Dive Rite: Travel Wings vs. Venture wings?

[beanojones]

Dive Rite: Travel Wings vs. Venture wings?

For diving single tank in tropical waters.

Anyone use both to give some feedback on the functional differences between these? One difference is that the Venture can be used with a backplate. But since I use a TransPac that's a bit of a moot point, for now.

So, thoughts?

 

[mikeguerrero]

The travel wing is pretty robust... My dive partner has the TranspacII with the travel wing... We dive Monterey, CA coast and he uses 7mil wetsuit and dives 20 lbs with a steel 100 HP...

He has no problem getting back up from 97 depth that's are deepest dive... It's a very compact wing so curved into the tank you don't even know its there...

I would highly recommend it for your area, since we are using it in cold water...

He's also 6'0 ft at 240lbs...

MG

 

[halocline]

They can both be used with a backplate. The newer travel wings have grommets, but I use my old one with a backplate all the time. They're both big wings. Way bigger than ideal for single tank use IMO. I guess if you're in cold water and are really weighted down they're okay.

 

[Dive-aholic]

I believe both wings can be used with either a bp or a transpac. The big difference I see between the 2 wings is the lift capacity. The Venture has 45 lbs of lift while the Travel has 30 lbs. For tropical waters, 45 lbs is way too much lift. You're better off getting the Travel wing. It's much more compact and will create less drag. It will probably even give you more lift than you need in the tropics. Another selling point for the Travel wing is its price. You can get one for under $270 here with the diverite coupon code, where the Venture would still run you around $308.

 

[beanojones]

Where do I find that coupon code?

 

[halocline]

The new travel wings are much bigger than 30 lbs lift. The one in the link provided is not a current model. Personally, I would rather have the smaller 30 lb lift, so maybe that's a good one to get. But, it has no grommets, so you'd have to drill some holes in the webbing to attach it to a backplate in the traditional way. It's very easy.

 

[Dive-aholic]

Where do I find that coupon code?

Just type in "diverite" It will give you 15% off any Dive Rite product in the store not already on special.

 

[djanni]

I have the Travel and the Venture wing. Old style - 30# ea.

The shape of the Travel wing is almost square and the Venture in longer, wide at the bottom and narrow at the top.

Because of the shape of the Travel wing, sometimes my regulator hose would scrape across the top corner of the Travel wing. Enough to be annoying. Because of its narrow top that doesn't happen with the Venture wing.

I probably lean toward the Venture wing but only for that reason. For travel, the Travel wing seems to roll up more compactly but really there's little difference.

The Venture wing also comes in blue or red. I went for red. Now I'm color coordinated with my whistle.

 

[donooo]

I know this is a little late, but the older Travel Wing was 30#'s of lift and would only work on the Trans Pac. Earlier this summer they changed it to 40#'s of lift and it would work on a backplate or Trans Pac. Now they have changed it again and it is back to 30#'s and will work on either a Bp or TransPac. So, when shopping e-bay or discounts you need to know which one you are looking at. Usually the old one is specified as 30#'s and for the Trans Pac. Not a lot of the 40's out there. Came to there senses pretty fast.

Dive Rite Express still list the 40. Dive Rite lists it at 30 and Leisure Pro has the old 30.

don O

 

[halocline]

I think you're right, they went back to 30lbs pretty quickly. Dive rite express probably still has some of the 40lb lift wings; I would imagine they'll be putting those on sale at some point.

I did recently buy a 30lb, no grommet travel wing from caveadventurers.com. They gave me a very nice price, far lower than are allowed to advertise. The one I bought has red letters, not the older stretchy material, but the first generation of the newer design. It's a nice wing. Not having the grommets was a plus for me; I'm using the wing on a jet harness flat plate and the wing attaches via the cam straps. There are pairs of cam strap slots in the plate, not just single slots. So the cam strap threads into the outer slot in each pair, then back through the inner slot so that it goes across the plate on the wing side. This part of the cam strap goes over the center piece of webbing on the wing and holds the wing in place.