ScoobieDooo once bubbled...
Seriously, I DIVE cold water up here in NYS and drag along an AL40. Maybe its a mental 'thing' but I just can't get past the idea that 36# is enough lift...
I'd hate to buy a 36# wing, find out its not, and to the tune of $200-300 later...have to buy another wing. Heck, even most jakcet and back inflation BC's sport at least 40#.
I understand what you're saying. However, its a nonissue.
I dive in New England, mostly off the coast of RI and the north shore of Massachusetts. Its just as cold up here as it is in the Sound.
Before I got my doubles, I'd usually rig up with an HP120 and a steel 46 slung as a stage for deco.
I never had any problem staying on the surface. I've never needed more lift than I could get out of the wing. In fact, I've got a batwing that I use for the Carribean. 18 lbs of lift down there is plenty.
The fact that most BC's have 40+ lbs of lift doesn't bother me. Some of them also have 14 D-Rings and more disconnects than the phone company. I don't want those other "features", so I don't see that lift is a major issue either. Besides, bigger bladders and more padding increase drag. You've probably seen a difference between BC's and your OMS.
-hh: I must agree with Bwerb. Changing from singles to doubles takes about 10 minutes, including putting the wing and cam bands in their storage location. Going from doubles to singles is a little more time consuming because the bands are a pain to thread. It might take 15 minutes.
Taking care of the equipment is a non issue. After I've been diving my doubles, I disassemble the BP and Wing, remove the bag, rinse everthing and put them out to dry. I hose the tanks and regs and refill the argon bottle. Later, I reassemble the entire rig, fold the wings over the front and secure them. My regs, argon bottle, backup lights, blade and lift bag are all assembled and ready to go. It cuts way down on the contents of my dive bag.