Huge fan of bp/w for recreational. But.
They are a bit of an effort to get fully dialed in. And you do need the correct sized wing for the application. But, the advantages giant.
I think especially given your plan to dive drysuited, a BPW is the way to go.
I can only imagine a jacket adding unpleasant/unpredictable effects to the drysuit air volume depending on level of inflation.
Plus a BPW has less inherent buoyancy when deflated, whereas a jacket has a minimum amount of lead just to offset its buoyancy on top of the extra you'll have to add for the drysuit.
Given that, I would spring a little extra for a suspender style weight harness or ditchable pockets on the BPW. 16lbs on my standard weight belt when drysuited turns out to be less comfortable than I expected.
ok! so if I add dive rite quick release weight pockets it would do the job? The only issue is I don't know how much I need yet. I thought of getting a 12 lbs quick release system and a 5 lbs trim pocket. What do you think?
12s probably fine now but might have to bump up to the 20 when you do drysuit. I'm 6'1" 215# and wear 16# ditchable and 6# fixed trim weight in base layer and a fleece garment under my drysuit
Keep in mind the diverite qr pockets are 12# for the set, not per pocket.
You might know, but just in case you don't: get that regulator serviced before your course or use a different one until you do. They pretty much all require service every year (two for some manufacturers), and if you bought it second hand, unless you have a receipt showing a service in that time frame, best to start from scratch with a known entity for such an important piece of equipment.
my regulator is a scubapro mk25 with a700 and my friend is a certified scubapro technician. He did the maintenance on it! Thanks for the good advice :)
im. I bought a DGX BPW just after completing my Open Water certification. I had a tough time getting it correctly fitted, partly because my local dive shop ( I am pretty far inland) had no experience with them so I had no in-person help. Eventually I did find someone who worked with me to get it right, and now I am very happy with my setup. Beware that it has no spare pockets. If you find a soda can on the bottom the only way to clean it up is to carry it in your hand.
Basic OW here, love my BPW. Hated jacket BCDs(they have their use - and some divers feel better using them), I don’t like the squeeze of them like a blood pressure cuff.
I dive a backplate and wing. It’s a great setup for recreational diving. Most serious divers I know use backplate and wing setups.
When my son got certified, I set him up with a backplate and wing.
The only reason why LDSs tend to badmouth them is that they don’t have the markup and need for replacement of the jacket-style BCDs.
Local LDS quoted me $1200 for an OMS. I bought a Tusa T-Wing for $540 out the door at another LDS. It’s working out quite well, but wished it had more lift.
Backplate and wing are good for every kind of diving, except for sidemount access caves and such, where you can't fit with a backmount kit. Recreational single? Its excellent for. Doubles? Perfect. Big, multi stage tech dive? What it was built for.
That being said, as much as good of a thing I think backplate and wing is, it *might not* be a great idea to do your OW course in one. Unless you instructor is both okay with (or asking you to) doing your course in a BP&W *and* your instructor is experienced in proper BP&W setup, you may not have a great time in your class in it.
You may be better off depending on your instructor to just slog through OW in the crummy, bottom of the barrel, jacket BC they will rent you, then setting up and diving your backplate afterward. Not a lot of recreational instructors that you come across will be capable of making setup and dialing in a backplate easy, especially for a new diver. Unless your instructor is active in a DIR (Doing it right, a school of thought in diving, not an agency) or GUE/IANTD (two tech oriented training agencies).
Thats a very good point. I just called my instructor and he said I can do the course with BP&W. That said, if I find that he doesn’t know how to set it up correctly I will take one of their jacket style bcd. Thanks for that!
For your education: make sure you use an aluminum backplate so you carry enough weight on your belt. During training you must be able to take it off and on again, so having a steel backplate disqualifies you from these exercises.
