Another BP/W convert

[halocline]

hmmm... interesting thoughts on the 5' vs 7'... i think we're average height (5'10" and 5'11"), slim built... should the 5' be good for my height?

I'm a couple of inches shorter, medium build, and 5 ft works fine for me. I do have a 1st stage with a turret and end port, so that adds a couple inches. Taping together hoses and trying it on land won't tell you much; you need to dive with the set up to know. The easiest way to get the best length is to buy a hose coupler for a few bucks, and experiment with coupling together hoses of different lengths. I suspect that 5'6" would be a popular size for larger folks for whom the 5 ft hose is too short. How high you mount the tank is another factor. For example, you could easily find a 36" and 28" hose, couple them together, and end up with just under 5'6".

Eventually there will be stock hoses at 5', 5'6", 6', etc... but for now, once you find the right length you can order a custom length hose. It won't be too expensive. Or you can live on the edge and just use the two hoses together. It does add 2 o-rings, whoop-de-do.

 

[rhwestfall]

It does add 2 o-rings, whoop-de-do.

you are going to......

 

[ams511]

I've got a 32# Apeks wing that seems waaay to big for my needs.

There is something weird about the Apeks WTX3 wing. It is so much bigger than other wings in 30 lb lift category that I wonder what its true lift is. Either Apeks is understating or other manufacturers are overstating lift. Compared to a Halcyon or a DSS 30 the wing seems enormous.

 

[cb5150]

cb5150- Sorry to hear. I get that some people have preferences and/or bad shoulders but far too often I hear people be told to go down the KISS route and they end up getting detoured. Sorry you'll have to sell/buy to get back on track.

As for the 32lb, unless you need to sell it to sell the other harness, you are probably fine with it. That's not massive compared to some.

Thanks CHRPAI, I always seem to get good advice from you. The wing just seems so HUGE compared to what I see other folks using for their warm water set-up. The shop actually tried to sell me a 40+# wing. I told them I was not using doubles, not a tech diver, and only use my 5mm maybe once or twice a year. basically I'm a warm water weenie...but it is absolutely mind blowing how much I enjoy the BPW and how my trim seemed to instantly improve.

I will never go back to a regular BCD. I have been assimilated.

 

[ams511]

I'm only 5'8" tall, and I've never heard of someone of my modest stature feeling that a 5-foot hose is too short. I can't imagine myself using a 7-foot hose for purely recreational diving.

Height is one factor in hose length, girth is another. If you are wide up top you could require a longer hose. Another issue is hose routing. If your hoses route straight down you can get by with a shorter hose. If your hoses route out to the side or up slightly you will need a longer hose. For example routing the long hose from the bottom port of a MK-25 requires less hose length than an Apeks FST where the hose needs to make a bend before going down.

 

[rhwestfall]

thats why (along with "streamlining") I have first stage swivels on my MK-17s......

 

[chrpai]

Thanks CHRPAI, I always seem to get good advice from you.

Thanks, I try to help. IMO, if you live in Carlton Woods or something and money is no object then sure buy another smaller wing. But if you are more like me (I lived in Alden Bridge) then a 32lb should do. Sure it could be smaller, more streamlined more "perfect" but it's not an obscene taco wing by any stretch.

 

[ams511]

thats why (along with "streamlining") I have first stage swivels on my MK-17s......

Using a swivel is one way to resolve the problem however some people dislike it because of the addition of a "failure point". Especially one behind your back.

Another way is to angle the stage so that some ports point down. On the downward facing ports you have your long hose and SPG. On the upward facing ports you have the short hose and the BC inflator hose. I dove with a guy doing this with a MK16 and it was very streamlined.

 

[rhwestfall]

Using a swivel is one way to resolve the problem however some people dislike it because of the addition of a "failure point". Especially one behind your back.

Another way is to angle the stage so that some ports point down. On the downward facing ports you have your long hose and SPG. On the upward facing ports you have the short hose and the BC inflator hose. I dove with a guy doing this with a MK16 and it was very streamlined.

Its a "push" offset by those with a turret swivel on their first stage....

 

[ams511]

Thanks, I try to help. IMO, if you live in Carlton Woods or something and money is no object then sure buy another smaller wing. But if you are more like me (I lived in Alden Bridge) then a 32lb should do. Sure it could be smaller, more streamlined more "perfect" but it's not an obscene taco wing by any stretch.

As I mentioned previously, the Apeks wing is rather large for its stated lift. If you compare it against a Halycon you would swear the Apeks has at least 10 lbs more lift not 2. I think he is seeing divers using a 30 lb wing and is thinking it is a 20 lb. Part of the problem may be that the Apeks wing has a strap on the bottom that restricts inflation but allows air to flow. This may be why the wing is so much larger than its competitors. There is very little lift on the bottom of the wing.