25lb 32lb or 38lb wing for 7mm wetsuit w/ L85 tanks + 20lbs of lead.

[05TurboS2K]

25lb 32lb or 38lb wing for: 7mm wetsuit w/ L85 tank + 20lbs of weight total to get me down though I'll be working this weekend on getting that down a few lbs perhaps if possible to 18lbs. I'm shooting for neutral at 10fsw. I'm using a Hollis SS plate with single piece webbing for a minimalist approach and would like the wing to follow suit.

I'd love to be able to somehow manage the 25lb nice tiny wing but with the J-style Oneil suit which is rather boyant I know it might be too close to the edge. I intend on making sure I can swim my rig up from 80+FSW without ANY BC inflation of course no matter what I go with.

Question is then will the Hollis S-25lb wing do the job or must I got to the 32lb OMS? If even bigger it'll be the Hollis S-38 which I know for a fact is a bit more than I need as I currently use a 41lb and never need anywhere near that thus far.

As it is now I'm leaning towards the 32lbs oms or 38lbs Hollis, frankly I prefer the Hollis shape but wish it was 32lbs like the OMS. If I can get into the Hollis 25lb that would be fantastic.



Thanks for input guys.

-Greg

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I would avoid the 25, too little reserve for an emergency if you have to help a buddy.

 

[buddhasummer]

I know you didn't mention it but have you looked at/considered an Oxycheq Mach V 30lb? It's a very well constructed, low profile wing and will fit the Hollis plate with or without an STA. I looked at a Hollis wing but didn't like the way part of the rear dump valve came into contact with the plate, the wing also doesn't offer the same vertical adjustment on the plate as the Oxycheq. Good luck.

 

[05TurboS2K]

^ Thanks for the heads up, I also really have a problem with the rear dump valve hitting the plate.... what moron designed that setup I wonder. Thanks much!

---------- Post Merged at 01:12 PM ---------- Previous Post was at 01:02 PM ----------

Just found out Hollis revised the plate a year or so ago so it doesn't hit the valve, sadly I bought mine just a few weeks ago and it's the older style from early 2011.

 

[flots am]

You're kind of splitting hairs without enough information. At a minimum, you need to be able to get neutral with full tanks and a fully compressed wetsuit. I don't think anybody can tell you what your wetsuit buoyancy is over the internet. This probably means that one of the wings you're looking at would be OK, but only you can tell which one.

That said, I wouldn't consider an extra 10 or 20 pounds of lift to be a bad thing. It's extremely helpful if you need to assist another diver in an emergency. Knowing you can float their head out of the water while you figure out how to ditch their weights or inflate their BC can be the difference between life and death in some situations.

flots.

 

[05TurboS2K]

Understandable, we're assuming I can swim my rig up in the worst of circumstances, if that's the case then I'm no longer relying on the BC but just making use of it not out of necessity.

Point taken when it comes to helping out a buddy etc. Thx

 

[spectrum]

The counterpoint is that a 30/32 pound wing is very typical for cold water wet and dry single cylinder diving. A bigger wing may be more difficult to vent and offer more swimming resistance.

A wetsuit can only lose so much buoyancy. Real numbers hardly exist but some tests suggest 15 pounds perhaps 20 on a very deep dive for a big new fluffy 7mm with 2X on the core. A 120 CF cylinder has just under 10 pounds of air. That being said 30 pounds will keep most divers off the bottom. On the surface the wetsuit comes back to life and you have 20 pounds out of the water with a still full cylinder Figure 10 to get your head out and do what you want with the rest.

I'm not suggesting what you need but warning you not to simply conclude that bigger is better.

Pete

 

[SangP]

The guys have already raised a lot of very good points.

Redundancy and buddy rescue
Taco and difficulty to vent
Exposure suit considerations.

My take is 32-40 lbs is just about right however, please look out for low profile wings in the larger lift capacities.

A typical wing in a 35lbs range will tend to wrap around the tank due to the width of it however, Oxycheq 40 and DSS 35 torus wings have a profile that is as small or smaller then most other wings.

 

[05TurboS2K]

Last 2 pics summed up my other thoughts as well. Looks like I'm at least considering the right issues. My 41lb wing does taco badly, can't stand it, hard to dump.

 

[ams511]

It would help if you tell us what kind of wing it is. I am getting the impression you are using a small doubles wing for single tank diving which would explain the tacoing of the wing. The narrow wings Sang mentions should not taco, especially the Oxycheq because the material is semi-rigid. Also the difference in these wings is mainly in the length not the width so a 40 should not taco more than a 30.