BC vs Backplate/wing

[Omicron]

I'd lean towards the backplate and wing as well.

The streamlining and lack of junk on them is one of their biggest selling points. It's amazing when you put them on - it doesn't seem like you are wearing all that much at all - nothing but a few strips of webbing along your chest and a belt around your waist. I love that part of them.

They are very, very versatile. I have one of the "one size fits all" type of wings - it was kind of on accident. I had a ScubaPro RecTek bcd, and I took the wing off of that and put it onto a backplate and harness. I use the same wing on my E8-130's as well as my double 104's. Thats one of the great things about the versatility of them - I can dive singles, doubles, my deco bottle, etc, etc - all without really doing any reconfiguration on my bcd.

I find them more comfortable - once you get yourself locked into a backplate, they stay there! They don't move around at all. They seem to me to be more stable underwater as well. They also let you get weight off of your weight belt.

I like them a lot - a lot of people I dive with have been buying backplates instead of another BC as they wear out their old BC's.

As far as where to get one from...

DiveRite is very good and reasonably priced. Halcyon makes good stuff as well, but is a little on the pricier side. OxyCheq makes some good wings and plates that are similar to the Halcyon ones. OMS also makes wings and plates, but their stuff is kind of different. I was also going to mention FredT as well - he's a guy on Scubaboard that makes his own stuff and is very good. If you go the route of the FredT plate, you will just have to buy your harness and wing from somewhere else - it makes it a little bit more of a DIY project then, but it's still very good.

After you decide what brand, then what type! There are typically two different types of harnesses on the backplate - the traditional single piece of 2" nylon webbing, or what a lot of companies call the "deluxe" webbing. It's a matter of preference what you like - I like the simple 2" webbing - it's cheap, it's simple, and it's easy to replace when it wears out. Some like the deluxe webbing because it has extra buckles and such on it to get in and out of the harness. It's a matter of preference really.

Let us know how it goes, and if you've got any more questions!