Hi Everybody,
I`m looking for buying a new wing OMEGA Zone 2. Has anybody tryed it?
I am now on my second set up. The first was a Dive Rite Transpac + Venture Wing. So, a harness with soft plate and separate wing. Frankly, I loved it, it was much better than the jacket BCs I'd tried.
I'm now diving a standard stainless steel back plate with minimalist harness. Do I regret the TransPac? Not too much. I am still using the wing, so that's a positive for having a standard harness that accepts standard wings.
But that being said, going to a back plate means easier trim and it is much more customizable. With the ZOne II you can slip a back plate into it, but in that case why do you need the zone II? With a standard plate, you can go minimalist (3 d-rings) or go wild (as many as you can afford). You can go 2 inch webbing, or you can add padding.
Also, the TransPac I purchased uses a lot of plastic clips. I don't want to trust my life to them. I doubt they would break in the water, but funny things can happen on a dive boat when heavy tanks are rolling around. One crack in a buckle or something and I could find my harness trying to float away when I'm on The Tiller at 110'.
So what am I saying? First, while I am not an expert, I would go for a setup that includes a harness and wing that are separate pieces attached using the standard setup, not a combo unit. Second, I now prefer the back plate and stainless steel hardware for the reasons I mentioned, but I can understand someone being happy with a softer setup like a TransPac + separate wing. Third, one plus two equals three, meaning I would avoid a one-piece setup where you can't switch out the wing and harness as needed.
p.s. If you want a used TransPac with twenty-five dives on it... just kidding ;-)
p.p.s. Sorry to go on like this, but I just had a terrific mug of coffee. I am suspicious about something: On the internet, I saw a page bragging that you could dive doubles with the Zone II. If that is true, I wonder whether there is too much inflation for singles. Again, I am not an expert, but most of the wisdom rolling around seems to suggest that it is better to have a wing sized for the specific diving you are doing: 30-40 pounds for singles, more for doubles, tons for doubles with stage and deco bottles. Just wondering about whether there is too much buoyancy on this rig...