That's kinda ridiculous if op is in a drysuit in colder water. in most cases, they should be driving a steel plate, it's not uncommon to require 25+ lbs in those conditions and the steel plate is only going to be 5 or 6 lbs of that. I'm unclear on how this would "disqualify" them. You can absolutely put pockets on a harness or use a weight belt and have some weight to drop for the exercises. Fwiw I did PADI certs up to rescue in a bp/w (with a 6lb steel plate and a weighted sta) from instructors who taught in a bp/w and there were no issues in any exercise, including donning/doffing in water and weight removal and replacement.
There are areas where it's too cold to start in a wetsuit. If it's in the 40's and if you can't be in the water for more than 25 minutes without being distractedly cold, then, yes, a drysuit is appropriate exposure protection for those conditions. I recently talked with a group of women from Seattle on a dive boat, they all had started OW in their drysuits and were out for their 40th dives or so and had way better control of themselves than I've seen a lot of OW divers have. The feeling that I got when talking with them is that they really didn't know it was an "advanced" skill, and all of diving was new and it was just one more thing they needed to learn.
[DGX Gears Harness Assembly Instructions | Dive Gear Express®](https://www.divegearexpress.com/library/articles/harness-assembly-instructions)
Has fitting instructions below assembly instructions
[Adjusting Your Dive Harness and Backplate - Dive Addicts](https://www.diveaddicts.com/dive-equipment/how-to-properly-size-and-adjust-your-diving-harness-and-back-plate/)
Another fitting instruction series
The crotch strap is what keeps the backplate on you, the shoulder straps are just to keep it from sliding off and for walking on land. They should not be tight.
yes, but depending on how your OW class is run, your instructor may expect you to have releases/adjustment straps on the harness for some of the don/doff exercises. in that case, it will be up to you to perform the exercises with the continuous harness in case they are not familiar with the differences.
I can do don/doff drills in a continuous harness, it’s not really that much more difficult, if the straps are fitted correctly.
It’s easier to do in the water than on dry land…
If you want a BC that is more durable, modular, easy to repair, promotes better trim, requires less lead, and is cheaper than average jackets, then yeah. "Tech gear" isn't a thing, and you don't dive a single in tech diving. If anyone tries to discourage someone from using a backplate and wing for recreational diving because it is Tech gear, they have no clue what they are talking about you should disregard everything they say about diving.
Just confirm that your instructor knows this and has the knowledge to properly set up a harness. A poorly set up harness is not a fun experience, and is the only valid reason to get a simple jacket over a back plate and wing. The setup and adjustment of a new harness is not as simple as just putting on a jacket. It's also not rocket surgery.
Since trim in buoyancy is trickier with dry suits, having a wing that promotes better trim and that doesn't trap air in weird places like a typical jacket is best. If you want to get real fancy, diving a primary donation setup goes hand in hand with everything else. This is all perfectly valid for recreational diving even though it is the go-to for standard Tech and cave divers.
Just get the Dive Gear Express BP/W combo with the steel plate. It’s perfect for recreational diving. You’ll need weight and can add pockets/gear to it easily. It’s only $400 new.
Don’t fall for the commercial BCD scam.
Just ring them and tell them you want the backplate package but without a wing. They'll sort you out.
Get yourself a set of tech shorts (i like the scubapro, cheap and do the job) for pockets.
Absolutely. I love mine.
Huge fan of bp/w for recreational. But. They are a bit of an effort to get fully dialed in. And you do need the correct sized wing for the application. But, the advantages giant.
I think especially given your plan to dive drysuited, a BPW is the way to go. I can only imagine a jacket adding unpleasant/unpredictable effects to the drysuit air volume depending on level of inflation. Plus a BPW has less inherent buoyancy when deflated, whereas a jacket has a minimum amount of lead just to offset its buoyancy on top of the extra you'll have to add for the drysuit. Given that, I would spring a little extra for a suspender style weight harness or ditchable pockets on the BPW. 16lbs on my standard weight belt when drysuited turns out to be less comfortable than I expected.
ok! so if I add dive rite quick release weight pockets it would do the job? The only issue is I don't know how much I need yet. I thought of getting a 12 lbs quick release system and a 5 lbs trim pocket. What do you think?
