Best Wing? or my first experience with Transpac

[robinzon]

Hey all,

Recently finally decided to get rid of my ol trusty Seaquest Pro Qd (which was way too large on me anyway) for a Dive Rite Transpac 2.... got one off of ebay used.. at any rate, did not change much on it (had older quick release pockets - PITA!!! and REC WING). At any rate, took it on couple of dives in the Carribean...

First, yes indeed the BC is more streamlined/lighter then the Sequest... BUT...
I felt that its still a bit unstable in the water and the older weight pockets are a PITA becuase the upper zipper is not porected by anything and so when I was getting onto the boat I lost a weight because a zipper was semiopen and I had one leg overboard leaning...

Second, the REC WING seems to me to be "flapping in the wind" quite a bit... the gas is very poorly distributed where its mostly at the lower tips of the wings, there is a lot of flappiness and gas going whichever way... I usually don't put much air in the BC, but do give a shot or two when I get down for better stability/level. Anyone has any recommendations on a wing to use?

I took a look at the Oxycheq Mach V, seems quite good... any other thoughts? What about Dive Rite Travel or Trek? though right now I seem to want to stay away from their wings... (BTW the DUMP valves are horrible on the Rec Wing IMO... it was hard to reach and with only a bottom valve that's not too many options)...

of course I will have to get the DiveRite 16 or 32 wieght pockets, though I think their weight pockets are sort of crappy but I would like to keep everything one brand not too mix, also what kind of Bellows/belt pocket would you recommend (I got the Dive Rtie mask pockets, its ok feels cheesy)

Thanks

 

[olmic]

You should add Deep Sea Supply (DSS) as a poll option...

 

[MSilvia]

the REC WING seems to me to be "flapping in the wind" quite a bit... the gas is very poorly distributed where its mostly at the lower tips of the wings, there is a lot of flappiness and gas going whichever way... I usually don't put much air in the BC, but do give a shot or two when I get down for better stability/level. Anyone has any recommendations on a wing to use?

I took a look at the Oxycheq Mach V, seems quite good... any other thoughts? What about Dive Rite Travel or Trek? though right now I seem to want to stay away from their wings... (BTW the DUMP valves are horrible on the Rec Wing IMO... it was hard to reach and with only a bottom valve that's not too many options)...

I'm right there with you... not a fan of the RecWing. Basicly I think if you get something in the 30# range, it'll be a much better size for single tanks than that 50-something pound RecWing. I currently have two wings, an OxyCheq for doubles, and a Halcyon for singles. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend either.

 

[Teamcasa]

DSS

Dave

 

[David P]

First, yes indeed the BC is more streamlined/lighter then the Sequest... BUT...
I felt that its still a bit unstable in the water...
Second, the REC WING seems to me to be "flapping in the wind" quite a bit... the gas is very poorly distributed where its mostly at the lower tips of the wings, there is a lot of flappiness and gas going whichever way...

Well the Rec wing is ~50lbs of lift. Thats a hell of a lot of wing for diving a single, especially somewhere tropical with not much other gear or big weight belt... you can tighten up the gusset control, and try to keep it under wraps but I think it suboptimal (I dove this wing and a single for quite a while)

(BTW the DUMP valves are horrible on the Rec Wing IMO... it was hard to reach and with only a bottom valve that's not too many options)...

how many dumps do you want? You have the inflator hose for when your at the surface, and the butt dump when your horizontal in the water, some of their wings came with the pull dump crap, but those are just such a bad idea....

of course I will have to get the DiveRite 16 or 32 wieght pockets, though I think their weight pockets are sort of crappy but I would like to keep everything one brand not too mix,

I cant say much about the weight pockets, I'm not a big fan of quick ditch pockets...

also what kind of Bellows/belt pocket would you recommend (I got the Dive Rtie mask pockets, its ok feels cheesy)

Thanks

DR makes a real nice bellows pocket that hooks to your waist belt, and has 2 elastic straps around your thigh (the pocket is nice, but not a big fan of how it is worn...) I think your best option would be to get a pocket attached to you exposure suit.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I'm a huge fan of Oxycheq myself, I use their wings on all my plates. If you're on a budget look at the razor line, which for a single walled wing is terrific.
If you want something beefier look at the signature series with the zip in bladder or the new Mach V wing, also with a zip in bladder but very narrow and high performance.
I'm going to be putting the Mach V on my new Freedom II that's coming out and it should be the fastest rig out there.

Eric
www.pacificcoastmarine.net

 

[*Floater*]

First, yes indeed the BC is more streamlined/lighter then the Sequest... BUT... I felt that its still a bit unstable in the water and the older weight pockets are a PITA becuase the upper zipper is not porected by anything and so when I was getting onto the boat I lost a weight because a zipper was semiopen and I had one leg overboard leaning...

I haven't used the transpac or rec wing, so take this with a grain of salt, but I've seen people say that a blackplate can add stability (not sure if true), and it would at least take some of that weight off those pockets.

