Hi All, I currently dive a Poseidon besea w100 and I really don't get on with it so want to move to a 'proper' bp&w setup. I've currently got an Apeks D45 but still need a backplate and harness. I'm always drysuit, don't need to travel abroad with it and I wear faber twin 12's. I normally have 17Kg of lead (I think I'm slightly overweighted but not hugely). I've been advised to get an aluminium backplate because it's light and makes rib diving easier however, I don't really see the disadvantage in going stainless? I had my eye in fact on a heavy 5mm stainless to get rid of some of the lead from my weight harness but apparently, this isn't a good idea? Overall just feeling a bit confused and have been told alu is the way to go and no more than 3mm stainless at most but am failing to see what the disadvantages in moving so weight on to the rig is? I know it will be heavier for rib diving but I'm sure I can deal with it. Also at the moment my feet are a bit negative so surely a decent backplate will go some way to sorting this out. Any advice greatly received, cheers!
17kg seems a lot to me. How do you carry that much currently? Harness? Fwiw, I'd go 3mm steel. You can always add a p or vee weight if you need it. With a 5mm you can't easily take the weight away if it's too heavy. It'd be well worth doing a proper weight check once you have your new setup.
I previously used twin euro 12 and 5kg BP, no issues. No ditchable weight isn’t for everyone but suits me. Main thing is getting your weighting correct.
Yeah I normally just have it in a bowstone harness. I'm definitely doing a weight check when I get all the new gear together. It isn't causing me problems at the moment but it does seem high. Then again the besea is ridiculously padded.
Sounds about right. I used to use a 4kg P-weight with a regular SS backplate when diving salt using the Euro 12s. And I seem to need more weight than some divers. 17kg sounds mental with a twinset.
I dive regularly in NDAC with a euro twinset on a 3mm steel backplate, Otter drysuit and thick arctic undersuit and I don't use any extra weight at all. To be honest, it sounds like you are massively overweighted! Its very common and there are a lot of variables of course, and not something that can be judged on an internet forum! I'd be happy to dive with you at NDAC if you want to come and see what we can sort out.
3mm steel seems like a pretty sensible bet. You could look at thicker steel plates but that decision might end up biting you in the arse. Aluminium would also be ok but a 3mm steel will take 2kg off the belt
If you're using weights, you don't want a lightweight aluminium backplate when a steel one performs two functions: that of a backplate and a weight. 6mm backplates are quite expensive and rarely come up second hand. 3mm steel backplates are the most common -- pay £30-£70 second hand. Logos are an expensive joke; a backplate is just a bent piece of stainless steel with holes in it. Those stupid cut-out ones are pointless too -- marketing tosh. I'm not convinced of the covers on backplates either. Then there's the harness. A simple one-piece harness is great. You don't need all the quick-release bits except for rare special circumstances**. Don't pay more than £50 -- even the avaricious Halcyon harness is £53; most are cheaper. **Once I had an issue getting out of my harness on a RIB which was being blown by a wind and someone had grabbed my valves from the boat. Was hard to get out. TBH I should have taken the harness off before being picked up. I worked out a 'loop and buckle system' but have never used it in anger (posted somewhere on here).
