ScubaPro S Tek with other bladder

[Indodive]

Would it be possible to fit other producers' bladder like Diverite, Halcyon, OMS or Deepoutdoors to Scubapro S Tek harness. Are they compatible? More importantly are they more superior than TravTek bladder, which is actually very similar to Diverite travel wing.

I just feel like experimenting with them.

Or probably this is just a complete waste of time and money!

 

[leadweight]

I would use the Scubapro wings unless you must have something with a different capacity. They are similar to the corresponding Dive Rite wings, but slightly different. The trav-tec wing looks like it attaches to the harness differently. Do you have the s-tec harness without a wing?

 

[Indodive]

Yes I have a ScubaPro S Tek Harness with Trav bladder. You right, Trav bladder attached differently from Travel Wing of Dive Rite. It only uses 5 small velcro attachements to get it sticked to the harness.

I did browse on the internet and check out different bladders, shape and size. I wonder whether there will be any improvement due to bladder design if I swicth my Trav bladder say to Deepoutdoors 34 lbs or to OMS with similar lift capacity. Or even Halcyon (I don't know whether this will fit), since people are raving about it, makes me wonder.

I tried Halcyon harness, and do not feel comfortable with it, but is it the harness or the bladder that make it so popular? Or the combination ot them? Considering that there are so many different harness and bladder designs out there.

I wonder..........

 

[leadweight]

I don't see much advantage to the DO 34# wing. It is about the same capacity but does not have the connection between the two sides of the wing at the bottom. Having the air flow across the bottom really adis trim and makes dumping air much easier.

The Halcyon wing is a one of a kind product. It is the only wing designed to be used solely with singles on a backplate. Backplates are popular around this forum, but I rarely see them in the Caribbean where I do most of my diving. Of course I don't see a lot of Transpac II's or S-Tec's either. However, tons of divers have Zeagle back inflation BC's.

 

[ElectricZombie]

Indodive once bubbled...
Or probably this is just a complete waste of time and money!

Sorry, but yes. I have an S-Tek...it's not worth the effort. Your money would be better spent on the Halcyon.

If you are still set on the S-Tek, I have one for sale...

 

[Indodive]

leadweight once bubbled...
The Halcyon wing is a one of a kind product. It is the only wing designed to be used solely with singles on a backplate.

Is this means that Halcyon wing cannot be attached to S-Tek harness or say Diverite Transpac?

I tried Halcyon in the LDS and not yet feel comfortable with it, considering I dive mostly in Indonesia where many times we dive from a small traditional boat, where it forces to put on your BC in the water. Check this out http://www.kapalselam.org/article.rochmad.jukung_dive.php

It seems with fixed webbing, it will be difficult to put on in the water, or I could be wrong???

 

[leadweight]

The Halcyon wing has delrin rods in it to keep the tank from moving around on a backplate. These rods would have to bee removed first. Next you would have to check to see if the holes in the wing are spaced apart the right distance to be used with the cambands on a transpac or s-tec. I suspect that the holes on the halcyon wing are too close together horizontally because the holes that they are designed to line up with on a backplate are spaced on either side of the ridge in the BP fairly closely. If you can find someone that has a Pioneer wing you can check, but I doubt it will work. I honestly doubt that you are going to find anything better than the trav-tec wing for warm water. The only time something like that is not going to work is diving in cold water with a big steel tank and enough neoprene to look like the Michelin man.

I, too, tried a BP in warm water and did not like it. But just say that around here and the cold water divers will all chime in that they took their BP to the Bahamas or somewhere and dove it on their once a year warm water vacation. OK, they did not drown. So what? Its hard for me to take some of these guys seriously. A few of them are younger than my kids and they are real diehards when it comes to their style of dive gear. They think anything other than a BP is worthless which is totally off the wall.

My advice to you is to stop worrying about your gear, which is excellent the way it is, and enjoy the world class diving in your corner of the planet.

 

[Indodive]

leadweight once bubbled...
My advice to you is to stop worrying about your gear, which is excellent the way it is, and enjoy the world class diving in your corner of the planet.

Thanks Leadweight, I will take your advise, Happy diving.....

 

[undah20]

Yeah Indodive, don't worry about the other wings unless your getting into diving on set-ups that will require a different configuration. I have over a 1000 dives on my Stek/Travtek set-up. It's been more than ample for any diving I've done with single tank use (surface to very deep). I even use it with drysuits in cold water. To me, the problem is to make it even smaller! I had the older version trav wing with in reality only had about 19lbs of lift, the newer style has 27lbs. I'd even be happy with less than the 19. To do that, I'd have to radiofrequency weld or heat/chem treat the bladder, cut away the excess nylon and resew. It's not worth the effort and neither is your worrying about a different bladder for your use. The setup you have rocks when all these guys with BP/Wings get into currents and have all the drag. I just look back and wonder when they're going to stay with their buddy....
should I slow down?

Have great fun!