Buoyancy Control Devices (BCs) FAQ

None of the soft plate systems we sell have provisions for adding a rigid metal plate, but we wonder "WHY do you want to?" The initial question typically contains an underlying assumption that goes something like "an uncomfortable rigid metal plate is required in order to get the benefits of a backplate and harness system." That is simply not true. A backplate based system always offers benefits of a backplate based system regardless of the backplate material. We've seen hard and soft backplates made out of all sorts of materials, including Delrin, carbon fiber, aluminum, stainless, and flexible semi-rigid materials like Kevlar, injection molded plastic, high denier Cordura, etc.

Some people find rigid metal plates are comfortable, but some divers do not. Metal plates can be comfortable when there is significant padding between the plate and the body, such as dry suit undergarments or 5-7 mm of neoprene. If you find your metal plate is uncomfortable, some brands offer an optional add-on back pad designed for the accessory mounting hole alignments of their plates. However, the best comfort comes from a backplate that can conform to the body, i.e. a 'soft' back plate. There is NO DOWNSIDE to a soft plate because a properly adjusted harness with a soft plate will be just as structurally sound and stable as a rigid metal plate.

In our opinion a typical size metal backplate is suitable for divers with an average build between {5 ft 3 in | 1.6 m} and {6 ft 3 in | 1.9 m} tall. For more information about solutions if you are outside that range, see our tektip Backplates and Your Height

Your choice as a diver is not critical because in-water the total weight difference is typically less than {4 lb}, so frequent flyers often choose aluminum over all other considerations when they want to travel as light as possible. For a more detailed discussion, see our tektip Aluminum vs. Stainless Hardware

About {25 lb | 10 kg} is the lift you need with your buoyancy aircell (called a 'wing') for single tank diving, assuming you are properly weighted with a modern cylinder. Manifolded doubles require about {45 lb | 20 kg} of lift. If you need more lift then you are diving a giant old Heiser/Beauchat cylinder or you are diving steel doubles with several stage bottles, otherwise you probably need to "get the lead out". These are just approximations because the cylinder sizes, types and configurations, not lift capacity, is the best guide to selecting the correct wing. We have more information in our article Suggestions for Selecting a Wing.

NO, using a larger wing with a drysuit may even be counter productive! The wing lift is used only to counteract the weight of the cylinders & valves plus the backplate & harness. Of course most divers will also be carrying additional weight to compensate for the buoyancy of the drysuit, perhaps quite a lot more if wearing thick undergarments for diving in cold water. However, do not plan on using the wing as backup buoyancy in the event of a drysuit flood. Instead, the additional weight to compensate for the drysuit must be configured to be incrementally ditchable in the event of a drysuit failure.

Conversely, while some divers consider the drysuit to theoretically be backup buoyancy in the event of a wing failure, that's not best practice either. In reality, depending on their orientation in respect to the surface, many divers would find they have to so over inflate the drysuit to compensate that they lose mobility in their arms and may feel choked at their neck. For backup buoyancy in the event of a wing failure, we recommend selecting a dual bladder wing design.

Some wings offer the option of a "Remote Exhaust" (aka pull-to-dump) elbow or "Plain" elbow. The remote exhaust convenience feature is present on nearly all recreational sport BCD jackets, the plain elbow is most common on back inflation wings.

For experienced and technical divers, as a result of their often horizontal position in the water, they use the OPV pull at the bottom of the wing to release gas or hold their inflation assembly above the 'bubble' and press the oral inflate button to release gas. Many divers view the remote exhaust feature as an unnecessary feature that is just something that could fail and therefore prefer to use their skills to trade off the questionable convenience for certain reliability by selecting a plain elbow.

The standard corrugated hose on the inflation assembly is usually about 16-inches long. Many technical divers, especially cave divers, prefer a shorter corrugated hose to reduce the "danglies". Some physically very tall or large divers need a longer corrugated hose length and longer corrugated hoses are also usually found on BC integrated alternate second stage regulators.

