I have a DiveRite Rec XT BC5300 that is brand new. This is DiveRite's 45lb wing with dual bladders, & dual inflator hoses that is their hybrid wing (meaning you can use it for a single tank, or for doubles). I know having a never used wing sounds excessive, but what had happened was...I bought its predecessor for a series of classes where I used doubles, and at the end of the class I noticed a defect in the original wing. So in DiveRite fashion, they replaced the defective wing with a brand new one. And there it has sat in my scuba closet with me thinking every now and then "I really need to sell that".
My normal setup uses their Voyager wing, which is single bladder, single inflator and is a 35 lb wing.
Virtually all of my diving is in Cozumel (no wetsuit), with either my son as my buddy, or me having an insta-buddy when he can't join, or sometimes me just staying very close to the dive guide and the group, and I am finding myself wanting for some redundancy. I do have a 19 cuft pony.
In the fall of 2025, I will be diving for 7 days on a Galapagos liveaboard (7mm wetsuit) without my son as my buddy. I am trying to be like the proverbial Boy Scout and be prepared for reasonable contingencies and this brings me to my question.
I am thinking of switching from the Voyager to the Rec XT as my primary setup. This would give me some redundancy while diving in Cozumel, since my most trusted buddy (son) is not always with me, and would also do the same while in the Galapagos. I know the size of the Rec XT wing would be a detractor, but can y'all think of any other compelling reasons not to make the switch?
My normal setup uses their Voyager wing, which is single bladder, single inflator and is a 35 lb wing.
Virtually all of my diving is in Cozumel (no wetsuit), with either my son as my buddy, or me having an insta-buddy when he can't join, or sometimes me just staying very close to the dive guide and the group, and I am finding myself wanting for some redundancy. I do have a 19 cuft pony.
In the fall of 2025, I will be diving for 7 days on a Galapagos liveaboard (7mm wetsuit) without my son as my buddy. I am trying to be like the proverbial Boy Scout and be prepared for reasonable contingencies and this brings me to my question.
I am thinking of switching from the Voyager to the Rec XT as my primary setup. This would give me some redundancy while diving in Cozumel, since my most trusted buddy (son) is not always with me, and would also do the same while in the Galapagos. I know the size of the Rec XT wing would be a detractor, but can y'all think of any other compelling reasons not to make the switch?
