Highland 20 lb Wing Travel Pkg?

[Brent Bowman]

Hello,

Has anyone had experience with the "Highland 20 lb wing travel package"?

I don't travel much but I really want my gear to be light weight and compact because shore diving on the Big Island usually involves some kind of precarious lava rock adventure to get in and out of the water so the less weight you have to carry the safer it is. I have been using an Aqualung Zuma travel BCD which has been great but it has seen it's better days so it's time to start looking for something new. I mostly use steel HP 100 and a steel HP 117 tank, and I attach a 19 cf pony bottle to an HP100 tank when I dive alone so I think a double tank band and back plate would probably be a good idea since that is probably quite a bit of weight for the single tank band Aqualung Zuma BCD but it seems to handle it all fine. I like the idea of the Highland travel back plate because I think I want the lightest back plate possible because when I use the pony bottle I don't need any weight at all so I think a back plate will probably just add excess weight that I don't need.

I weigh about 180 and usually don't use a BCD much if at all during most dives so do I care if the wing only provides 20 lbs of lift?

Thanks for any input you may be able to provide.

Thanks again,
Brent Bowman

 

[ams511]

I don't have this particular wing but I do have a DSS 20 and 30. To be honest there is really no difference diving them nor packing them for travel. I would recommend a 30lb lift wing.

The aluminum dog bone plate can be purchased separately or you can get something similar from another manufacturer. The dog bone plate will save you about a pound over a regular AL plate.

An HP 117 is an 8" tank, the extra width may restrict the wing somewhat, so you may not get the full 20 lbs of lift.

I suggest using the buoyancy calculator in this forum to see how much lift you need.

 

[Brent Bowman]

Hey, thanks for the response.

I don't have this particular wing but I do have a DSS 20 and 30. To be honest there is really no difference diving them nor packing them for travel. I would recommend a 30lb lift wing.

The aluminum dog bone plate can be purchased separately or you can get something similar from another manufacturer. The dog bone plate will save you about a pound over a regular AL plate.

An HP 117 is an 8" tank, the extra width may restrict the wing somewhat, so you may not get the full 20 lbs of lift.

I suggest using the buoyancy calculator in this forum to see how much lift you need.

Hey thanks for the response, I really appreciate it. I used the buoyancy calculator as you recommended and the quick results suggested that I needed 29 lbs of lift with a HP100 tank so it looks like you were right on with recommending a 30 lb wing.

I have been thinking about it a little bit and since everything is modular in a wing and plate setup I will probably make it into a project and try mixing and matching parts to come up with the light weight setup I want. Do you recommend any particular brands and\or distributors to look at in terms of quality plate/wing components and decent prices? All my major gear experience has been with Aqualung stuff so far but I have a few different things made by XS Scuba and they seem to be pretty well made and reasonably priced so when I saw the Highland travel BCD package it seemed interesting.

Hey thanks again,
Brent Bowman

 

[ams511]

When mixing plates and wings you need to make sure the cam band slots line up properly unless you want to use a STA (single tank adaptor). Some wings have wide slots that can accept most backplates while others have narrow slots which can only accept certain plates.

As far as light weight plates go, your choices are fabric, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber. Ali Express has the best prices on the Ti and CF plates. Especially if you hit one of their sales. Mares, Oxycheq, UTD, and Apeks make fabric plates which is probably the lightest option.

Others may differ but in my opinion, there is not much of a difference between modern backplates as far as diving goes. Some may look cooler than others but underwater you won't know the difference.

For harnesses Mares has a heavy light one-piece harness that uses aluminum sliders and D-rings, although I think the buckle is steel. You can source you own harness with aluminum or titanium hardware but you may need to order from different places and the shipping costs may add up.

Reputable vendors include: Divers Supply, Piranha Dive Mfg., Dive Gear Express, Scuba.com among others.

As a starting point, you can check out the DGX wing and Mares harness from Dive Gear Express and the dog bone plate and plastic cam bands from Piranha. This should give you a fairly light rig.

 

[Brent Bowman]

When mixing plates and wings you need to make sure the cam band slots line up properly unless you want to use a STA (single tank adaptor). Some wings have wide slots that can accept most backplates while others have narrow slots which can only accept certain plates.

As far as light weight plates go, your choices are fabric, aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber. Ali Express has the best prices on the Ti and CF plates. Especially if you hit one of their sales. Mares, Oxycheq, UTD, and Apeks make fabric plates which is probably the lightest option.

Others may differ but in my opinion, there is not much of a difference between modern backplates as far as diving goes. Some may look cooler than others but underwater you won't know the difference.

For harnesses Mares has a heavy light one-piece harness that uses aluminum sliders and D-rings, although I think the buckle is steel. You can source you own harness with aluminum or titanium hardware but you may need to order from different places and the shipping costs may add up.

Reputable vendors include: Divers Supply, Piranha Dive Mfg., Dive Gear Express, Scuba.com among others.

As a starting point, you can check out the DGX wing and Mares harness from Dive Gear Express and the dog bone plate and plastic cam bands from Piranha. This should give you a fairly light rig.

Hey, thanks for all the great info, I sincerely appreciate it. I just need to spend some time and figure out exactly what I want, probably the DGX 30 lb wing it looks like and the Mares "Heavy Light harness looks great except maybe it says Mares on it a bit much but that might be ok.

