Halycon SS BP + 27lb Wing review

[jepuskar]

Backing up a little.....I received this setup on Thursday night and pretty much didn't mess with it as I saw straps everywhere and me being the kind of guy is challenged by threading his belt thru the loops on my pants...I set it aside.

It is a little intimidating and the Halycon directions/manual could be alot more descriptive, but over Friday and Saturday evenings I got the unit ready to try out on Sunday.....I would like to thank SeaJay for his help with this. It really is pretty simple, but coming from a jacket BC where your biggest adjustment is worrying how tight you want your velcro cumberbund to be....it can be an eye opener.

The setup looks awesome once on...your front is basically bare and you feel free......I have a problem with the lack of places to hook things off too.....I still have the standard PADI primary/octo setup....so I ended up attaching my octo to the D ring closest to my right shoulder....that aint gonna last long, I hated that. I might have to go with the 5' hose and short hose setup (STROKE ALERT), I wouldn't mind this setup though as it would solve the problem.

As far as adjustments go, I really have to attach the BP/Wing pretty high over the tank to keep my head from hitting it underwater, the crotch strap is easily adjustable, and waist strap is also easily adjustable although I always thought my waist was lower then where this comes across my body.

I am using the Halycon ACB+ weight system. I like it soo far, the weight pouches contour to your body which is pretty cool. I think they could of done a better job with the release though...it is a two step process, you cant just pull the weights out..you have to unsnap the buckle and then pull it out.

What I am excited about the most soo far is with the jacket BC I was diving with 17.6 lbs, but with this setup I am diving with 12.6lbs. 6lbs for the BP and 6.6 lbs (3.3 in each pocket)....I was really surprised at the amount of weight I had to take off.

As far as in the water goes.....I was very apparent that this setup will get you horizontal with ease. I positioned my body and just relaxed. My knees bent with legs going up, first I thought I was going to go feet up, but it just stopped and there I was...horizontal. I need to learn to frog kick though, flutter kick with this setup seems like a waste.

Overall I am extremely pleased with this setup, did about 5 dives with it yesterday with no problems. I can understand why people won't dive any other way as this is real simple.

Thanks again SeaJay and Raven!!

Jason

 

[Raven C]

I am so happy for you. Really. Reading your post I smiled until my jaws began to ache. I flashed back to the feeling of excitement that I had the night I first put my rig together. You will appreciate the simplicity of this rig. And, as far as not having a place to hook things, once you get it all together, ie hoses, necklace, lights, necessary accessories, you will find that everything has its place and you won't need extra rings and hooks. And, you will love not having to deal with your secondary hanging off you or dangling in the water.

I am so happy for you. Good luck and I knew you would love it.

 

[jepuskar]

I'll post some pics soon.....I think I have everything pretty much figured out...

I can't wait for my Bonaire trip now.....I'm gonna need like 2 lbs in each weight pocket....that is sweet.

This is gonna sound corny, but I sat down with each of the buckles for the tank cam straps and my waist straps and threaded it like 4 times to make sure I could do it right without staring at it like a deer in headlights....helps you make you look like you know what your doing.

pics soon...I promise.

JAson

 

[Raven C]

I can't wait to see the pics.

I can tell you something that helped me when threading these straps. I practiced it with my eyes closed because I see things backwards lots of time. This helped me to "know" how to do it. That is not to say that sometimes I am looking at it and my eyes get confused and it takes a moment to figure out. LOL

Go get boy. R

 

[HammerNoMore]

jepuskar once bubbled...
I might have to go with the 5' hose and short hose setup (STROKE ALERT), I wouldn't mind this setup though as it would solve the problem.

Try and find some hoses you can borrow before you invest in a 5' hose. I am constantly playing with my hose config and have yet to find something I really like but here are some observations I have made:

I'm 5'10 200lbs and reasonably fit. With a 5 foot hose I have to route it very tight under my arm across and around in order to have enough play to move my head comfortably. It seems cluttered to me and interferes with my backup. The 7' hose is much more comfortable for me, even if I do have to stuff some in my waist band.

For the backup hose, I've tried both a standard length primary hose and a 22" which I currently have on. I hate both equally. The standard length sticks out and is very obtrusive. With the 22" I can't move my head to the left with the reg in my mouth, on the surface. Underwater when I get horizontal it works better but it always seems very restrictive. I'm sure there is a number in the middle that will be perfect but I've spent enough on hoses for the time being.

James

 

[ScottyK]

I guess you found the 27# lift to be plenty. I'm glad you had what sounds like a great first experience with it.

Post some pics when you have it fully accessorized. Where to put things like my backup light were concerns of mine as well.

Good luck with it.......Scott

 

[jepuskar]

I should be getting down to about 50 feet tomorrow or Wednesday with it...so I'll see about the lift then.

I do need to plan out my accessory situation a little more with this. I dont have pockets for anything and I'm afraid to clip something to that darn front D ring...whew, got to be careful with that area.

 

[Raven C]

You could always wear a cup. ROTFL R

 

[jepuskar]

But shopping for a cup for me is like having to go the Big & Tall department stores for those extra large men.

 

[jepuskar]

Where can I buy that neck strap the holds the octo in place beneath my chin? Does EE sell it? Didnt see it on their web site.

thanks,

Jason