The scuba wing and backplate are separate components. The buoyancy compensator attaches both pieces to the buoyancy compensator. This creates positive buoyancy at the surface and neutral buoyancy under water. Backplate and wing are modular systems, with each component separable from the other. These systems are an excellent choice for divers who aren’t sure what type to buy. Below are the pros and cons for each.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel back plate and wings are available with or without a harness. 316 stainless-steel is used for the backplate and wings and is highly resistant to saltwater. It is cut with a CNC machine and polished manually to avoid sharp edges that can prematurely wear the strap. You can use them with either a single-air tank system or dual-air tank systems. You can remove the stainless steel wings and backplate for easy storage.
Backplates made from stainless steel are much heavier than those made of aluminium. Stainless Steel backplates are ideal for colder climates where they will decrease the weight that you'll be carrying during your dive. Unlike lead pieces, stainless steel backplates are easy to adjust to fit most dive tanks. To help you determine the right weight for you, a Halcyon Dealer will provide weighting advice. This backplate is also more durable, so it doesn't require as frequent replacement.
Plastic
Even though the buoyancy of plastic back plate or wing is negative it can still be beneficial for weight replacement. Jacket BCDs come with pockets and weight integration. These ancillary features are not available for the backplate or wing system. These parts are also available separately. We will be discussing the pros and cons for each. It is important to choose the right back plate for you.
Softpack harness
There are different types of harnesses for back plate and wings. The most popular are wing BCDs (backplates) and wing plates. They contain all the essential components like a harness, backplate and wing. The user can customize the harness by adding a variety of adjustable features. Softpack BCDs, which are lightweight and flexible, are great for technical divers.
The downside of steel backplate harnesses is their lack of adaptability. The harness is not meant to be used on single tanks. It can only be used on double tanks with permanent banding. The steel harness, while the most rigid, is also very cumbersome and difficult to use during travel. This steel harness can only be used with double tanks. The steel backplate is also not recommended for use on the land. You can attach adapters to make it compatible with single tanks. However, this is not recommended.