What size wing do you dive with?

[Bossman]

I'm purchasing a BP/W setup this week and need advice on how much lift to go with and why. I've made up my mind on a Halcyon Eclipse but not sure if I should go with the 30# or 40# wing.

A little info on me: 190 lb male, cold water/wreck diving, usually a 7mm farmer john with hood and gloves, AL80 and a pony tank. I know the Halcyon has a lot of padding, so all of that translates into more weight. On most cold water dives I currently use about 30 lbs of lead.

I ran the weight/lift calculator that someone posted and it's telling me I need about about 23# of lift. I'm thinking I can go with the 30# wing but want to be sure I shouldn't upsize to the 40# wing.

Thanks!

 

[on_two_wheels]

Get the 30 lb lift AND a steel tank so you can shed some lead. Hopefully you're also using a steel backplate which is another 6 lbs. I'm about 180, use a steel plate, Faber 95 (or 120) with a 30 lb wing. Diving drysuit, I use about 16 lbs of lead with that rig. When I was diving a 7mm suit with 3mm vest/hood and jacket BC I was only carrying about 14 lbs

In short, it does sound like you're possibly carrying a bit more weight than needed. Still, you'll probably have all the lift you need with 30 lb wing. However, with the 40 lb wing you don't have to use every bit of lift but it'll be there if you need it. If you're set on 30 lbs of lead PLUS a steel backplate, get the 40.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

6'3", 220#
I wear 16# of lead with a steel 119 and drysuit. I use a 27# lift wing with a single tank, 55# with double steels.

 

[SangP]

I'm purchasing a BP/W setup this week and need advice on how much lift to go with and why. I've made up my mind on a Halcyon Eclipse but not sure if I should go with the 30# or 40# wing.

A little info on me: 190 lb male, cold water/wreck diving, usually a 7mm farmer john with hood and gloves, AL80 and a pony tank. I know the Halcyon has a lot of padding, so all of that translates into more weight. On most cold water dives I currently use about 30 lbs of lead.

I ran the weight/lift calculator that someone posted and it's telling me I need about about 23# of lift. I'm thinking I can go with the 30# wing but want to be sure I shouldn't upsize to the 40# wing.

Thanks!

For what you've described the 40lbs might be a better choice just in case however, I'm wondering why Halcyon? You won't really need the padding and the prices are rather higher than what is available elsewhere.

Non branded steel or alu bp $48-$75
Dive Rite Basic Harness $26
Dive Rite Crotch Strap 2-Inch $16.90
Dive Rite cam bands $36
Oxycheq Mach V - Extreme Series 40lb (damn near indestructible) $360
Assorted wing nuts/sex bolt/fast nut $30
$550 vs $700 for the Halcyon.
Having a friendly knowledgeable guy to talk to... priceless
Edd at caveadventurers.com

SangP

 

[ScubaFeenD]

If you are properly weighted a 30# wing should be fine. Before you decide fully on halcyon, you might want to look at Deep Sea Supply backplates so that you can get the bolt on weight and shift some weight off your belt/pouches. The halcyon wing is fantastic, but the DSS wings are great too, and the setup will only cost you 450 with harness, knife, wing and plates. Just something you should think about.

 

[vladimir]

I know the Halcyon has a lot of padding, so all of that translates into more weight.

One of the reasons I switched to a backplate and wing was to lose the padding and the extra ballast associated with it.

 

[drbill]

I dive wet (7mm) with 36# of lead (I overweight a bit for filming), formerly an HP120 and used 28# wings for a decade until I ran out of them (no longer manufactured). Had plenty of lift for what I was doing (but not enough to bring someone else's weight belt to the surface, at least not easily!). Currently diving a 40# until I find a replacement wing in the 30# range.

 

[ScubaFeenD]

I dive wet (7mm) with 36# of lead (I overweight a bit for filming), formerly an HP120 and used 28# wings for a decade until I ran out of them (no longer manufactured). Had plenty of lift for what I was doing (but not enough to bring someone else's weight belt to the surface, at least not easily!). Currently diving a 40# until I find a replacement wing in the 30# range.

Why dont you use a 30# wing?

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I'm purchasing a BP/W setup this week and need advice on how much lift to go with and why. I've made up my mind on a Halcyon Eclipse but not sure if I should go with the 30# or 40# wing.

A little info on me: 190 lb male, cold water/wreck diving, usually a 7mm farmer john with hood and gloves, AL80 and a pony tank. I know the Halcyon has a lot of padding, so all of that translates into more weight. On most cold water dives I currently use about 30 lbs of lead.

I ran the weight/lift calculator that someone posted and it's telling me I need about about 23# of lift. I'm thinking I can go with the 30# wing but want to be sure I shouldn't upsize to the 40# wing.

Thanks!

I'm not sure where you heard that Halcyon uses a lot of padding, but would like to set that straight. The Eclipse is a two-layer wing, with an inner bladder covered by a heavy cordura outer shell. The outer shell provides abrasion protection, but does not have any padding.

Halcyon does make a backplate pad, which some people like to have ... but it's an option that you purchase separately, and most folks I know who use Halcyone BP/W don't use it.

To answer your question, given your information above, a 30# wing should be all you need.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[FuzzyNutz]

I just bought my first ever bc a few days ago, and I went for the bp/w setup also. When thinking about the lift on the wing, I was wondering about drag difference, if it flops more around the tank, if 40 was overkill or 30 too little. Then I found out the 40lb wing was only 3/4in wider than the 30lb (at least that's what it was on the Oxycheq Mach 5 Extreme). The salesman also had some words that helped me decide on the 40lb - don't buy gear that exactly suits your needs for now, but for the different dives you plan on doing.

I was considering halcyon and hollis a lot at first, but after reading tons of reviews and posts on scubaboard, and checking manufacturing processes of other companies and comparing costs - I decided on the Oxycheq Mach 5 Extreme wing, Dive Rite bp, and DR basic harness.