Single rig help

[VWGuam]

I currently dive with a SP Nighthawk but have decided to switch to a BP/W.
I am 5'9", 180lbs.
I Currently dive exclusively in tropical water, 82F at depth, with just shorts and a rash guard.
When I travel I'll sometimes use a full 3mm.
I will be movong to San Diego in about a year and will most likely purchase a drysuit.

I was thinking plastic backplate with 30 wing and Hog harness. Switch to SS plate when I get to San Diego. Any recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[Green_Manelishi]

I currently dive with a SP Nighthawk but have decided to switch to a BP/W.
I am 5'9", 180lbs.
I Currently dive exclusively in tropical water, 82F at depth, with just shorts and a rash guard.
When I travel I'll sometimes use a full 3mm.
I will be movong to San Diego in about a year and will most likely purchase a drysuit.

I was thinking plastic backplate with 30 wing and Hog harness. Switch to SS plate when I get to San Diego. Any recommendations?

Thanks!

Buy the plate that is most comfortable for you to use. Some have a different angle, etc. I own and use OMS and Fred T plates and adapters that I mix/match with wings from AUL, DSS, "The Big H", and Oxycheq. If I needed another plate I'd take a long, lustful look at DSS plates and buy a DSS LCD30 (which is the DSS wing I own; it is very robust and works well).

 

[TSandM]

If you're okay with buying a second plate, that's a fine strategy, assuming you need little or no weight with your current setup.

Up until recently, I dove a SS backplate in warm water with a 3 mil suit, and put two pounds on the cambands, and that worked. The advantage of the SS plate is that, when you go to San Diego, if you need a bunch of ballast, you can buy Tobin's weight plates and bolt them onto the BP. You can't do that with the Kydex plate.

 

[VWGuam]

Thanks!
I plan on going with DSS. Figured this was the right forum to post for specific DSS advice.
I am looking at your specific setup. Medium DSS plate and LCD 30 wing with hog harness.
My only concern is transition from the tropical diving I currently do to diving in San Diego which is where I'll be in about a year.
I dive AL80 or AL100 and currently have no tech aspirations.
Again, thanks for the advice!

 

[cool_hardware52]

Thanks!
I plan on going with DSS. Figured this was the right forum to post for specific DSS advice.
I am looking at your specific setup. Medium DSS plate and LCD 30 wing with hog harness.
My only concern is transition from the tropical diving I currently do to diving in San Diego which is where I'll be in about a year.
I dive AL80 or AL100 and currently have no tech aspirations.
Again, thanks for the advice!

VW,

If you used buoyanct AL80 exclusively I'd suggest a SS plate, even for tropical. With a Tank that's +4 empty you need some ballast. A SS plate, minimal exposure suit and AL80'sa pretty common setup.

With the C100 and a 6 lbs SS plate and harness you are potentially overweighted. If you use C100 frequently a Kydex plate maybe a good idea.

With no suit, a SS plate and a Al80 you could easily use a 17 lbs wing. With the C100 and Kydex plate you could also use a a 17 lbs wing.

To select the smallest practical wing for colder water (San Diego) I'd need to know the buoyancy of that exposure suit. Without that info I'd be guessing. No doubt a SS plate and maybe weightplates are useful for you cold water application.

If we guess now about your cold water suit's buoyancy, the safest thing is to guess on the high side. That's not a huge deal for the cold water application, say you really could use a 26, but select a 30 instead. The real issue is your current application, a 30 could be 2x what you need now.

You might want to consider getting a SS plate and small wing now(stick to the AL80's) and then get an appropriate wing for San Diego after you determine your cold water suit's buoyancy.


More questons? Let me know.


Tobin