One wing for both singles and doubles

[cecilb63]

At a recent open house an instructor who is extremely experienced in tech diving brought his rig in for people to try.

He said he uses a wing that's big enough to support doubles but through some trick he also uses it for singles. I missed that part and he had doubles on his rig at the time. Does he use zip ties to minimize the surface area of the wing when going with a single?

From pursuing the board it seems one needs to have 2 wings depending on whether you're going with one tank or two. I'd rather not.

Can anyone shed some light on whether two wings are really needed? Or whether oneone knows what the instructors trick was. I will talk to him in a few weeks but I am curious what you all have to say.

 

[JeffG]

Or whether oneone knows what the instructors trick was.

too cheap to buy the proper wing

 

[cecilb63]

too cheap to buy the proper wing

That's not really the information I was looking for.

 

[Don Burke]

That's not really the information I was looking for.

He is just dealing with a wing that is too big for a single.

There are two shortcomings:

- A runaway ascent is more likely in the event of a stuck inflator.

- There is more drag when swimming.

Most wings used this way will have a bit more lift with the single, making the problem slightly worse.

It is not a big deal, although not a good long term practice.

 

[*Floater*]

he's probably talking about the dive rite rec wing or something similar. It's a doubles wng, but you can put bungees on it to decrease the size so that it's suitable for single tank use. I initially considered getting one to save some money, but decided against it based on what people here said about it.

 

[DiveGolfSki]

The only "trick" I can think of is a wing with bungees (OMS comes to mind). These prevent wings meant for doubles from flapping. However, DIR types abhor these for a variety of reasons. Besides, a wing meant for doubles usually are horse shoe in shape (e.g., Halcyon Explorer) and will simply wrap around a single tank anyway and there isn't that much drag. Halcyon's newer Evolve wing is a doughnut shape and, I think, can be used single or double without the problems that a horseshoe wing has.

Hope this helps.

 

[MSilvia]

As far as I know, there isn't a good way to do it. I used to own the DiveRite Rec Wing, which is advertised as being good for both. In truth, it was fair for a single and poor for a double, but good for neither. It'll work, in the same sense that a wrench will work as a hammer. I'd go that route if I had to, but if you want to enjoy using it, get the right wing for the job. If you try the one wing for all purposes approach, don't be suprised if you don't like the results.

The information you're looking for probably isn't anything like the information you'll find.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

I've had an Eclipse 40 for a year, which is excellent for steel singles. I've also used the same wing with a SLIM set of small steel doubles (2x7 liter/300 bar), and that was an excellent solution. I know others who prefer the Eclipse 40 for small doubles as well and they're all very happy with it. It takes that the tanks are mounted really close together though, and that they are slim tanks.

To go the other way and put a single tank in a wing made for doubles is another story and something I would strongly recommend NOT doing.

 

[KOMPRESSOR]

As far as I know, there isn't a good way to do it. I used to own the DiveRite Rec Wing, which is advertised as being good for both. In truth, it was fair for a single and poor for a double, but good for neither.

Never tried it but your conclusion soon came to my mind when I saw it.

 

[JeffG]

That's not really the information I was looking for.

and yet its still the right answer.