Review: DRIS 28lb BP/W System

[Deep South Divers]

According the specs on the DRIS website, the wing shell is 1640 cordura and the inner bladder is 15mil urethane. These materials are average, about the same as Dive Rite, HOG, among others. If it's well put together and you take good care of it, the wing should hold up just fine for a long time. However, Halcyon, Oxy, DSS, OMS, AGIR, among others, do offer beefier wings. Halcyon and OMS, for example, apply generous coatings under their 1000 dernier shells, and 1000 dernier is already tougher stuff than 1640. Halcyon and OMS also use dernier inner bladders, usually lighter stuff, like 420 or something, but also generously undercoated. Oxy and DSS use very thick urethane inner bladders, something like 30mil and 25mil (as opposed to 15mil).

That DRIS rig looks great for the price. I like the wing shape, much like the Halcyon. But you do get what you pay for.

Thank you very much for specifics!

 

[Sik_Z33]

The 'LPI Hose Retainer' is already on the corrogated hose. On your pictures it's dangling right above the LPI - the little rubber loop. Send that to the top of the corrugated hose to help route the LP hose neater over the top of the wing. You don't need your homemade version.

2" Crotch strap is generally preferable to the 1" you have fitted. It's integral to the fit of the harness... so you can't perfectly 'dial in' anything until you've got that sorted.

Now... let's talk about hoses....

Hey yea I know about the little rubber loops, the hose actually has 2 of them... in the pictures I only had one threaded through which is why the LPI sticks up so high, both threaded onto the LPI now. The strap I made is there to keep the hose attached to the strap on my harness, It's not really a problem without it but I like keeping it in place right over my shoulder so I don't have to search for it.

Haha what's wrong with my hoses?! I don't dive with them dangling like that if that's what you are referring to.

 

[ddmattos]

Congratulations. Before you know it you will put the original lp hose on that came with the wing for the inflator , put your backup reg on a 22 inch hose bungied under your chin and your main reg will be on a 7foot hose. Oh and you spg will be on a 24 inch hose. Keep an eye out for a wrist computer as well. I also use shockcord loop above my d-ring to retain inflator.

Did you put the extra elastics on your harness under your d-rings for lights later?

Try to use you rear dump as much as possible.

I'm so happy for you. Enjoy you new rig and safe diving.

 

[Deep South Divers]

I like the 24" backup hose... But I'm a bigger guy with a freakishly' huge noggin. 22" is the norm. And bungee shock cord or the bigass O-rings like I was talking about earlier both work really well. Actually, I think the shock cord works better 'cause it stretches, but the O-ring looks cooler and lasts longer, IMHO.

...But +1 on everything that ddmattos said ^^^^, plus or minus for personal preference or fit or whatever.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

As Mahjong pointed out, there are plenty of other choices out there, and wings that cost about double of this one. I wouldn't however say they are much better just because they are beefier or that "you get what you pay for". This wing is actually made by a manufacturer that has wings for $300, and is VERY well known and been in the industry a long time. This is why we offer a lifetime guarantee. The ONLY reason you see this wing and package priced so inexpensively is because we buy the wing in Bulk, not because it is cheap...don't get our hardwork to get our customers low pricing confused with cheap quality or an inferiour product.

Great writeup! That wing is so damn SEXXXY Now we need some inwater shots!

 

[mahjong]

Well, even though 30mil is 30mil and polyurethane undercoating is what it is, and "bulk" by the way is also what it is, I did try to suggest that there is nothing "cheap" about your wing. I own a "bulk" produced wing (one of six different wings I own right now, including Halcyon, Oxy, Agir, and OMS) with identical material specs as yours and it is my go to travel wing and I have no reservations about it whatsoever (a DR, for what it might be worth to mention the brand). If your wing comes in at half the price of some of the "beefier" wings (and it is quite a bit less expensive than even my DR Travel EXP), it is "far" better than half as good. Functionally, I suspect it is every bit as good. And with your lifetime guarantee, well, it should be a no brainer, hopefully for lots of people. And I really do like the shape of your wing. Reminds me of my old Halcyon Eclipse, best singles wing I ever owned. I guess my post was in part inspired by some felt desire to point out to an incipient bandwagon of believers that those manufacturers who eschew the Asian orientation (no pun intended) towards "bulk" to bring us "thicker" and "tougher" at a palatable price also do work very very hard.

I wish you the very best of luck!

As Mahjong pointed out, there are plenty of other choices out there, and wings that cost about double of this one. I wouldn't however say they are much better just because they are beefier or that "you get what you pay for". This wing is actually made by a manufacturer that has wings for $300, and is VERY well known and been in the industry a long time. This is why we offer a lifetime guarantee. The ONLY reason you see this wing and package priced so inexpensively is because we buy the wing in Bulk, not because it is cheap...don't get our hardwork to get our customers low pricing confused with cheap quality or an inferiour product.