Second, the REC WING seems to me to be "flapping in the wind" quite a bit... the gas is very poorly distributed where its mostly at the lower tips of the wings, there is a lot of flappiness and gas going whichever way... I usually don't put much air in the BC, but do give a shot or two when I get down for better stability/level. Anyone has any recommendations on a wing to use?

You could probably get away with a small ~18# lift wing for warm water diving. 30# is more versatile since it's enough (for most people) even with large tanks and thick wetsuits (colder water). the ~50# rec wing has that much lift because it's also meant to work with doubles. When diving singles you might want to tighten the hell out of the bungees - again I haven't used a bungee wing, but if I did, then that's what I would try to make it "smaller."

I took a look at the Oxycheq Mach V, seems quite good... any other thoughts? What about Dive Rite Travel or Trek? though right now I seem to want to stay away from their wings... (BTW the DUMP valves are horrible on the Rec Wing IMO... it was hard to reach and with only a bottom valve that's not too many options)...

of course I will have to get the DiveRite 16 or 32 wieght pockets, though I think their weight pockets are sort of crappy but I would like to keep everything one brand not too mix, also what kind of Bellows/belt pocket would you recommend (I got the Dive Rtie mask pockets, its ok feels cheesy)

Thanks

The Mach V looks like a great wing. It's a donut which I like (rec wing is a horseshoe) and super narrow which makes shifting gas inside it easier because it wraps less around the tank.

Currently I use the Oxycheq Razor wings for single tank diving and Halcyon Evolve 40 for doubles. I wouldn't hesitate recommending either. The Razors only have one layer or bag as opposed to the exterior shell, interior bladder design of the Mach V, so they are not as rugged, but the single layer design has some other advantages. If Oxycheq updated the design to incorporate the narrow center-panel layout of the Mach V, then it would be the perfect wing imo.

 

[TSandM]

You don't give us any information about where you are diving, and that makes a difference (not in brand, but certainly in size of wing).

My husband and I have DSS wings. I have the horseshoe, and he has the torus. Quality control from DSS is excellent and customer service is fantastic. (Tobin made a long-term customer out of me by refusing to sell a singles rig to a friend I had sent to him . . . UNTIL she gave him the information he needed to make sure she was buying the RIGHT setup.)

I have no idea why you have a problem with mixing brands. My wing is DSS, my plate is Oxycheq, and my weight belt is XS Scuba, and I've never noticed them having any problems getting along . . .

 

[PhilEllis]

Hey all,

Recently finally decided to get rid of my ol trusty Seaquest Pro Qd (which was way too large on me anyway) for a Dive Rite Transpac 2.... got one off of ebay used.. at any rate, did not change much on it (had older quick release pockets - PITA!!! and REC WING). At any rate, took it on couple of dives in the Carribean...

First, yes indeed the BC is more streamlined/lighter then the Sequest... BUT...
I felt that its still a bit unstable in the water and the older weight pockets are a PITA becuase the upper zipper is not porected by anything and so when I was getting onto the boat I lost a weight because a zipper was semiopen and I had one leg overboard leaning...

Second, the REC WING seems to me to be "flapping in the wind" quite a bit... the gas is very poorly distributed where its mostly at the lower tips of the wings, there is a lot of flappiness and gas going whichever way... I usually don't put much air in the BC, but do give a shot or two when I get down for better stability/level. Anyone has any recommendations on a wing to use?

I took a look at the Oxycheq Mach V, seems quite good... any other thoughts? What about Dive Rite Travel or Trek? though right now I seem to want to stay away from their wings... (BTW the DUMP valves are horrible on the Rec Wing IMO... it was hard to reach and with only a bottom valve that's not too many options)...

of course I will have to get the DiveRite 16 or 32 wieght pockets, though I think their weight pockets are sort of crappy but I would like to keep everything one brand not too mix, also what kind of Bellows/belt pocket would you recommend (I got the Dive Rtie mask pockets, its ok feels cheesy)

Thanks

Switching to a harness style BC from a jacket does take a little bit of adjustment. Tens of thousands of divers dive the Dive Rite Transpac everyday and find it to be an absolutely wonderful system. I would suggest that you go into your local Dive Rite dealer and get them to help you with the setup and adjustments necessary to use this system. They can also help you make the transition from diving with an air bag to diving with a horseshoe wing. If you find a good dealer, they should be more than willing to help, regardless of where you purchased the BC. After all, if they help you, you will buy more stuff from them! Thanks.

Phil Ellis

 

[ae3753]

I took a look at the Oxycheq Mach V, seems quite good... any other thoughts? What about Dive Rite Travel or Trek? though right now I seem to want to stay away from their wings...

Since you're diving a TransPac, it's important to note that the OxyCheq Mach V requires a single tank adapter. It does not have slots for cam bands.

The Travel wing is very nice if it meets your lift needs. It's compact and vents easily.

(BTW the DUMP valves are horrible on the Rec Wing IMO... it was hard to reach and with only a bottom valve that's not too many options)...

Most of the wings you're looking at only has one dump valve at the bottom of the wing.