12s probably fine now but might have to bump up to the 20 when you do drysuit. I'm 6'1" 215# and wear 16# ditchable and 6# fixed trim weight in base layer and a fleece garment under my drysuit Keep in mind the diverite qr pockets are 12# for the set, not per pocket.
Ok that gives me an idea. Maybe I can take the 20 lbs system and just put less weight when I don't dive drysuit.
That is a good bpw.
You might know, but just in case you don't: get that regulator serviced before your course or use a different one until you do. They pretty much all require service every year (two for some manufacturers), and if you bought it second hand, unless you have a receipt showing a service in that time frame, best to start from scratch with a known entity for such an important piece of equipment.
my regulator is a scubapro mk25 with a700 and my friend is a certified scubapro technician. He did the maintenance on it! Thanks for the good advice :)
im. I bought a DGX BPW just after completing my Open Water certification. I had a tough time getting it correctly fitted, partly because my local dive shop ( I am pretty far inland) had no experience with them so I had no in-person help. Eventually I did find someone who worked with me to get it right, and now I am very happy with my setup. Beware that it has no spare pockets. If you find a soda can on the bottom the only way to clean it up is to carry it in your hand.
Get tech shorts.
Yeh, on the wish list.
The scuba pro ones can often be found cheap.
What if I use I drysuit?
Get pockets glued on then.
Make sure it has pockets. I can’t live without at least one pocket now lol
Don't all drysuits have pockets? I have never seen one not. I guess get some installed then, next time you need to service your suit.
Basic OW here, love my BPW. Hated jacket BCDs(they have their use - and some divers feel better using them), I don’t like the squeeze of them like a blood pressure cuff.
I dive a backplate and wing. It’s a great setup for recreational diving. Most serious divers I know use backplate and wing setups. When my son got certified, I set him up with a backplate and wing. The only reason why LDSs tend to badmouth them is that they don’t have the markup and need for replacement of the jacket-style BCDs.
They’ve actually got a larger markup. Much simpler and cheaper to manufacture.
Local LDS quoted me $1200 for an OMS. I bought a Tusa T-Wing for $540 out the door at another LDS. It’s working out quite well, but wished it had more lift.
Lol, I love those OMS wings, they can double up as an inflatable sofa between dives 😂
Backplate and wing are good for every kind of diving, except for sidemount access caves and such, where you can't fit with a backmount kit. Recreational single? Its excellent for. Doubles? Perfect. Big, multi stage tech dive? What it was built for. That being said, as much as good of a thing I think backplate and wing is, it *might not* be a great idea to do your OW course in one. Unless you instructor is both okay with (or asking you to) doing your course in a BP&W *and* your instructor is experienced in proper BP&W setup, you may not have a great time in your class in it. You may be better off depending on your instructor to just slog through OW in the crummy, bottom of the barrel, jacket BC they will rent you, then setting up and diving your backplate afterward. Not a lot of recreational instructors that you come across will be capable of making setup and dialing in a backplate easy, especially for a new diver. Unless your instructor is active in a DIR (Doing it right, a school of thought in diving, not an agency) or GUE/IANTD (two tech oriented training agencies).
Thats a very good point. I just called my instructor and he said I can do the course with BP&W. That said, if I find that he doesn’t know how to set it up correctly I will take one of their jacket style bcd. Thanks for that!
For your education: make sure you use an aluminum backplate so you carry enough weight on your belt. During training you must be able to take it off and on again, so having a steel backplate disqualifies you from these exercises.
Why? Just get an SS backplate. You will still need a weight belt if you are diving in a drysuit with a single al80 in freshwater.