Great writeup! That wing is so damn SEXXXY Now we need some inwater shots!

 

[Sik_Z33]

Congratulations. Before you know it you will put the original lp hose on that came with the wing for the inflator , put your backup reg on a 22 inch hose bungied under your chin and your main reg will be on a 7foot hose. Oh and you spg will be on a 24 inch hose. Keep an eye out for a wrist computer as well. I also use shockcord loop above my d-ring to retain inflator.

Did you put the extra elastics on your harness under your d-rings for lights later?

Try to use you rear dump as much as possible.

I'm so happy for you. Enjoy you new rig and safe diving.

I agree with all your recommendations, but I don't think it's worth it to retrofit my current mediocre regs to the dir spec hoses unless I can get them for a good price, how much would all those hoses cost? I can't imagine the 84" hose being cheap...

I was already planning on moving my computer out of the console to my wrist via the dss bungee wrist mount, maybe I'll splurge for a smaller brass spg at the same time.

Thanks appreciate the advice.

 

[bushman66]

I'm thinking of going this route for the price (currently diving a Zeagle Stilletto) to counter some of my leg heavy problem in the water. I'm still a new diver (~30 dives) and was wondering what you you do for ditchable weight with a BP/W? Weight belt? Add on pockets to the harness? FYI, I was using ~8.8lbs with a 3/2 mil on my last trip to Thailand, so assuming that I remove 6 lbs, I'd still need ~3-4 lbs to be neutrally buoyant.

I'd also like to dive Catalina or the Channel Islands at some point, since they are so close to AZ and I'd need a 7mil or drysuit there...again necessitating more weight.

Thanks! Sorry if this is a noob question...

 

[Deep South Divers]

I agree with all your recommendations, but I don't think it's worth it to retrofit my current mediocre regs to the dir spec hoses unless I can get them for a good price, how much would all those hoses cost? I can't imagine the 84" hose being cheap...

Nah, they're not bad. Check this out: Regulator hoses | Extreme Exposure

Extreme Exposure in High Springs is not known for being cheap, either... $48 for a 7' hose is probably even high. But even at $48, it's a comparably inexpensive upgrade... And since regs don't typically come with 7' hoses (or any of the other lengths for that matter), you can get the hoses now and take them off your old ones and put them on your new ones if/when you upgrade regs.

That's the cool thing about modular gear... You can buy piece by piece.

Bottom line: Don't let it stop you.

I'm thinking of going this route for the price (currently diving a Zeagle Stilletto) to counter some of my leg heavy problem in the water. I'm still a new diver (~30 dives) and was wondering what you you do for ditchable weight with a BP/W? Weight belt? Add on pockets to the harness? FYI, I was using ~8.8lbs with a 3/2 mil on my last trip to Thailand, so assuming that I remove 6 lbs, I'd still need ~3-4 lbs to be neutrally buoyant.

It depends. Most people find themselves actually using less weight with a bp/wing - not just taking the 6 lbs off their belt - because the rig has less inherent buoyancy. There's also the argument that the wings dump more fully than a BC. Regardless of why, most people find it saves them a few extra pounds ASIDE from the 6 lb plate.

...So you might not need any weight at all.

Of course, this confuses the recently certified... "How do I dive with no ditchable weight?" My answer is simple: Don't dive with it in the first place. It's ALREADY ditched.

If this concept really bothers you, then sure, dive with a weight belt... Or get ditchable pockets - there's several manufacturers who make weight pockets for backplates and wings. But the truth is, if you can swim up the rig with no air in the wing at all, then that's even better than ditchable weight in the first place.

I'd also like to dive Catalina or the Channel Islands at some point, since they are so close to AZ and I'd need a 7mil or drysuit there...again necessitating more weight.

Thanks! Sorry if this is a noob question...

Not at all!

Yes, the canned answer is, if you're diving with weight and you want to make it ditchable, then wear a weight belt or buy the ditchable weight pockets. The truth, however, is that if you can swim up with the rig, then you shouldn't need to ditch it.

My belief is that you should never ditch weight at depth anyway... In fact, shouldn't need to if you're correctly weighted, even in an emergency. You could simply swim up. Ditching weight at depth would result in an uncontrolled buoyant ascent.

There are people who will argue that uncontrolled buoyant ascents are just fine... Or a good last resort... Or that they can control an uncontrolled buoyant ascent. While I can, too, I still maintain that it's better not to ditch at depth in the first place.

 

[Dive Right In Scuba]

OUCH...$48 for a 7foot hose???

Seajay has a lot of good info. With my steel tank, I don't use any weight...unless ice diving. I have trim pockets on the tank bands, in the back. Some people, use the same pockets on their harness hip. Instead of needing a Weight belt, you can just attach the pockets to your harness. Making it a weight belt. You may find you don't need any though It is great to be prepared for disaster, it is another to have a plan to limit that disaster so it doesn't happen (gas management, gear attention, knowing your rig in and out).