Good article Gabriele,
I played with the idea of
minimising kit and maximise options. I used a CD backplate as it has all the required cam band slots pre-formed and configured a lot like OC diving.
Having the cylinder valves up one can use normal scuba regs (rather than carrying them extra in case the Rebreather goes wrong) and leave the (heavy) manifold at home. This also enables good trim (heavy valves = no extra weight on top) and the unit can sit on the cylinders (no base = less bulk to pack). This made it flexible and lighter still.
If the Rebreather failed to work then the scrubber, loop and lungs could be removed in favour of larger cylinders for OC diving - the basic kit stayed the same. It's quite fun but... maybe I should get out more?
Cheers
Paul