The new Freedom Contour - The Rolex of backplates.

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6'-7"

Where do you feel the plate should sit in relation to (1) base of neck, and (2) top of hips?
At 6'7" you're going to be maxing out the plate. It's 16" tall and you would probably need an inch or more longer to be absolutely ideal.
However, the plate surprisingly does fit a very wide variety of people. I have people from 5'8" to a person my size using the big pattern.
The top of the plate should be just about or slightly below the level of the top of the shoulder blades, and the bottom about to the inner most curve of the lower back.
With you using the big pattern the waist strap will probably be a few inches above the navel, which is OK, it will give you plenty of room for your weightbelt.
I have used the small plate which is about 14" tall and it's small but I can use it. It's not ideal but I can make it work.
 
Hmmm...small plate for travel diving...

I need another BPW setup like I need a hole in my head but I do have a Dive Rite Venture wing just sitting around doing nothing.

Eric, how do I sign up for one of these bad boys?
 
Hmmm...small plate for travel diving...

I need another BPW setup like I need a hole in my head but I do have a Dive Rite Venture wing just sitting around doing nothing.

Eric, how do I sign up for one of these bad boys?
Just keep your eyes peeled and when you see they are ready you can call the number provided or use Paypal.
Or wait till I come down to do some diving in Socal.
 
My new Freedom Contour is supposed to be here tomorrow.:D Come on UPS!

Looking forward to trying it very soon. Have dry suit class checkout dives next weekend. My student has one of the orignals on his rig. But needs a bigger wing with the lp95 singles he just got.
 
Got my new plate strung late this afternoon. Will.post pics tomorrow. Going to try and get it in the water this week. Sweet looking design that is well crafted. Looking forward to this.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2
 
Got my new plate strung late this afternoon. Will.post pics tomorrow. Going to try and get it in the water this week. Sweet looking design that is well crafted. Looking forward to this.

Sent from my DROID X2 using Tapatalk 2

Cool, looking forward to seeing them. Cheers.
 
The one question I was always asked when I showed your demo plate was if there would be a design for doubles with a slot for a V-weight. Any chance of that?
I'm not sure if there would be an advantage to setting up a FP with doubles.
I found with doubles that it's the tanks that pretty much rest where they rest along the sides of your back. The plate is just there to provide something to attach straps to and to line up and hold the wing.
The Freedom Plate, with the way the top narrows down is difficult to set up on doubles, however I have done it. The bottom section, the way it curves around can be adjusted to sit on the tanks. I had to get a long 3/8" s/s carriage bolt and mount the top of the plate so it free floated out in mid air a ways so that the back strap of the plate would contact the back the way it needed to. And then, being that the plate sits flat on your back there is no way to use wing nuts or thumb wheels so I had to use domed carriage bolts and everything had to be bolted from the back. It required getting in there with a ratchet and extension with sockets to assemble/disassemble.
I can see the appeal though for doubles divers with the way the shoulder straps come out of a single point, and the plate following the curve of the back and finally when the straps leave the plate and go over the shoulders how there are no gaps and the transition is seamless. I have proven that this is a superior design characteristic for comfort and ergonomics.

And yeah, sure I could set one up on doubles but at what cost?
And designing and casting a hunk of lead to fit behind the plate all cozy is no problem either, but again, at what cost?
And then if I do that then those people will want some sort of STA for when they use the plate with singles so then I'm designing and fabricating an STA that will follow the shape of the plate and hold a single tank at the correct position. All doable but at what cost?
I ran into this with the vintage guys with their PRAAM's and PDAAM's- (the modified double hose with the LP ports you've probably heard about?).
I bent over backwards to try and build plates that would work for them and wound up going way off into left field for a group that might have a few dozen members. They wound up making a special aluminum flat plate with a big circular cutout at the top and it works. I'm glad for them.
That's something else I need to think about - market base.
Also, since most doubles divers are doing technical diving, and it seems (maybe I'm wrong about this) but it seems to me that most technical diving these days is done by GUE, DIR types, and since my plate is not DIR compliant that market is dead for me anyway.

I'm seeing divers that spend lots of money on some gear, but I found there is a wall that they hit when it comes to spending money on plates. Wings, can lights, scooters, cameras and video, dry suits, no problem... but plates - nope. It leaves me scratching my head because a plate lasts for life, the other stuff doesn't.
The biggest mistake people make is trying to compare the Freedom Plate to other conventional plates, and in doing their comparisons they look at price. But they are apples and oranges, there is no comparison.
 
I'm not sure if there would be an advantage to setting up a FP with doubles…

This is enough reason for me:

…I can see the appeal though for doubles divers with the way the shoulder straps come out of a single point, and the plate following the curve of the back and finally when the straps leave the plate and go over the shoulders how there are no gaps and the transition is seamless. I have proven that this is a superior design characteristic for comfort and ergonomics.

And yeah, sure I could set one up on doubles but at what cost? …

I used a doubles version of the Voit Snug Pack for years and a 70’s era blow-molded back-pack and wing on doubles for even longer after that. I used the latter with an Ad-Pak wing which was made for singles. I felt it press against my back a little when inflated but it was better than the big floppy doubles wing I use on a standard doubles backplate now. I also like being able to tighten shoulder straps by tightening the belly band.

VoitSnugpack.jpgAt-Pac Wing.jpgtmp-26.jpg

I am working on adapting my Freedom Plate to doubles. There is an adapter that that will mount to the bands of all my doubles. The current incarnation used 3/8-UNC carriage bolts like you except the Freedom Plate clamps tight to the adapter instead of being cantaleverd off the bolts (if I understood your description right).

I drilled a second set of holes in my Freedom plate and squared them with a file for the carriage bolt heads. They go through a second set of holes in the adapter plate and secure with a pair of T-handle nuts that stick out the back of the doubles. I probably could use wing nuts with spacers, but don’t especially like them anyway.

I will let you know what I learn but my emphasis is on something that works well without much concern for manufacturability.
 
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