exposure suits, and we both carried 4-6 lbs in soft waistbelts (XScuba) under the harness. Very easy to grab a couple weights out of the boat's weightbox, put them in the pouches and go.
OBTW, my wife is a recent convert to the BP/W configuration. After 30 yrs of diving the usual rental BCs with tank roll, trim, ride-up, drag and comfort issues, I had her try on my DSS rig in a pool tuneup session. I didn't adjust anything, just strapped her in, and after 5 mins in the water, she had me online w/DSS ordering her own rig - small steel plate, hog harness, and a 17 lb Torus wing I already had.
So, it's just one data point, but from a travel perspective, we think a steel BP is fine. There are surely good reasons to get a Kydex, but I wouldn't assume travel weight is necessarily one of them.

I'm glad to hear the gear worked out. You've really hit the nail on the head regarding SS plates and travel. That's exactly what I recommend.

Lightweight plates have their place, for example divers that would be overweighted with a SS plate, but for most applications including tropical travel the, the ballast provided by a SS plate is a benefit in the water.

Tobin

 

[AUTiger]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully Santa is bringing me a DSS setup.

Can a backplate be taken on the plane as part of your carry on luggage? It might be handy to move that 5-6 lbs from the checked luggage to the carry-on.

David

 

[cool_hardware52]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully Santa is bringing me a DSS setup.

Can a backplate be taken on the plane as part of your carry on luggage? It might be handy to move that 5-6 lbs from the checked luggage to the carry-on.

David

Backplates are routinely taken as carry on.

Tobin

 

[gbf]

Thanks for the update. Hopefully Santa is bringing me a DSS setup.

Can a backplate be taken on the plane as part of your carry on luggage? It might be handy to move that 5-6 lbs from the checked luggage to the carry-on.

David

We did exactly that. Some inter-island airlines (e.g. Tiara, AUA-BON) limit checked baggage to a fairly low weight, 37 lbs, but have a generous carry-on allowance (20 lbs). We stuck the SS plates/regs/misc soft stuff in backpacks and carried them on (actually gate checked and picked them up on the tarmac). That gave us plenty of room/weight in the checked bags.

 

[SCU5]

Tobin, maybe you should make a backplate backpack add on that bolts on where the wing normally would, stows your crotch strap and waist belt, so that your backplate can be used for your carry on bag frame. Put a compartment for regs or a wing and other stuff, passports and travel docs. Happy days.