Dive Rite Trans Pack harness & Air Cells??

[iainwilliams]

Hello,

I am debating a BCD upgrade and am seriously looking at the Dive Rite transpac harness and rec / trek wings.

Any comments on these items from owners - are you all happy? How do you find the comfort and bouyancy control of the harness and wings in comparison to a standard style BCD? Do the wings fold up along side the tank causing problems when inflated?

One thing I did NOT like was the method of dumping air - that is lifting your arm with the inflator above your head. I think the relief valve on the right hand shoulder is a better idea - but I guess this is personal preference.

Appreciate any feedback - thanks...................Iain

 

[hex92]

I have a Tranpac II with the Rec wing and I am very happy with it. I have ~75 dives logged with it and it is a great BC IMHO. Its very comfortable and I like all the D-rings for attaching all my crap to.

As for the bouyancy I'll just say this. After I bought the TP I went to the local quarry to check it out. I descended to one of the platforms and decided to get nuetral. Two quick squirts of air and I was nuetral. I was instantly happy with my purchase.

I agree with you on the pull dump. Having the only real pull dump on the bottom right of the wing is asinine. I have only used that dump for getting water out of my wing when cleaning it. But you can pull on the inflator hose to dump air from the shoulder instead of raising the inflator over your head.

BTW: You don't have to worry about the wing folding up along the tanks. The Rec wing has a integrated bungy to limit the size of the wing.

HTH

 

[iainwilliams]

I have a Tranpac II with the Rec wing and I am very happy with it. I have ~75 dives logged with it and it is a great BC IMHO. Its very comfortable and I like all the D-rings for attaching all my crap to.

As for the bouyancy I'll just say this. After I bought the TP I went to the local quarry to check it out. I descended to one of the platforms and decided to get nuetral. Two quick squirts of air and I was nuetral. I was instantly happy with my purchase.

I agree with you on the pull dump. Having the only real pull dump on the bottom right of the wing is asinine. I have only used that dump for getting water out of my wing when cleaning it. But you can pull on the inflator hose to dump air from the shoulder instead of raising the inflator over your head.

BTW: You don't have to worry about the wing folding up along the tanks. The Rec wing has a integrated bungy to limit the size of the wing.

HTH

Hex 92 - thanks for your fast mail! I've only seen a photo on the brochure and website and did not realise you could dump air by pulling the inflator hose, rather than lifting the damn thing above your head! I guess you could modify with another dump valve on the left shoulder.

How do you find the comfort of the harness? Better than a jacket style BCD? Cheers........Iain

 

[h2whoa]

I owned a TPII w/Rec Wing and used it for singles and then briefly for doubles. Found that the soft harness wasn't very stable for doubles and the rec wing wasn't ideal for doubles either. That said the TPII harness is very comfortable and one of the best bcd's out there aside from a Zeagle.

Never been to your neck of the woods but the Rec Wing may be a bit overkill in terms of lift, if I was in your shoes I would consider the Venture. I think its the best wing in the DR lineup for singles only. The reason for this is that it is continuous and is less condusive to trapping air. I have a O shape wing for singles and love it and believe that is better than a rec wing for singles.

 

[5615mike]

TP is a great rig. Use the Trek for singles and light AL80 doubles. Great open water as well as technical rig. Packs well if you travel. I have never found the air dumping problem you describe. Get the crotch strap, you'll be glad you did. I have several different types of weight pockets depending on amount of weight I need. The DR pocket is great for tables and wetnotes or similar.

 

[RICHinNC]

I got the TransPlate with the TP harness. Go to www.northeastscubasupply.com and check out their $449 package deal. It is hard to beat. I got it and its the best thing
I have done equipment wise in a long time. The bouyancy is phenominal. I have been using a SQ PRO QD and it is a solid bcd but now I understand all the hype and fanaticism about a bp and wing.

I dont have any problems with the REC wing. Being bungeed...it collapses pretty well.

 

[chrisc]

I have a TP2 and both Rec and Trek wings and love it. I also purchased a Rec2Tec from WWW.ABYSS.BIZ for $50.00 and it's just as good as the TransPac and about $300 cheaper! Needless to say I bought 2. The store should be opening up tommorrow for a 1 day sale. It has some cool features that the TP doesn't have.

Chris

 

[Kim]

I have it with the rec-wings - I love it. One thing - I found I needed to get the crotch-strap as well as the tank had a tendancy to move up my back and I got the first stage in the back of my neck!

 

[ba_hiker]

I've had one for almost...maybe three years and love it. Have rec winds and travel wings, and prefer the rec wings. Use it for singles, sometimes biggish. Plenty of lift. Have the integrated weights and a couple of pockets, which I hardly ever use. Love the rings, but it took a while to find a good setup. Still playing with it.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

I have a Rec wing. It works well with a single tank with minimal tacoing and no problems with air trapping if the gusset control cord (bungee) is snugged up.

The Rec wing also works well with doubles with one qualification. With a backplate, a tank larger in diameter than about 6.75" causes a small problem as the wing gets pressed between the tank and the backplate and limits the ability of the wing to expand and consequently limits the lift available. But it's got lots of lift already so it's a small matter.

With a TP II this would not be an issue at all, but then it is also less stable compared to a backplate so there is a trade off for that few pounds of extra lift. The classic wing is a little wider in the horseshoe as is, I am pretty sure, the Trek wing which puts the bulk of the aircell a little farther out and avoids the backplate/tank clearance problem of the somewhat narrower Rec wing.

The shoulder dump incorporated into base of the inflator hose is controversial. It does make dumping easier when you are vertical in the water but if you pull too hard you can break it off and that means you will lose all lift from the wing. You could plan on ascending on your left side to trap 1/2 the air or in a more or less inverted position to trap most of the air in the wing but neither appraoch is real practical.

I will use the left shoulder pull dump when initially submerging, but the rest of the dive is done in a horizontal position and in that position the rear dump is actually MUCH easier to use as you do not have to change position in the water to dump air from the wing, using the rear dump both encourages and rewards a more streamlined swimming position.