Recommended technical harnesses and wings

[Caveman]

I've been in the process of choosing a harness, backplate and wing. Which, according to you guys, are the best harnesses and wings on the market? Between Apeks, Hollis, Halcyon and Scubapro, there's no shortage of choice and they are all incredible brands but is there any particular system which stands out above the others or is it difficult to go wrong with any of them?

I have my eye on the Scubapro X-Tek range but if there are any more preferable choices, I would greatly appreciate to hear of them.

Or if there are those of you who have mixed brands on their tech systems (Hollis harness and Scubapro wing or any other match etc), what would make the best custom system?

Thanks guys

 

[tbone1004]

Where are you located and do you have affiliations with any shops that are biased to certain brands?

That will determine a whole lot more.

If you are in technical realm you should be in a 1-piece harness which are all the same. Unless you are outside of a "normal" height range of about 5'6" to 6'2" a standard backplate is pretty much a standard backplate, so it comes down to the wing more than anything.

If price isn't an issue, of those four brands, Halcyon is going to be the best, but it is expensive

 

[JohnN]

I've been in the process of choosing a harness, backplate and wing. Which, according to you guys, are the best harnesses and wings on the market? Between Apeks, Hollis, Halcyon and Scubapro, there's no shortage of choice and they are all incredible brands but is there any particular system which stands out above the others or is it difficult to go wrong with any of them?

I have my eye on the Scubapro X-Tek range but if there are any more preferable choices, I would greatly appreciate to hear of them.

Or if there are those of you who have mixed brands on their tech systems (Hollis harness and Scubapro wing or any other match etc), what would make the best custom system?

Thanks guys

KISS. one piece harness, two chest D rings, one D on your left No plastic, no extra crap.

 

[Lorenzoid]

. . . is it difficult to go wrong with any of them?

I think that's it. Keep it simple as JohnN said, and as far as I can see, for the next thousand dives you'll never give that part of your gear another thought.

 

[kensuf]

I had a guy that took a cave class in an X-tek sidemount rig and another that took a cave class in an X-tek backmount rig. They're too busy and gimmicky with no real advantages.

As everyone else above said, a single continuous webbed harness on a standard backplate is simple and gold. Dive Gear Express has a great site describing how to size it.

Hogarthian Harness Assembly Instructions | Dive Gear Express®

 

[Caveman]

Where are you located and do you have affiliations with any shops that are biased to certain brands?

That will determine a whole lot more.

If you are in technical realm you should be in a 1-piece harness which are all the same. Unless you are outside of a "normal" height range of about 5'6" to 6'2" a standard backplate is pretty much a standard backplate, so it comes down to the wing more than anything.

If price isn't an issue, of those four brands, Halcyon is going to be the best, but it is expensive

I am South Africa based. My tech instructor swears by Halcyon as well. So that is the one I will go with. Would diving lights made by Halcyon also be highly recommended?

 

[elgoog]

Would diving lights made by Halcyon also be highly recommended?

Are you looking for a canister light? The Halcyon Focus 2.0 is great. One of my buddies has a cordless Big Blue light which is nice too - there are other good primary cordless lights but this is the only one I've seen in the water.

For backup lights, I've been using the DGX600 for the last few years and really like them - super bright, USD50, rechargeable 18650 battery and burn time of easily over an hour (I use them as my primary lights when I dive without my can light). If you want something that uses C cells, Halcyon and Light Monkey are what most divers use but they are more expensive.

 

[Caveman]

Are you looking for a canister light? The Halcyon Focus 2.0 is great. One of my buddies has a cordless Big Blue light which is nice too - there are other good primary cordless lights but this is the only one I've seen in the water.

For backup lights, I've been using the DGX600 for the last few years and really like them - super bright, USD50, rechargeable 18650 battery and burn time of easily over an hour (I use them as my primary lights when I dive without my can light). If you want something that uses C cells, Halcyon and Light Monkey are what most divers use but they are more expensive.

Yes that is correct. The Focus 2.0 is what I am looking at. Extreme price tag but definitely as good as they get. At the moment, the diving I have been doing has not been in environments too dark so I have been using a Bigblue 1200NP and a 250 lumen backup as well. Nothing special but it does the job. But what with my cave training starting soon enough, investing in a cannister light is a must for me

 

[PfcAJ]

Focus 2.0 is real good.

Halcyon is the way to go. In the unlikely event of having a problem, their customer service is incredible.

 

[tbone1004]

I am South Africa based. My tech instructor swears by Halcyon as well. So that is the one I will go with. Would diving lights made by Halcyon also be highly recommended?

bp/w yes
I think their backup lights are dated and overpriced, though they are nice.
The Focus 2.0 is really nice, but I don't like the head size. I think there are better options out there, but I'm not convinced you need a canister light with the burn time of some of the backup lights out there. Your Big Blue 1200np is putting out the same light quantity as a 10w HID which was the standard primary light for many many years. Burntime is a bit limited, but you can get something with that much output and long enough burntime to use as a primary light for now and use it as a backup light if/when you need the burn time of a canister