Why is a back plate& wing better

[sparkyjames]

I dive in the North west.
I like the so cold colder waters we have here in WA and OR.
I like my wet suite and have no plans of going to a dry suite soon.

I have been thinking of going to a Back Plate and Wing
Along with the longer hose.
I have not as yet had the chance to take a DIR class but I promise it is on my to do list .

I hope some time this summer.

But as a PADI diver with no wish to do DEEP ( Below 130fsw )
IU wonder would a Back Plate and Wing Realy be a good thing to add to my diving?

and what is the advantages over the Jacket style.

I mean no disrespect to you DIR guys
but the hole idea od going that deep to me is NUTS!!!!

But I do relise your way of thinking is a great way to look at diving.
If you have a problem you should be able to fix it with little or no help from a dive buddy.
Thhis takes planning Traineing and more planning then just to be safe add some more Traineing and a little planning.

a question I have as a diver that wil not be going deep
( below 130 fsw ) or doing any penatration dives.

Would I realy need to have a 7 foot hose for my primary ?
I know most of these questions will be coverd in a class.

But I am thinking about buying the Back Plate and Wing soon
And will be going with a single tank for now.
I dive a E-119
and find this is more the enough air for my dives.

Thanks for letting me rant on I did not mean to.

Sparkyjames.

 

[ams511]

Sparky, before you take the course you may want to get their book. I am not a DIR diver but have read the book. You seem to have quite a few misconceptions about what DIR is. BTW, backplates are more more reliable and streamlined than B.C.'s and you can also shift some weight off your belt and onto your back. However, with and E-119 I am not sure if this is much of an issue for you.

 

[sparkyjames]

ams511:

This is what I was wondering As I use a 6.5 mil wetsuite and with my E19 and jacket style BCD i still only need 26lbs to get under, and trim is not that big of a isue for me

I find more then any thing the jacket BCD just seems to be in my way when the bletters are inflated.

SparkyJames.

 

[Quarrior]

ams511:
I find more then any thing the jacket BCD just seems to be in my way when the bletters are inflated.

SparkyJames.

I think you just answered your own question. Back inflate does not get in your way when inflated. It also doesn't get loose while swimming and deflated.

Remember, while you're on the surface your BC is inflated and you deflate it when you want to go down. So, now it's loose. Next comes the compression of the neoprene. Now your BC is even looser. So, a BP&W won't have the intial looseness and very little will change when you get deeper and the neoprene compresses.

Brian

 

[jagfish]

As I use a 6.5 mil wetsuite and with my E19 and jacket style BCD i still only need 26lbs to get under.

Unless you are a rather naturally bouyant person, 26 pounds sounds like a lot of weight to me. I am pretty floaty myself, and only use 20 lbs with 6.5 and an AL80 in seawater. If you have not had the chance to do a proper bouyancy checkk, you might be pleasantly surprised to find that you can drop more weight...or maybe not. Forgive the suggestion if you have done so already.

JAG

 

[jonnythan]

BP: Need less lead. More stable on your back. More streamlined. Stronger. Less prone to failure. More comfortable underwater. Less tank movement. Promotes good trim. Only non-steel part easily replaceable for virtually no cost. Infinitely adjustable.

Long hose: Greater freedom of head movement. Better control of OOA situations. More reliable deployment. Ensures your buddy gets a working reg. Keeps backup out of the way. Promotes better maintenance of backup. More streamlined.

BTW, DIR has nothing at all to do with going deep.

 

[maccajim]

Another misconception about Bp wings is that they are dearer than a jacket i have found a lot of the time you can get harness bp + wings way cheaper than say a transpac or zeagle type jacket, and the best thing is you can then use it for single doubles what ever you may end up doing later, so it saves you money by not having to have 2 jackets with different lift capacity.

That does sound like a lot of weight you can buy a ss bp and take 6lb or 3kg off your weight belt straight away. Also with the small surface and drag of the wings( i have eclipse) i took another 6lb from what i was diving with hire jackets a year ago, makes for much more comfortable diving especially shore diving!!

One thing though is the harness does take a lot of time to get adjusted right as cant do it while diving, when i first got mine i was shortening the straps after ever dive til now my tank feels like very secure on my back.
good luck with what you decide.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Howdy Sparky ... so you found your way to ScubaBoard ...

You need to park that big rig of yours and head up this way sometime. I should have my doubles rig set up in a few days, then you can try out my singles backplate with your 119 and see how you like it. Trying it out will be all it takes to convince you it's better.

C'mon up here and dive with your ol' buddy ... it's been a while.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[sparkyjames]

Hey BOB;

I know I keep meaning to head up your way but have work to do to the BIG Blue Beast.
ill shoot you a email to fill you in.

But I will take you up on your offer to try your ack Plate and Wing
I have decided to go withthis set up for sure now the question is what one??
and how big a wing does my Fat @SS need.

Sparkyjames

 

[cornfed]

Uncle Pug started a nice tread on a local NW board which you might want to look at. The thread is called Tech diving tactics for Recreational divers. It not only covers BP&Wings but several other "technical" things advocated by DIR. Oh, and the board focuses on people in your backyard!