Protecting your wing during transport

[bkotheimer]

Last year, I spent a lot of time driving to boats and shore dives with my BP/W assembled, on a tank and rolling around in the back of my car. Not surprisingly, I had to send it back to Tobin to replace the bladder, which had suffered (probably multiple and severe) pinch flats as a result.

This season, my intention is not to assemble the rig until I'm on the boat or beach. So that leaves the issue of how I carry the wing around with me.

When it came back from DSS, it was crumpled into a relatively small box. So I assume that folding, rolling, etc. is okay as long as it is not pinched between two hard surfaces. I figure that some kind of zippered pouch, maybe half the size of the wing, might be best with the wing itself folded in half inside.

I don't know -- it's not like I'm going to dedicate a hard case of any kind to carrying the wing. However, I'm hesitant to just throw it in the top of my gear bag for fear that at some point in transit that will become the bottom of my gear bag. I don't want to have to send it back to Tobin again.

What do most people do to get their wing safely to the dive?

 

[H2O 70]

When I using my singles wing, my wing and plate are all assembled and it goes on top of my fins, plate down in the bag.

When I using my doubles, well the doubles with plate ride in the back of the vehicle and the wing in in my gear bag.

 

[ringmod65]

I'm careful to place the rig plate down with nothing pinching the - partially inflated - wing.
Never had a problem with rolling.

 

[onemorefalcon]

I do mostly shore diving so I can have a wheeled hard case for my gear. I always pack my plate on the bottom of my bag and my partially inflated wing on the top. Thus far I have not had any problems. I think as long as you don't have anything very hard slamming into the wing repeatedly and it is packed away snugly you shouldn't have any problems. If you dive with a wetsuit try placing that between your wing and the rest of your gear. It should help protect it from anything sharp or hard.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Last year, I spent a lot of time driving to boats and shore dives with my BP/W assembled, on a tank and rolling around in the back of my car. Not surprisingly, I had to send it back to Tobin to replace the bladder, which had suffered (probably multiple and severe) pinch flats as a result.

This season, my intention is not to assemble the rig until I'm on the boat or beach. So that leaves the issue of how I carry the wing around with me.

When it came back from DSS, it was crumpled into a relatively small box. So I assume that folding, rolling, etc. is okay as long as it is not pinched between two hard surfaces. I figure that some kind of zippered pouch, maybe half the size of the wing, might be best with the wing itself folded in half inside.

I don't know -- it's not like I'm going to dedicate a hard case of any kind to carrying the wing. However, I'm hesitant to just throw it in the top of my gear bag for fear that at some point in transit that will become the bottom of my gear bag. I don't want to have to send it back to Tobin again.

What do most people do to get their wing safely to the dive?

You can rollup, or "stuff" a wing without problem. The key is to avoid having your wing between two hard objects that can knock together.

That bit situation dependent. Just use common sense. Wings aren't "hot house orchids", and a little planning goes a long way.

Tobin

 

[ligersandtions]

I do a lot of shore diving (and some boat diving). I toss pretty much all of my gear into a bin, and put my wing (and dry gloves) at the very top. This works very well for singles wing....the doubles wing sometimes gets to ride inside the truck