Got my "new" BP/Wing wet today...
It was only in my pool due to bad weather and the lack of a proper config to use it in real water (short version - my current BC has an Air2, and I have the wrong inflater coupler of course on that reg set and no octo....) - but it was, to put it mildly, interesting.
I got the BP/Wing off a former Halcyon dealer who had some "slightly used" sets in his own inventory, and was selling them. The particular set I bought was a 36lb Pioneer wing, SS plate and an OMS STA with double cam bands. (Yes, I know its more than I probably "need" with a single AL80, but its not much if any bigger than the 27...)
My "regular" BC is a Nighthawk with WI, just to provide some background... I've been comfortable in it, but darn is that thing heavy with the WI in - it just FEELS heavy out of the water. The tank is also pretty far back, which makes for some interesting leverage issues when you're standing on a rocking boat deck...
After playing with the harness to get the length right, and loading a bottle of gas in there and attaching my reg, in the pool I went.
(Had to inflate the wing orally - heh heh, it can be done and reasonably easily too
)
First impressions....
On land it was MUCH easier to walk around with it on and a tank loaded than the Nighthawk. I was doing it today with a swimsuit and T-shirt; I normally dive a 3/2 here in Destin, so I'll have more "protection" on the shoulders. While the webbing does "cut" into you more than the Nighthawk's straps, that might have something to do with the webbing not having 1/2" of padding in there and the Nighthawk does!
The BP/wing totally disappears underwater. Nothing on the front of your body at all, which is nice. Its just as easy to doff and don as a "regular" BC, and in fact may be easier, since there's only one buckle to worry about; the toughest part is grabbing the crotch strap between your legs to thread it.
Deflating with the inflator is trivial. On the Nighthawk I usually use one of the pull dumps; they're simpler and more reliable. No problem with the Halcyon - ALL the air comes out without a peep of difficulty.
I'm fairly (4-5 lbs, best guess) negative with a full AL80. In a bathing suit I may need NO ditchable weight at all. In my 3/2 I'll probably need 5-6lbs. That's a HUGE improvement over the 15lbs that I carry with the Nighthawk.
Maneuverability is stunning. Simply stunning. That's the only way I can describe it.
The BP/wing traps no air on the way down. The Nighthawk can and has on me, forcing me to get well under the surface by finning before all the air gets out of the nooks and crannies (after that it's fine.)
The BP/Wing DOES tend to throw you on your face if you inflate it all the way on the surface. The detractors have said this for a long time, and they're right. But so does my Nighthawk. I avoid it on the NH by not inflating it all the way, and swimming on the surface on my back if I want to pull the reg for some reason. The real issue would arise if I was to end up on the surface unconscious - that could be bad. But I believe that same risk exists with ALL BCs to some extent, and DEFINITELY with all back-inflate ones. I can probably mitigate this to a significant extent with the BP/wings by putting my ditchable weight-belt weight on my BACK, counterbalancing the lift and providing a "keel" of sorts - but I doubt I can COMPLETELY get rid of the risk. The wetsuit should help, since its in the front and significantly buoyant as well. Since I like my 3/2 even in the relatively warm water here (low to mid 80s) that's fine.
Will I go "all the way" to DIR? No, and here's why.
I have a regular SPG and computer in a 2-gauge console, and like it that way. I'm going to clip it off on the left D-ring, and MAY put the retractor that I have on my Nighthawk on the Halcyon rig (yet another piece of heresy), depending on whether I can see it clipped off without removing it or not (can't on the Nighthawk) That second piece of instrumentation doesn't work for the DIR crowd, but I spearfish and bug hunt, and having a computer on my wrist is a MAJOR problem (can you spell TRASHED?)
The long hose/short hose/bungied backup thing is another potential issue. I'm not convinced of the value of the "truly long hose" for recreational diving, except for one potential area - the "primary" in a regular config is a bit long in terms of where it goes. It is to your right and above your shoulder - where it can get caught on things. If I run a 5 or 6'er I can run it down the right side, under the pouch (no canister light), back up the chest and around my neck. I THINK this will lead to less "flopping hose" that can be an entanglement risk, but its a bigger PITA on the boat (possibly severely so) I may buy the kit just to try it, and if I decide it bites, well, I can always put it on eBAY
As for the bungied backup, I'm already doing the "give away the primary" thing, since I'm used to the Air2 - so all I'm REALLY doing is moving the backup from the inflator to under my chin. No real difference as far as I can see on that one....
The bottom line? I'm not yet 100% sold, but my first impression was darn nice.....
