DIR compliant BP/W

[talon4477]

If possible, I would like to compile a list of the Brands of BP/W's that are DIR compliant.
This would help me to then research all of those available, to help in my decision.

I'm assuming Halcyon, OMS, DiveRite are, what about Zeagle etc....

I know its alot to ask, but would be very helpful in my research, to have this from you guys/gals that already know.

Thanks.............

 

[Vayu]

I am going to take a shot at this:

One piece harness made of webbing, looped through a backplate. No padding required.

5 steel D-rings.

One steel buckle on the waste.

No additional buckles.

No bungee on the wing.

No toggle on the dump valve, which is located on the bottom left.

Most backplates and wings work. Some companies make some that work and some that don't. With these requirements in mind brands that you may find exceptional include:


Agir
Deep Sea Supply
DIR Zone
Dive Rite
Golem
Halycon
Oxycheq


-V

 

[talon4477]

Thanks -V

What about weights?

 

[Vayu]

Most people wear a standard weight belt. A steel backplate will take approximately 5 - 8 lbs off your belt. An AL plate will take less off because the metal is not as heavy. Both are compliant.

A single tank adapter will remove more weight and can add stability. Some companies have additional weight systems like pouches attached to the cam bands or removable weight plates. You can also get a backplate that is heavier or a heavy weight STA.

You should be neutral with a near empty tank regardless of the method you choose.

-V

 

[jonnythan]

Lots of backplates, and any standard webbing-only harness is DIR.

However, not many wings are DIR without major modification. Many wings need pull dumps removed, inflator hoses shortened, bottom dump ball removed, etc etc.

I'd suggest that, in general, people worry less about which wing is specifically DIR (especially for singles wings), but focus most on which wing is most applicable to their diving.

 

[cbfin]

Kidspot has a great comparison chart that he put together for most major BP and wing manufacturers and models.

http://www.kidspot.org/personal/scuba/bpwing.html

He is a member of this board and has obviously already done a lot of research so you can probably PM him with specific questions. You may want to check out another recent thread at http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=128808 discussing heavy plates. Search around and you'll find others discussing wings.

In reference to DiveRite, I had a DR RecWing that I used for Fundies. Most of the things Jonnythan mentioned were pointed out to me as "things I may want to consider changing" by my instructor. I have since replaced the pull dump with a plain elbow, swapped out a shorter corrugated hose, shorter LP hose, and removed the bungee system on the wing. I now only use it with doubles. It was cheaper for me than a new wing but if you know you are looking for a DIR compatible wing off-the-bat, I'd stay clear of DiveRite. Their backpate, however, works fine.

 

[headhunter]

It was cheaper for me than a new wing but if you know you are looking for a DIR compatible wing off-the-bat, I'd stay clear of DiveRite.

I just wanted to point out that you can get wings from DiveRite that are already set up to be DIR compliant. It's just the Rec Wing with its bungie system that less than optimal at that point.

By the way, I own the Rec Wing and will also be making modifications to it and relegating it to doubles use as a result of taking DIR-F. Down the road, I'll probably replace it for doubles as well, since I think I can get a better wing for that purpose.

Christian

 

[kidspot]

I changed three things on my DR Venture wings - Shorter corrugated hose, pull dump elbow replaced with 90* elbow and cutting off the ball on the lower dump valve. It cost about $30 to do it "aftermarket" - took about 10 minutes... Easy enough to do, and if you order from diveriteexpress they will make the changes for you at no extra cost...

I assume you could make the same changes to most wings as well.

Aloha, Tim

P.S. The wing chart mentioned above does show if the wing has a pulldump or not, but it does not list the length of the corrugated hose...

 

[diverryan]

A buddy and I both have Hammerhead plates and love them. I have the stainless steel one and could not be more pleased.

www.hammerheadscuba.com

 

[fasorud]

I changed three things on my DR Venture wings - Shorter corrugated hose, pull dump elbow replaced with 90* elbow and cutting off the ball on the lower dump valve. It cost about $30 to do it "aftermarket" - took about 10 minutes... Easy enough to do, and if you order from diveriteexpress they will make the changes for you at no extra cost...

Where did you get the shorter hose and pull dump elbow from?

EDIT: Nevermind...ryan and I ordered from diveriteexpress.com