Diverite XT Travel wing bcd

[Sunshine Diver]

Hi everyone,

Am posting this thread to gather what do you feel or how is your experience with the DiveRite XT travel wings comparing to other bcd ?

I know diverite bcd had been around for quite a long time.

How does it fair with other brands of bcd?

Cheers

 

[tbone1004]

it's quite good, I like them, but think there are better overall options out there. There are some weird design constraints due to the transpac that lead their hard backplate wing usage for single tank to be less ideal than some other brands in my experience. I still own one with a transpac and it is brilliant for that, but I think there are better options out there

 

[docmartin]

Love them. Also own halcyon and DSS. DIve Rite XT is my favorite partly because it is actually the most adaptable design of any wing i.e. goes with any backplate setup incl. Oxycheq ultra lite travel plate. Not sure what design constraints due to transpac tbone is talking about. I don't own transpacs and have never used one.

 

[tbone1004]

Love them. Also own halcyon and DSS. DIve Rite XT is my favorite partly because it is actually the most adaptable design of any wing i.e. goes with any backplate setup incl. Oxycheq ultra lite travel plate. Not sure what design constraints due to transpac tbone is talking about. I don't own transpacs and have never used one.

the dive rite wings all have to have the cross hair center section in order to fit in the transpac. It works fine for doubles with the bolts anyway, but the single wings really need a STA in order to be stable. The crosshair prevents them from putting on any sort of anti-roll mechanism in the center sections, but it makes it as said above, the most versatile single tank wing in terms of which backplates it will fit on. Not sure how beneficial that is in the real world, but it's a thing
OMS Soft STA Stabilizing Adapter
that is enough, but it is still an extra thing to bring with you

 

[Caveeagle]

the dive rite wings all have to have the cross hair center section in order to fit in the transpac. ....

Not entirely true.. I have seen some DR wings with a full fabric center, but I don't they any have the integral tank stabilizer cords.

And.. I have three Trans-pacs with HOG wings on them. I use a set of book-screws to hold it all together, but the HOG 23/32# wings have the holes for the cam bands to fit through. It works just fine.

 

[tbone1004]

Not entirely true.. I have seen some DR wings with a full fabric center, but I don't they any have the integral tank stabilizer cords.

And.. I have three Trans-pacs with HOG wings on them. I use a set of book-screws to hold it all together, but the HOG 23/32# wings have the holes for the cam bands to fit through. It works just fine.

was talking about modern production wings. The full center sections were done primarily on the doubles wings and had cam band slots up until 10-15 years ago IIRC since the cam band integration with the transpac wasn't required.
I don't believe the travel wing was ever made without a crosshair though could be wrong. Mine is probably close to 20 years old and has it.

regarding the transpacs with hog wings. Yes you can put any wing with standard 11" on center holes onto them so long as the cam band slots line up. With the crosshair design the cam band actually holds the wing in itself by going over the crosshair which is a fairly elegant design choice imo so the wing doesn't really move at all and you don't have to worry about book screws getting lost which they are prone to do

 

[docmartin]

I use the dive rite plastic screws to attach the wing to the grommets in the backplate. It helps with keeping everything lined up. Never used a stabilizer for the wing nor do my buddies. Don't notice any annoying roll, movement or such when diving. However, if you were to test stability and do a drop test or such (I think Tobin has a video) the DSS integrated solution can probably not be beat. The soft stabilizer that tbone linked to looks like a practical solution if you feel the need and are willing to deal with an extra piece of gear.

 

[lexvil]

I use XT wings for both cold (35lb) and warm (25lb) water, I like them but it's not like you can tell one brand from the next in use. The lifetime warrantee is great, I guess since I don't know how I would damage it since the "super fabric" seems pretty tough.

I switched from the DSS wing because I don't like the center hose connection on that wing (weather my tank high to help counter heavy leg syndrome) the XTs are nice compact wings.

Testing lift in my pool I came up with 43 lbs on the 35 and 29 on the 25, this was floating them in the water and adding weight until they just start to sink slowly, I assume when mounted to the tank they will easily meet the rated capacity. The DSS LCD 40 had the same 43lb lift. This was done manually inflated.

I did go to an STA on the 35 and like the ease on changing tanks when I have room to lay it down, I can slide the empty out and the full one in in seconds. The 25 I use on a VDH flat plate, no STA needed.