Need help choosing a donut wing.

[hedgehog47]

got a new apeks 30lb wing for $250

---------- Post added January 21st, 2015 at 11:12 PM ----------

Thanks, I was curious what affect not using the STA would have. I figured it would bring the tank closer to my back which ideally seems like a better idea. the slots do match up but it makes the wing sit really high if I were to use them. the wing DOES have sand-bag looking parts in the center which I'm guessing are tank stabilizers.

What you want is to have the tank remain solidly in the middle of your back. If the backplate doesn't have cambands slots, you can't secure the tank to the plate, so you have to have an STA, which holds the tank and bolts to the plate. If the plate HAS slots, you can run cambands through them and around a tank. Then the question becomes, "How stable is the tank?". Manufacturers who plan for the user to run cambands through plate slots often provide wings with some kind of built-in tank stabilizer. HOG has small plastic cylinders sewn into the center panel of the wing, on either side of the slot. DSS has a formed plastic crescent which is manufactured into the center panel of the wing, to hold the tank. Both work well, although to be honest, I'm not totally certain that either is truly necessary, if the cambands are tight.

An STA has several characteristics, some of which have both positive and negative characteristics. It's a separate piece (something to forget). It bolts onto the plate (makes switching between single and double tank setups easy). It lifts the tank further off your back, which increases its ability to function as a reverse keel (therefore, if the tank is negative, you'll have more of a tendency to turn turtle). It can be machined to include weight, which can make weight distribution easier (although I prefer weights that can be removed, for the ease of swapping out tanks).