Seeking BP/W Guidance

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I have just, like yesterday received 'Paragon Weight System - Drop Down, Small' from SubGravity. These packets look very well made and hold exactly as much led as I need. I think they are the same as Halcyon weight system.
Be careful with fixing a lot of led permanently to the plate. The whole thing will become unmanageable to handlers/helpers. (As far as I remember diving in Egypt years ago the crew there was trying to do everything for us.)
 
1) BP Material??

2) Integrated Weight??

3) Single Tank Wing Lift ??

4) Double Tanks Wing Lift ??

5) Brands ??

1) “Getting away with” something usually implies you’re doing something wrong or risky but not getting caught. What do you perceive you are cheating at or risking by getting a SS BP? Each material has its advantages and disadvantages. A SS backplate is about 6 lbs for most brands and the whole point is to centralize and meld the weight to your torso. A SS backplate puts the weight right above your lungs as you indicated you desire.

2) A dive buddy neatly zip ties hard weights to his Aluminum BP to make up for the lack of the Aluminum BP’s weight. Cuts them off when he travels and then re-installs a borrowed set from the boat at his dive destination. He doesn’t need pockets. Seems pretty integrated to me. With more research you’ll find there are all kinds of pockets that will integrate the weight neatly. When I had a back inflate BCD, I used the smallest trim pockets possible on my tank bands positioned as closely to the soft backplate as possible. Worked great.

3) I’d go as small as possible on the single tank wing. I second the DGX single tank rig. Less total possible space for the air to shift as you evolve from using your arms to make direction and trim corrections to good fin, bladder and lung control to adjust buoyancy and trim. You’re not likely to start taking enough working kit to warrant a larger single tank wing. If you do, you’re probably succumbing to geardo-ism. Hopefully your TDI instructor helps you “clean up” if you have a bunch of doo-dads hanging off you.

4) Twinset...that’s a whole other wing. I wouldn’t pursue a brand of wing that purports to dive single and double. I think you compromise performance characteristics (or end up with bungee linguine all over your back). The DGX single tank rig will grow with you when you start diving a twinset. Pull the single wing off, put the double wing on. The benefit is you won’t have to adjust your BP and cross load accessories (back-up torch, cutting device, etc). Dive Rite also makes great kit.

5) Have you checked out www.dirdirect.com? They have a lot of brands and they’re in England making shipping pretty quick to the Middle East. I checked out the HOG kit.....looks too fiddly to me, like SP’s X-TEK kit. Too many rings on the shoulder straps for me and the tails of the adjustable straps will complicate matters, too. All that will be annoying when you start managing deco bottles. What rehearses well on dry land isn’t that same at depth when your head is getting shrunk. You say you intend to “go Hogarthian” but the HOG kit seems the opposite direction. When I pulled up their webpage, jacket style BCDs appeared first. I take that as a cue that tec diving is not their core focus. I’d stick with the brands that have been focused on tec diving since their inception.

Given where you’re at in your journey, I’d put the majority of your focus on improving your buoyancy, swimming (finning), trim and breathing skills rather than trying to find the perfect kit.

Archer, not the arrow.

Best of luck in your hunt.
 
I went back and re-read #4....

40-45 lbs of lift is the bottom end of the twinset range. I think it will be awhile before you need anything greater than that. If you get a larger wing (50-65 lbs), you incur more total potential bladder volume for your air to wash around or get isolated in the bladder because you’re not inflating it very much (to suspend or lift a larger load). With 40-45 lbs, you’ll be able to dive a BM twinset with two AL80s clipped off without reaching max inflation.
 
I went back and re-read #4....

40-45 lbs of lift is the bottom end of the twinset range. I think it will be awhile before you need anything greater than that. If you get a larger wing (50-65 lbs), you incur more total potential bladder volume for your air to wash around or get isolated in the bladder because you’re not inflating it very much (to suspend or lift a larger load). With 40-45 lbs, you’ll be able to dive a BM twinset with two AL80s clipped off without reaching max inflation.

Agreed...

—————————

I dive a 40lbs wing and it’s perfect for double AL80s, one or two stages, and a big can light. When diving dry, I add an 11lbs V-weight and it’s still plenty of lift.

I also have a 60lbs wing, but only need it for super heavy PST LP 104s, which are some of the heaviest tanks around. That’s a big wing and it adds a fair amount of drag, so I wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary.

So find out what others in your area are using, but I suspect few will be diving heavy steel tanks, so you don’t need the bigger wing.
 
1. Stainless Steel is only about 2 lbs heavier than Al on average, not a huge amount of weight.

My giant Toledo scale in the basement just told me that my AL plate weighs 1.12 lbs and my SS plate weighs 4.14 lbs. ,
which allowed me to move 3 lbs to my hips (in little pouches@ the plate),which, with the 1lb canister, allows me to dive a drysuit/double fleece/hood without floaty feet (in fresh water). I like it fine.

If I ever dive in salt water again, all I have to do is switch to the SS plate.
 
I tried to buy a set of the Deep6 Rocket-style fins and they are out of stock. I ended up with the more buoyant Apeks RK3 (not the "HD" version) in combo with my existing 5mm boots. The Apeks fins did not seem much different in buoyancy than my Hollis F2s. The RK3s are certainly a more precise and powerful fin for me. The Deep6 fins are still a future possibility if a BP/W doesn't trim me out as desired.
What size were you looking for? Deep 6 has large available in blue and orange currently
 
1. Stainless Steel is only about 2 lbs heavier than Al on average, not a huge amount of weight.

Al is "only" a couple of pounds lighter but its density is ~1/3rd of steel's. That makes a difference in the water.
 
You might consider the OMS SmartStream system with their 27lb wing. When you cinch down the waist strap, it cinches down the shoulders. That will be an advantage when you rig the 45 lb Performance Wing donut and dive twinset.

OMS Smartstream Signature Single Wing System

DGX Custom - OMS SmartStream Harness Doubles Package | Dive Gear Express®

Shoulder straps and waist belt should remain independent in order to keep the harness properly adjusted.

I don’t want my shoulder straps changing every time I tighten the waist belt. It would throw off my trim.
 
Hey All,

I want to thank everyone for the input. I learned a thing or two. I did put together and purchase a basic hogartian rig consisting of a basic HOG SS BP & one piece harness, 2x bent Ds (shoulders) and 2x standard Ds (waist), Highland SS tanks straps, a DGX STA, and a Dive Rite donut. In the end, I kludged together a high quality yet basic rig for a good price.

Thanks again.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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