backplate and wing for GUE courses

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

I'm looking for something for the great lakes that works well with my 8mm Henderson semi-dry and it's tricky to find something with a substantial amount of lift that is also DIR/GUE compliant. I've shopped all around and it sure looks like Halcyon is it- unless I want to go with the DGX package but that's only 30lbs of lift. Halcyon with a stainless backplate and 40lb wing is a grand. That's a lot of cash to put a bubble of air on your back!

It seems like every time I think I've found an alternative like this ZEOS, I then realize that they have plastic buckles in the middle of the webbing. Surely it is cheaper to make those straps continuous than to put the plastic buckles in there- so why doesn't a company like Xdeep offer this option? Is GUE/DIR just such a tiny niche market that it's not on their radar, or it is but it won't sell enough product to make any difference? I was almost ready to pull the trigger when I noticed the buckles.

 

[rongoodman]

I see a 40# Apex wing at DGX for $470, and a 35# DiveRite for $400. A SS plate and one- piece harness and you’re good to go. (I’d just go for the Halcyon though.)

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

I see a 40# Apex wing at DGX for $470, and a 35# DiveRite for $400.

$529 at DGX for the 40 lb wing only- so basically you are at Halcyon prices once you are done putting a kit together.

Looking over the DiveRite packages it looks like a lot of plastic buckles in there.

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

I see a 40# Apex wing at DGX for $470, and a 35# DiveRite for $400. A SS plate and one- piece harness and you’re good to go. (I’d just go for the Halcyon though.)

Is there a harness that has all of the basics like crotch strap with two d-rings and sturdy steel tank bands for a reasonable price? But yeah, noted on Halcyon. I found a dealer that has the full packaged used but in good shape so maybe I just need to do that.

 

[Nemrod]

Not sure you need a 40# wing?

Any premade adjustable harness will be full of plastic Fastex buckles and other nonsense. Just buy some webbing and a few D rings and MTB tube and make your own or get a kit like this for a simple Hogarthian harness:

DGX Gears Harness

Recently updated, the DGX Gears Harness kit includes a lot of quality extras: choice of crotch strap, durable elastic bands, loop adjustment ring and additional webbing slides to support a variety of assembly options, extra buckle for securing light canister or accessory pocket, snap line and...

www.divegearexpress.com

You can add D rings using slides. Or I have sewn them in myself.

 

[inquis]

unless I want to go with the DGX package but that's only 30lbs of lift

That'd be my choice. How negative do you think you'd be if your wing failed?

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

A local shop sized me up- I'm 241 lbs and the guy there teaches DIR courses and dives a lot in the great lakes. They are also a Henderson dealer and he said the 8/7mm Henderson semi-dry suits are tough to sink. He guessed anywhere from 28-30 lbs of lead for me. These are guesses and I will do a proper buoyancy check in a pool once I get all of my cold water gear together- and I'm almost there except the BP/W. But he thought 40lbs was a lot safer bet for me than a 30 lb wing. All this to say, I don't know how negative I will be if my wing failed.

In the tropics I can dive in a rash guard and shorts with my Aqualung ProHD Compact BCD that has 27 lbs of lift and I carry 14 lbs of lead.

 

[sea_ledford]

Remember you don't necessarily need the same amount of lift as the weight you are carrying, just the amount of lift that you'll lose over the dive. So the worst time in a thick wetsuit is at the beginning of the dive when you are at max depth. At that point you have the most weight of gas, and the least lift from your suit.

If you need 14 lbs with no suit (ignoring the buoyancy +/- of the aqualung bc), that weight requirement will be the same at all depths. So if the 28-30 lbs is correct, you need to compensate for about 15 lbs for the suit. A 8/7mm semi dry will lose considerable buoyancy at depth (assuming 130' max), but it won't be zero. So you are probably looking at a max of 12 lbs plus gas weight of 4-6 lbs, so call it 20 lbs of lift in a worse case scenario.

All of that is assuming you are NOT over weighted. Bigger than needed wings do come with considerable downsides. It's never free lift just in case, you have to deal with all that extra space on every dive.

A 30 lb wing should be fine, and would give you plenty of lift to keep your head out of the water at the beginning of the dive too.

 

[tursiops]

OP, what kind/size of tank(s) are you planning to use? This can significantly affect the amount of weight you need to carry.

 

[HamTrainChickenLaser]

OP, what kind/size of tank(s) are you planning to use? This can significantly affect the amount of weight you need to carry.

Well, the dives that I want to do will supply AL80s, but I own HP100s. So yeah- the steel 100s are a lot of negative buoyancy. Super negative at the start of the dive and still somewhat negative at the end.