The simple answer is "probably not". The STA is a product which predates modern backplate and wing designs that include pre-cut slots for cam straps. Using the straps threaded through the backplate snugs the tank and wing up very tight against the backplate and does not allow the tank to rock. Using an STA sets the tank farther away from the backplate and allows the tank to rock slightly by pivoting from side to side on the bolts. For more information read our article Single Tank Mounting with Backplates.

Assembly screws are also called "book screws" or "sex bolts", and are available in both metal and plastic versions. Years ago our suppliers used to include a metal set with their wings and later switched to a plastic set, but have not included either for a long time because assembly screws are often counterproductive.

The plastic assembly screws can be used to attach the wing directly to a hard metal backplate when rigged for a single tank without a single tank adapter. Note that this function is just cosmetic, omitting the assembly screws does not cause a problem. Without the assembly screws, when the BCD is taken off a single tank, the wing will hang loose on the cam straps.

The metal assembly screws can be used to attach accessories to the holes on edges of metal backplates, but in our opinion the plastic ones actually work better. Don't be concerned about the strength of plastic vs metal; the plastic version is plenty strong for these applications plus they are not subject to galvanic action and don't cause wear on materials rubbing against them.

Unfortunately, there is no meaningful number we can use to describe the stiffness of our DGX Gears {2 in | 5 cm} harness webbing. The best answer we can give is that our webbing is what we believe to be the "correct amount" of compromise between flexibility and stiffness for the specific application of SCUBA diving BCD harnesses - stiffer than "seat-belt" webbing but less stiff than "tank-strap" webbing. The webbing may seem a little too stiff at first, but once wet and "broken-in" it will be the correct amount of stiffness to hold a shape and be comfortable.

Both are harness, backplate and wing type systems: The TransPac is a 'soft' plate using a semi rigid high-tech material. The TransPlate is fully rigid metal plate (your choice of aluminum or steel). With a properly adjusted harness, both are equally as stable. We are sometimes asked if the TransPac can have a plate "added"; the answer is no. While other brands do offer "hybrid" systems, because of the nature of the TransPac design combining hard and soft plates together wouldn't produce any benefit. The hybrid systems offered by other brands can best be thought of as a TransPlate with a lumbar backpad option.

We most often recommend the TransPac because it is always more comfortable and form fitting than the TransPlate. Even adding a lumbar backpad to the TransPlate will not make it as comfortable or form-fitting as the TransPac. If you want to add extra weight, choose the stainless steel TransPlate system. Most people diving double cylinders choose the TransPlate. Most people diving single cylinders choose the TransPac. Most people who dive drysuit exclusively choose TransPlate, most people who dive wetsuit exclusively choose TransPac.

The difference is primarily the fabric material of the outer shell and the warranty.

The EXP series wings have an outer fabric shell made of tough 1680 denier ballistic nylon. We stock the EXP wings in the black color, with the single tank wings available in five other colors and the classic doubles wings available in two other colors. EXP series wings feature a one year limited warranty.

The XT series outer fabric shell, built upon the SuperFabric® technology, is outstandingly rugged. Dive Rite's XT Armored wings have the durability of SuperFabric outer side with a 1000 denier Cordura® inner side to create an armor-clad shell that is impervious to damaging pinches, cuts and abrasions. The Dive Rite XT wings are available in solid black color and feature a LIFETIME LIMITED GUARANTEE against punctures and abrasion.

For more information visit Dive Rite Wings Overview.

In April 2019 Mares issued a safety notice for the power inflator assembly on a small lot of Mares XR wings. The inflators were improperly assembled and could potentially come apart during the dive, causing a loss of buoyancy control. The issue has been addressed in all Mares XR factory inventory. Dive Gear Express has never sold the recalled inflator, and none of our current inventory is subject to the recall. If you own a Mares XR wing purchased somewhere other than DGX, see the Mares page below for more information.