It was only in my pool due to bad weather and the lack of a proper config to use it in real water (short version - my current BC has an Air2, and I have the wrong inflater coupler of course on that reg set and no octo....) - but it was, to put it mildly, interesting.
I got the BP/Wing off a former Halcyon dealer who had some "slightly used" sets in his own inventory, and was selling them. The particular set I bought was a 36lb Pioneer wing, SS plate and an OMS STA with double cam bands. (Yes, I know its more than I probably "need" with a single AL80, but its not much if any bigger than the 27...)
My "regular" BC is a Nighthawk with WI, just to provide some background... I've been comfortable in it, but darn is that thing heavy with the WI in - it just FEELS heavy out of the water. The tank is also pretty far back, which makes for some interesting leverage issues when you're standing on a rocking boat deck...
After playing with the harness to get the length right, and loading a bottle of gas in there and attaching my reg, in the pool I went.
(Had to inflate the wing orally - heh heh, it can be done and reasonably easily too
)First impressions....
On land it was MUCH easier to walk around with it on and a tank loaded than the Nighthawk. I was doing it today with a swimsuit and T-shirt; I normally dive a 3/2 here in Destin, so I'll have more "protection" on the shoulders. While the webbing does "cut" into you more than the Nighthawk's straps, that might have something to do with the webbing not having 1/2" of padding in there and the Nighthawk does!
The BP/wing totally disappears underwater. Nothing on the front of your body at all, which is nice. Its just as easy to doff and don as a "regular" BC, and in fact may be easier, since there's only one buckle to worry about; the toughest part is grabbing the crotch strap between your legs to thread it.
Deflating with the inflator is trivial. On the Nighthawk I usually use one of the pull dumps; they're simpler and more reliable. No problem with the Halcyon - ALL the air comes out without a peep of difficulty.
I'm fairly (4-5 lbs, best guess) negative with a full AL80. In a bathing suit I may need NO ditchable weight at all. In my 3/2 I'll probably need 5-6lbs. That's a HUGE improvement over the 15lbs that I carry with the Nighthawk.
Maneuverability is stunning. Simply stunning. That's the only way I can describe it.
The BP/wing traps no air on the way down. The Nighthawk can and has on me, forcing me to get well under the surface by finning before all the air gets out of the nooks and crannies (after that it's fine.)
The BP/Wing DOES tend to throw you on your face if you inflate it all the way on the surface. The detractors have said this for a long time, and they're right. But so does my Nighthawk. I avoid it on the NH by not inflating it all the way, and swimming on the surface on my back if I want to pull the reg for some reason. The real issue would arise if I was to end up on the surface unconscious - that could be bad. But I believe that same risk exists with ALL BCs to some extent, and DEFINITELY with all back-inflate ones. I can probably mitigate this to a significant extent with the BP/wings by putting my ditchable weight-belt weight on my BACK, counterbalancing the lift and providing a "keel" of sorts - but I doubt I can COMPLETELY get rid of the risk. The wetsuit should help, since its in the front and significantly buoyant as well. Since I like my 3/2 even in the relatively warm water here (low to mid 80s) that's fine.
Will I go "all the way" to DIR? No, and here's why.
I have a regular SPG and computer in a 2-gauge console, and like it that way. I'm going to clip it off on the left D-ring, and MAY put the retractor that I have on my Nighthawk on the Halcyon rig (yet another piece of heresy), depending on whether I can see it clipped off without removing it or not (can't on the Nighthawk) That second piece of instrumentation doesn't work for the DIR crowd, but I spearfish and bug hunt, and having a computer on my wrist is a MAJOR problem (can you spell TRASHED?)
The long hose/short hose/bungied backup thing is another potential issue. I'm not convinced of the value of the "truly long hose" for recreational diving, except for one potential area - the "primary" in a regular config is a bit long in terms of where it goes. It is to your right and above your shoulder - where it can get caught on things. If I run a 5 or 6'er I can run it down the right side, under the pouch (no canister light), back up the chest and around my neck. I THINK this will lead to less "flopping hose" that can be an entanglement risk, but its a bigger PITA on the boat (possibly severely so) I may buy the kit just to try it, and if I decide it bites, well, I can always put it on eBAY
As for the bungied backup, I'm already doing the "give away the primary" thing, since I'm used to the Air2 - so all I'm REALLY doing is moving the backup from the inflator to under my chin. No real difference as far as I can see on that one....
The bottom line? I'm not yet 100% sold, but my first impression was darn nice.....