I have more questions if you don't mind answering a couple more? So how necessary are pads on the shoulder straps and a pad covering the backplate? Are the bare 2" straps sitting on your shoulders ok in terms of being reasonably comfortable and not chewing up the shoulders on your wetsuit? And is the aluminum backplate ok just sitting on your 3 mm wetsuit or would it be worthwhile buying a backplate pad? Any recommendations on what kind of weight pockets would work with such a backplate/wing setup would be appreciated, I'm used to the integrated aqualung quick release weight pockets which sit pretty much on the waist belt I think seem to trim me out great so I like the idea of something similar.

Thanks for all your time, if you get to the Kona side of the Big Island I would be happy to show you a couple of the local shore dives if you are in to that kind of thing.

Thank you,
Brent Bowman

 

[rongoodman]

I wouldn't bother with any padding, either on the straps or plate. I've used my BP/W without issue over a T-shirt and the straps have certainly never caused any wear on a wet suit.

 

[ams511]

Hey, thanks for all the great info, I sincerely appreciate it. I just need to spend some time and figure out exactly what I want, probably the DGX 30 lb wing it looks like and the Mares "Heavy Light harness looks great except maybe it says Mares on it a bit much but that might be ok.

I have more questions if you don't mind answering a couple more? So how necessary are pads on the shoulder straps and a pad covering the backplate? Are the bare 2" straps sitting on your shoulders ok in terms of being reasonably comfortable and not chewing up the shoulders on your wetsuit? And is the aluminum backplate ok just sitting on your 3 mm wetsuit or would it be worthwhile buying a backplate pad? Any recommendations on what kind of weight pockets would work with such a backplate/wing setup would be appreciated, I'm used to the integrated aqualung quick release weight pockets which sit pretty much on the waist belt I think seem to trim me out great so I like the idea of something similar.

Thanks for all your time, if you get to the Kona side of the Big Island I would be happy to show you a couple of the local shore dives if you are in to that kind of thing.

Thank you,
Brent Bowman

The Mares logo is printed on one side of the webbing. If you turn it over when threading it will face the inside and you won't see it. Lake Hickory Scuba has a video assembling it on YouTube. Again the Mares harness was just a suggestion, you could source the individual parts from DGX or Piranha.

Padding on a backplate is personal preference. I do not have a problem with wetsuit damage with or without padding. A backplate pad is nice because you can stuff a SMB or lift bag under it. But it is not necessary. Shoulder pads may be useful if you need to walk far from the parking lot to the dive site.

There are a variety of weight pockets you can use, again DGX, Piranha, and AliExpress sell them. You can also get Aqualung (or Apeks) pockets but they are expensive. I am confused as to why you want weight pockets when you are trying to minimize weight. I thought you were heavy with just the tanks and pony. My advice would be to hold on the weight pockets until you see how you trim with the BP/W. There are also pockets you can use on the tank bands.

I did dive in Oahu early in my diving career. I enjoyed it very much. If I ever get to the Big Island I will let you know.

 

[Nemrod]

The pads on the shoulder straps are a necessity for me. Even in a 3/2 suit if the shoulder harness slips off my shoulder during don or doff then there are ugly bruises on my arms even through the wet suit. And I am healing a cut on my left arms from a vintage diving equipment gathering that the unpadded shoulder nylon harness pinched a huge cut and bruise on my left forearm through my suit.

 

[Brent Bowman]

The Mares logo is printed on one side of the webbing. If you turn it over when threading it will face the inside and you won't see it. Lake Hickory Scuba has a video assembling it on YouTube. Again the Mares harness was just a suggestion, you could source the individual parts from DGX or Piranha.

Padding on a backplate is personal preference. I do not have a problem with wetsuit damage with or without padding. A backplate pad is nice because you can stuff a SMB or lift bag under it. But it is not necessary. Shoulder pads may be useful if you need to walk far from the parking lot to the dive site.

There are a variety of weight pockets you can use, again DGX, Piranha, and AliExpress sell them. You can also get Aqualung (or Apeks) pockets but they are expensive. I am confused as to why you want weight pockets when you are trying to minimize weight. I thought you were heavy with just the tanks and pony. My advice would be to hold on the weight pockets until you see how you trim with the BP/W. There are also pockets you can use on the tank bands.

I did dive in Oahu early in my diving career. I enjoyed it very much. If I ever get to the Big Island I will let you know.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the suggestions and all the great info. I think I will buy the DGx 30 lb wing for sure and probably the Mares lightweight harness, especially since you told me the logo can be turned over, I have been trying to avoid colors on my dive gear since someone told me about all black equipment being required on a paid shark dive they did somewhere, not sure if sharks are really attracted to colors but I don't want the tiger sharks around here being any more inquisitive than they already are. I haven't decided which lightweight travel back plate to buy , but am thinking maybe the highland travel back plate because they make a really nice looking pad for it so I can buy it if the small backplate is uncomfortable, or just buy it up front, I like the idea of the pocket, and I think I will buy the Highland shoulder strap pads for about $15, that probably won't break the bank.

I need weight pockets, probably about 90% of the time I dive with friends and use a HP steel 100 or 117 and use about 6 lbs of weight which is a little more than I need but you want to be able to stay under the waves in the shallow water when you are swimming back in with an empty tank. I don't use any weight when I dive by myself with the pony bottle but I did a solo dive today and when I was swimming back in with about 400 psi I was thinking that the extra pound from the back plate might be a good thing because I felt a little floaty with no lead.

Thanks again, I really appreciate you guys giving me your time.