Need help choosing a donut wing.

[tbone1004]

tank won't move with both cam bands on without an STA. Sex bolts are required for the wing to keep from twisting around, but once the tank is on it is secure. With an STA the tank doesn't touch the wing. the only thing that can happen with that type of wing without an STA is that the tank can get cockeyed if it slips off of the ridge of the backplate. That is why wings designed to be used without STA's have little rubber bars along the edge that keep the tank from doing that. Or at least try to. Nothing is as secure as an STA. Most of them are real bloody good though

 

[hedgehog47]

a mystery wrapped in an enigma. I was told certain backplates (mine being an example) has slots for cambands, and assuming the wing also has matching slots... I see not way it can move, given the slots are far enough apart.

I'm curious what effect have the tank closer or farther from your back will have.

tank won't move with both cam bands on without an STA. Sex bolts are required for the wing to keep from twisting around, but once the tank is on it is secure. With an STA the tank doesn't touch the wing. the only thing that can happen with that type of wing without an STA is that the tank can get cockeyed if it slips off of the ridge of the backplate. That is why wings designed to be used without STA's have little rubber bars along the edge that keep the tank from doing that. Or at least try to. Nothing is as secure as an STA. Most of them are real bloody good though

 

[hedgehog47]

mine is this

 

[tbone1004]

That is helping a lot more.




That's the Venture wing I've been talking about. 30lbs lift on the left, 45lbs on the right *this one has the retaining tabs you can see on the side. Works well with 8" tanks, not quite as well on 7.25" tanks, but the expanding panels on the sides worked well.

Not sure which iteration that one is exactly and since that wing can be anywhere from 30 to 45lbs of lift, it's a crap shoot. That one looks like 35lbs ish of the new Voyager design. Either way, that size is too big for what you are doing that far south, but it isn't the end of the world. I'd swing down to Dive Gear Express and see if they can cut you a deal on the DGX 25lb wing. They don't have it on the website outside of the package with the backplate, but they might be able to sell it separately.

Quick nit picking stuff. Computer comes out of the other side of your first stage with console ideally on a bolt snap crossing to your right shoulder. Should go across the body if you are not using a wrapped long hose, more streamlined and easier to see. Removes the need for the retractor which is big bulky and a pain to clean if diving in salt.

Primary shouldn't be on the suicide strap, should just be on a bolt snap. Pulling out of those suicide straps isn't particularly difficult, but it's unnecessary. Quick points that if you are planning on going into technical training later will have to be addressed so may as well get them out of the way now. No particular issue with the SS1 for open water diving, I just don't like them since I regularly orally inflate my BC so that is a bit of a pain.

Looks like tape on the dump valve pull cord, you're not diving with gloves, no need for anything more than a 2 inch piece of line with a small knot at the end

 

[Colliam7]

I currently have a SS backplate with a diverite venture wing. I use alum 80's and do dives up to about 100 feet, wrecks lobstering, etc. I'd like to get a more streamlined donut wing. I have considered the

apeks 18lb
apeks 30lb
lightmonkey 28lb
halcyon 25 or 30lb
DRIS 25lb
I use a STA and want a wing with a solid center section (not a diverite or similiar style with just webbing in the middle)

assuming I keep my wing I have now, is there any harm in using that 18 lb wing ? will stability be affected ? It seems very streamlined but I've never used anything that small before and not sure how it will feel.

I use my Apeks 18lb wing in warm water (Bonaire), with a 1mm suit, SS BP, Dive Rite Kydex STA, diving an AL80. It is a delight, and I love the low profile. The Apeks wing is VERY narrow, quite streamlined, and quite stable. For me, it feels GREAT. In fact, I would go so far to say it is my favorite warm water wing. In that configuration, the lift capacity is adequate. For evaluation, I have tried adding weight - 2lb, 3lb or 4lb. With 4lb added, the lift - for me - is marginal, and I not infrequently find myself inflating it to near full capacity on the surface. So, while I love the wing, it won't give you a lot of lift reserve on the surface. I also have used a Halcyon 30lb wing, and a Zeagle 30lb wing in the same environment - same suit, BP, STA and cylinder. Those wings are fine as well, and offer a bit more than the required lift. They are not quite as streamlined as the 18lb Apeks, but they function well for single cylinder diving and are reasonably narrow.

