Warm Water Wing

[49north]

I am in the process of changing over to a backplate and wing. My warm water/cold water diving is about 50/50.

If I had a 40lb wing for cold water drysuit diving, how well would that work in warm water with a 3mm wetsuit? Would it be difficult to vent?

I'm not opposed to buying a smaller wing for warm water if it will make a difference, but don't really want to if it's not necessary.

Thanks.

 

[BreeAbyss]

I have a 40lb wing I take warm water diving. There is zero difference in venting between cold and warm water because it's the same wing and functions the same in cold and warm water and it's on my back so wearing different suits makes no difference. I do have to adjust my harness though. It is a donut style so it's very streamlined!
You could get a lighter backplate though for travelling if luggage weight was a concern

 

[tbone1004]

if you are in a drysuit I don't think you'd need a 40lb wing for single tank diving. I'd go with a 30lb wing. My recommendation would be to contact Deep Sea Supply and get their recommendation

 

[49north]

I did talk to Deep Sea Supply awhile back. He recommended a Torus 35, so right in the middle I guess. He said it would be OK for warm water, but a Torus 17 would be the best.

 

[merxlin]

if you are in a drysuit I don't think you'd need a 40lb wing for single tank diving. I'd go with a 30lb wing. My recommendation would be to contact Deep Sea Supply and get their recommendation

I'm curious why you think a 30# wing would be satisfactory? In a worst case scenario (flooded drysuit or inability to add air to it), without knowing his size and how much weight he carries, how can we determine that is enough lift? I'm not saying it's not, just that I don't think there is enough information to make that call.

 

[49north]

I currently use about 30lbs of weight to sink with a drysuit, heavy undergarments and an AL80. I don't know if I will ever use a steel tank, but I would like to keep that option open. That is why I thought a 40lb wing would be appropriate for cold water.

Last year in the warm water, my back inflate BCD with a 40lb bladder seemed to be trapping some gas as I had to massage it a bit to get the trapped gas out. I realize that a wing will probably vent easier, but was just wondering if this would likely still be a problem.

 

[tbone1004]

the advantage of the DSS wings are that they are typically long and narrow which makes them quite nice for multi-purpose use. Last weekend I used my LCD30 with a 3mm shorty, kydex plate, and AL80 with no extra weight *Was still a little overweighted surprising in FW*, and while I would never dive it in a drysuit where I would opt for doubles, my brother uses his with a SS plate, 7mm wetsuit, and PST E8-130. No problems with it at all.

The Torus 35 will give you a bit more lift down low which is huge if you are wearing a weight belt, and is only about 2" wider than the LCD30 at the bottom and would be a good option for a multi-use wing. I wouldn't have any problems using either of these wings for double duty

 

[49north]

Thanks Bree and tbone for your input. It sounds like the larger cold water wing will work OK in warm water. I'll give it a try this winter and then decide if a smaller wing would be better.

 

[tbone1004]

oh the smaller wing will certainly be better, it is just a balance of how often are you going to be reaping the benefits of the smaller wing, and is it worth the price of having two? For me that answer is no since I almost never dive single tanks, but for others that dive single tanks exclusively and about equally split their time, then it may make sense

 

[49north]

For me that answer is no since I almost never dive single tanks, but for others that dive single tanks exclusively and about equally split their time, then it may make sense

That would be me