Getting Started

[Omicron]

You can mix wings/plates.  That's the cool thing about them...they are all pretty much standard sizes.  You just bolt together the pieces you want and "voila".  Just make sure everything fits together before you buy   Shouldn't have any problems though.

[Chris H]

Like Jason stated, you can mix and match plates and wings.  The bolt holes should be 11" on center for all of the major brands.  Dive Rite's  SS plate has a slotted bottom hole so if you aren't exactly 11" on center with your bolts, it will still work.  This isn't an issue with a single tank, only doubles.  The newer plates have slots in them for cam bands so a single tank adapter isn't needed.    I have a Dive Rite plate and a Halcyon wing. 

However, because you don't have either, I think it will be cheaper to buy a complete package from one vendor or the other.    Someday if you move to doubles you can then get a doubles wing from Halcyon, Dive Rite, Oxycheq, or whomever.

[fishchaser]

I was in the same boat as you about 8 months ago regarding buying all the equipment.  Thanks to the help of this board and scubaboard.com, I believe I made out pretty well.

Since I knew I was going to be diving the cold waters of Lake Michigan, plus I didn't want to limit my diving "season" to only a couple warm months, I went with a drysuit.  A quality wetsuit will run you about $600.  My Bare Trilam HD was $1200 including two sets of undies (see divetank.com for good Bare deals).  I thought for $600 more, it was worth it to extend my season, as well as increase the comfort factor.  Also, Bare makes quite a few standard sizes...looks like MLTall might do you (175-200#, 6'0"-6'2").

I also went with a BP/wing right from the start and am happy I did.  I was quite reluctant to do so, as I've never seen one and my LDS doesn't carry them (and of course then shuns them).  I went with a DiveRite Trek at 40# lift.  It seems quite adaquate and not as large as the Rec wing at 51# lift.  I will admit, it doesn't hold you out of the water like a jacket style does, but you get used to it.

I bought my regs/computer on ebay and they are great.  Maybe I was lucky, maybe buying from ebay is a crapshoot.  Overall, I bought the majority of my stuff online to save the money.  I saved over $1000 (>30%) by buying new and/or used online.  I did spend some money at the LDS, but it's difficult to pay $60 locally for something I got shipped to my door for $20 from LeisurePro.  That's $40 I got to spend on something else I needed.

Anyway, good luck and have fun!  This place is an excellent resource!

Chad

[scubert]

you might also want to look at Fred T. backplates (he's on most major national forums)  He makes them himself.  They are very adaptable, with 3 sets of bolt holes to make adjusting your trim very easy by simply moving the whole set of doubles (or single in your case) up or down one setting.  Very handy. 
It costs about the same as most of the others.

[voodooconstant]

Thanks for the input. Where did you get your drysuit? (learned to read) Any favorite on-line shops?

[FreediveWI]

Lots of good info that I don't need to duplicate.

I'll just say that I used a 27# wing for a long time and had no problems diving it with a drysuit and a steel backplate/ steel 104, plus all the other crap you wear for cold water wreck diving- like canister lights, argon bottles, camera(s), ect.

If you have all of your gear balanced out right you don't need huge amounts of lift from you BC and it will trim you out much better in the water. If Halcyon would have made their 18# wing in a donut style I would have bought one of those instead, but since they didn't I jumped up to the 27# wing.

One of the best articles I ever read about BC's was this one:

Jon

[voodooconstant]

the weight thing is going to end up being one of those dive and try things i think.  I'll read that article tonight after work.