I have the advantage of being able to buy gear at 'staff' prices, so the 18lb Apeks wing didn't cost me anywhere near the $300-375 you mention. I am glad I bought that wing, but I only use it in warm salt water.

The Venture wing you have is, I presume, the 45lb lift model - considerably more than you need for single cylinder diving. But, I also presume it works, and the tacoing is modest. A 30lb wing (Apeks, or Halcyon, or Zeagle, or ? ? ?) will give you a reasonably streamlined profile, and a bit more versatility than the Apeks 18. I would also echo the question several have asked - what is the real need for a more 'streamlined' wing than what you now have.

 

[tbone1004]

Simple solution, 1mm wetsuit with an AL80? Follow the Herman solution, don't use a wing... Not needed unless you're hanging out at the surface for an hour....

Deep Sea Supply Torus 26, about as narrow as the Apeks 18lb, $60 cheaper, Made in USA, more versatile lift capacity. $300
Or, look at their little 12lb scooter wing, $220, so quite a bit cheaper, just enough lift, and super streamlined, might as well not be there.... Me? I'll stick with my old Travel wing. Works just fine, 25lbs of lift, borrow a buddies original 35lb venture if I am diving a heavy steel tank, LP104/E8-130, and try to avoid single tank backmount at all costs

 

[TSandM]

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).

 

[tbone1004]

Lynne, the stabilizers of some sort aren't necessarily required but they do make it much better. If you look at the ridge on most backplates they are usually convex and even if they were flat, the tank is convex so even with the bands tight, the tank tries to run off the edge when you are camming the straps down. The stabilizer bars work well enough for most, but the ridge just helps to get it to stick in there a bit more reliably. I have a buddy with an old travel wing from dive rite, no grommets for an STA, and obviously no single tank support systems, and he runs his rig just fine straight to the plate, but about 20% of the time, the tank tries to jump off the side if he isn't paying attention. Once the straps are tight it won't go anywhere

 

[ams511]

Lynne, the stabilizers of some sort aren't necessarily required but they do make it much better. If you look at the ridge on most backplates they are usually convex and even if they were flat, the tank is convex so even with the bands tight, the tank tries to run off the edge when you are camming the straps down. The stabilizer bars work well enough for most, but the ridge just helps to get it to stick in there a bit more reliably. I have a buddy with an old travel wing from dive rite, no grommets for an STA, and obviously no single tank support systems, and he runs his rig just fine straight to the plate, but about 20% of the time, the tank tries to jump off the side if he isn't paying attention. Once the straps are tight it won't go anywhere

You can buy friction pads for the straps which will help with stability. DSS sells rubber pads that compress to hold the tank in place.

 

[Father]

Look into Oxycheq Mach V.

^^This^^

You can find them here as well
BC/Backplates/Wings - Backplate and Wings - Wings - OxyCheq Wings - 18# OxyCheq Single Tank Wings - Northeast Scuba Supply Store

I found out about these from people in my area. I bought a Dive Rite TransPac XT before I realized I didn't really need that much for the diving I do.

I set up a search on eBay for Oxycheq and I managed to score a Mach V with travel plate and an Air2 for $200. It came with a Dive Rite harness that I ditched for regular webbing.
Since then I've seen two other Mach Vs for about the same price. So they're out there if you don't mind waiting for a deal.

Apeks also makes an 18# wing that's almost identical to the Oxycheq... but I don't know who sells it.
http://www.apeks.co.uk/bcds/product/wtx-d18-single-cylinder-wing.html