Sizing for those changing size?

[bluekieran]

I'm a new diver, freshly qualified and looking at all the lovely gear out there with a view to picking up the items that will make the most difference to my diving experience/hire costs. I'm also dieting, have been for a couple of years and am currently at 250lb (6'1"), with a goal weight somewhere around 185lb.

I've got two diving trips (Sharm and Tenerife) planned for later in the year, and am considering doing a little extra diving locally (UK, which will require a drysuit at least outside of the summer).

I'm holding off busing a wetsuit for now at least until I stop changing size quite so much... but is it possible to pick out a BP/W that will work for me with so many variables?

 

[Hoyden]

That is part of the beauty of a BP/W. Unless you change height you will be fine. The harness is essentially infinitely adjustable. You can always easily make it smaller and in the worst case scenario where you may have over trimmed the harness and need to make it larger, webbing is cheap and readily available.

 

[cool_hardware52]

I'm a new diver, freshly qualified and looking at all the lovely gear out there with a view to picking up the items that will make the most difference to my diving experience/hire costs. I'm also dieting, have been for a couple of years and am currently at 250lb (6'1"), with a goal weight somewhere around 185lb.

I've got two diving trips (Sharm and Tenerife) planned for later in the year, and am considering doing a little extra diving locally (UK, which will require a drysuit at least outside of the summer).

I'm holding off busing a wetsuit for now at least until I stop changing size quite so much... but is it possible to pick out a BP/W that will work for me with so many variables?

Wing selection is largely function of suit buoyancy. Your wing has to be sized for your most buoyant suit. If you want only one wing then it has the potential to be much larger than required for your warm water diving.

Tobin

 

[bluekieran]

Is an oversized wing problematic, or just more expensive?

 

[scc135]

An overly large wing makes it harder to control the "bubble" which controls your trim. If it's a 55 lb wing and you only need 5 lbs of lift, imagine all of the air in the right side of the wing, and think of all the extra work it would take to move over to the left side.

 

[TSandM]

I think what Tobin is saying is that there is a bigger contribution of water temperature and exposure protection to the parameters of a backplate system, than there is from diver size.

As already stated, a one-piece harness is infinitely adjustable, especially downwards (there might be situations where weight GAIN would require buying a new length of webbing, but the cost is minimal). No matter how much weight you lose, or whether you go from a thick wetsuit for cold water to a skin for warm, you'll be able to set the harness so that the gear is stable on your back.

But the lift requirements for cold water diving and warm water are different. Someone diving in very warm water, wearing nothing but a bathing suit or skin, will only need enough lift to compensate for the gas they are going to use, or to float their rig -- a very small wing will do this (and they are a delight to dive!). Diving in cold water, you have the buoyancy of your exposure protection that you can lose, and with a couple of layers of thick neoprene, or a dry suit, that can be substantial. Where a 17 lb wing will do in the tropics, a 30 or 35 pound wing may be required for a single tank diver in cold water.

But that doesn't mean you absolutely HAVE to buy two different wings. A lot of us have used cold water wings in the tropics -- they're not ideal, but they generally won't cause problems. That's unlike the difference between single and double tank wings, which really WON'T work in both applications.

So you can start by buying a plate and wing that will work for you in cold water, and use that setup for all your diving. When you realize you are hopelessly hooked, and want the best for every application, you can buy a second wing for the tropics, and enjoy feeling as though you don't even have to THINK about venting!

 

[bluekieran]

Ta, that's very helpful. I'll have to think about what to go for first. Is there a reasonably-priced DSS vendor in the UK?

 

[bluekieran]

Or if there isn't a UK supplier, is getting it shipped over feasible?

 

[cool_hardware52]

Or if there isn't a UK supplier, is getting it shipped over feasible?

We ship worldwide.

Tobin