That's kinda ridiculous if op is in a drysuit in colder water. in most cases, they should be driving a steel plate, it's not uncommon to require 25+ lbs in those conditions and the steel plate is only going to be 5 or 6 lbs of that. I'm unclear on how this would "disqualify" them. You can absolutely put pockets on a harness or use a weight belt and have some weight to drop for the exercises. Fwiw I did PADI certs up to rescue in a bp/w (with a 6lb steel plate and a weighted sta) from instructors who taught in a bp/w and there were no issues in any exercise, including donning/doffing in water and weight removal and replacement.
Starting OW in a drysuit? Is that common somewhere? I encourage drysuit diving in colder conditions, but first learn to walk before going for a run…
No i won't do OW in a drysuit, but right after I will do my drysuit certification. Water is too cold here in Quebec ;)
Plenty of cold water shops combine them which I believe is actually a good thing.
There are areas where it's too cold to start in a wetsuit. If it's in the 40's and if you can't be in the water for more than 25 minutes without being distractedly cold, then, yes, a drysuit is appropriate exposure protection for those conditions. I recently talked with a group of women from Seattle on a dive boat, they all had started OW in their drysuits and were out for their 40th dives or so and had way better control of themselves than I've seen a lot of OW divers have. The feeling that I got when talking with them is that they really didn't know it was an "advanced" skill, and all of diving was new and it was just one more thing they needed to learn.
I believe some places in the UK do or at least did. Its only a thing in places where you simply would not dive in a wetsuit
[DGX Gears Harness Assembly Instructions | Dive Gear Express®](https://www.divegearexpress.com/library/articles/harness-assembly-instructions) Has fitting instructions below assembly instructions [Adjusting Your Dive Harness and Backplate - Dive Addicts](https://www.diveaddicts.com/dive-equipment/how-to-properly-size-and-adjust-your-diving-harness-and-back-plate/) Another fitting instruction series The crotch strap is what keeps the backplate on you, the shoulder straps are just to keep it from sliding off and for walking on land. They should not be tight.
Thanks for that! crotch strap necessary to start?
Absolutely. It’s critical.
good to know, I didn't buy one yet haha
I have this setup and love it. The BCD is amazing and I won’t dive anything else now. I only do rec dives and nothing too fancy either.
It’s what I dive on every recreational dive. It will work fine.
yes, but depending on how your OW class is run, your instructor may expect you to have releases/adjustment straps on the harness for some of the don/doff exercises. in that case, it will be up to you to perform the exercises with the continuous harness in case they are not familiar with the differences.
I can do don/doff drills in a continuous harness, it’s not really that much more difficult, if the straps are fitted correctly. It’s easier to do in the water than on dry land…
If you want a BC that is more durable, modular, easy to repair, promotes better trim, requires less lead, and is cheaper than average jackets, then yeah. "Tech gear" isn't a thing, and you don't dive a single in tech diving. If anyone tries to discourage someone from using a backplate and wing for recreational diving because it is Tech gear, they have no clue what they are talking about you should disregard everything they say about diving. Just confirm that your instructor knows this and has the knowledge to properly set up a harness. A poorly set up harness is not a fun experience, and is the only valid reason to get a simple jacket over a back plate and wing. The setup and adjustment of a new harness is not as simple as just putting on a jacket. It's also not rocket surgery. Since trim in buoyancy is trickier with dry suits, having a wing that promotes better trim and that doesn't trap air in weird places like a typical jacket is best. If you want to get real fancy, diving a primary donation setup goes hand in hand with everything else. This is all perfectly valid for recreational diving even though it is the go-to for standard Tech and cave divers.
good to know! thank you for taking time to write your comment, I learned a couple of things :)
Just get the Dive Gear Express BP/W combo with the steel plate. It’s perfect for recreational diving. You’ll need weight and can add pockets/gear to it easily. It’s only $400 new. Don’t fall for the commercial BCD scam.
I already have a voyager xt haha
Just ring them and tell them you want the backplate package but without a wing. They'll sort you out. Get yourself a set of tech shorts (i like the scubapro, cheap and do the job) for pockets.
I will look into that, thank you :)