Hog 23# wing on sale

[stuartv]

So your 23# wing looks smaller than your 30# wing. Did that surprise you by any chance?

As a matter of fact, no, it did not. But, if you read all the other posts, it seems like there are some people who feel like the difference between the two is negligible.

I got to dive my new wing, finally, for 4 dives off the Outer Banks this past weekend. I really like it. I felt like I had the best trim and the best control of my buoyancy that I've had, yet. Of course that could be simply due to my increasing experience and only diving doubles for the previous 7 dives prior to this trip. So, I can't say definitely that it was the wing. But I can say definitively that I really like it and it did work well for me.

 

[eelnoraa]

If I move my tank up from there, I hit the back of my head on the 1st stage reg when I try to look straight ahead.

I think you should revisit the backplate fitting as well. I am 5'6" short torso. I represent the severe case of 1st stage hitting my head if I don't place the plate properly. Even I don't need the tank mounted that low with respect to my wing. In fact, I think it is the wing that needs to be mounted lower.

I know everyone is different, but the wing/tank relative position is very un-usual. I will try to find some picture of my setup. I am too lazy to putting the rig together for a picture. I think my wing sit about 2-3 inches lower compared to your. The elbow will sit below the valve opening, probably level to about the tank neck.

 

[stuartv]

I think you should revisit the backplate fitting as well.

Actually, I already did. Based on input in my other thread from 2 weeks ago about my hard day of diving doubles, I had already adjusted my harness to loosen the shoulder straps and shorten the crotch strap - which lowered my BP on my back. Knowing that it was lower, when I dived with the Hog wing this past weekend, I raised the tank from where it is in these pictures. In use, this past weekend, the tank straps were approximately 2" lower than where they are in these pictures. I did 4 dives, so I had a little opportunity to experiment with the exact placement and about 2" down from the tank shoulder seemed to work well. Straps any lower on the tank and I was hitting my head too easily.

As it is, it worked well for diving in a 3/2 wetsuit, with a single tank. I'm getting in the pool this weekend to work on my dry suit/doubles configuration. For that, I may end up loosening them even more. I'm starting to ponder if I need to get a second BP so I can have one harness adjusted for diving dry and the other for diving wet. Seems like that kind of defeats some of the benefit of using a BP/W setup if I have to have two complete rigs. But I digress....

Thank you to you and all the others whose input continues to help me improve my rig and, thus, my ability to improve on my in-water performance.