Differences between a backplate and wing (BP/W) and a weight integrated BC
April 11th, 2008 Filed Under Article
Here is an overview of what I like about my backplate and wing (BP/W) over a weight integrated BC. I am a recreational diver, so I do not need the double-carrying abilities.
- The shoulder straps attach to the backplate at the bottom (like a backpack), as opposed to being attached to the cummerbund/waist belt in a weight integrated (WI) BC. This allows a wider range of adjustability since the shoulder straps length can be adjusted without affecting the height or tension of the waist belt that much. With a WI BC, when you tighten the shoulder straps, you are really raising the cummerbund/waist belt higher on you since the shoulder straps have to be attached to the weight integrated belt in order to help hold up the weights. For me, being a tall person, I find this amount of adjustability of the BP/W makes it feel more “in place” on me than a WI BC.
- Because the waist strap of a BP/Wcan stay lower on my body than a WI BC, and because the BP/W waist strap can be not as tight as the cummerbund of a WI BC, to me the BP/W feels less restrictive since I don’t have an elastic band velcro’d around me and constricting my diaphragm when I am trying to inhale.
- In terms of trim in the water, I find that a WI BC positions the weights too far up on my body, sometimes causing floaty feet depending on what exposure suit I am wearing. I prefer to wear a weight belt in order to get the weight lower on me, so for me the WI aspect of a WI BC is pretty much negated. I also prefer to wear a weight belt because I like the idea of being weighted independently of my rig in the event I need to remove and replace it underwater, but that is not something that is particular to a BP/W.
- The addition of a crotch strap makes a big difference. This is part of the equation of not having to have all of the straps really snug like with a WI BC. I recently added a crotch strap to my WI BC and it made a big difference in comfort. If you are concerned about a wedgie, your wetsuit is far more of a wedgie machine than a crotch strap will ever be.
- Having two cam straps to hold the tank at two points makes a difference in terms of keeping the tank from wiggling around. It also helps prevent the tank from slipping out if one of the straps is not as tight as it should be.
- The better WI BCs do have a kind of a backplate in them…it is a plastic plate sandwiched between then material that makes the harness and the bladder material. The backplate of a BP/W is typically larger and, for me, gives more of a solid feeling of the rig on my back in the water.
- A WI BC, because of the amount of plastic used, tends to be positively buoyant by a few pounds or so (varies by BC) in the water. A BP/W, while weighing a similar amount on land, will be anywhere from slightly to 5 pounds negative in the water (depending if the backplate is steel or aluminum/composite. I don’t like having to carry extra lead just to compensate for a floaty WI BC.
- I like the simplified inflate/deflate valve on a BP/W. I think some of the WI BC vendors are actually complicating the BC design by making the inflator buttons more stylish.
- I have found that I do not need all of the extra dump valves found on a WI BC.
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