What's the best wing setup?

[IDS_Bill]

The one that you get the best buy on and the one with which you're happiest.

It's all subjective.

the K

 

[ae3753]

Halycon batwing (18lbs, not made anymore)
DSS LCD 20 or 17lb Travel wing.

they are like diving naked

For your set-up, this is my recommendation as well.

Very streamlined.

 

[supbihatches]

For your set-up, this is my recommendation as well.

Very streamlined.

I am worried that that won't be enough lift though

 

[WD8CDH]

single LP85
wetsuit
SS backplate, no weight

Depends on your buoyancy too but assuming you are near neutral, 6.5 pounds lift for the weight swing of 85 CF of air plus the weight of your head as a minimum.

I would go with about 20 LB too. I like Zeagle.

 

[ae3753]

I am worried that that won't be enough lift though

Have you calculated that how much lift you need yet?

There's a good number of threads on proper lift/wing sizing. However, the requirements are as follows:

1. Compensate for gas at the beginning of the dive. This is around 6#-10#s.
2. If diving wet, compensate for wetsuit compression. For tropical waters (3mm or 5mm), this is 6#-10#s.
3. Float the rig by itself. A single tank rig with SS BP and LP85 should be less than 20#s negative.
4. Float rig high enough to have diver's head comfortably above water.

For tropical waters, 20# is usually enough.

A big mistake that many new divers make (yours truly included) is that more lift is better. More lift means a larger wing, which usually means a wider wing, which means more taco'ing, which means harder to vent and manage.

Another mistake is buying a dual purpose wing (singles+doubles capability). While these are manageable, they will not provide the best diving experience.

 

[rjack321]

I am worried that that won't be enough lift though

What's it got to float?
You have no lead on you
So just a SS plate and a full lp85
Combined they are negative by 6lb plate and 7lb tank = negative 13lbs.
~6lbs of that is air.
Assuming you are weighted correctly, your wetsuit is providing about 7lbs of positive buoyancy (a realistic number).
So with a full tank on you, the wing has to support about 6lbs plus the weight of your head out of water (13-7=6lbs)

The DSS 20lb wing will be darn close to perfect. If you were paranoid or maybe you wish to up-size and use bigger steel tanks soon, you could go up to a 24 or 30lb wing but I wouldn't. Resist the urge to get some huge 40+lbs bag that will flap around. Less is alot more streamlined, easier to vent, and generally more fun.

 

[RonFrank]

I dive:

HammerHead BP/STA - it comes complete WITH burs!
OMS 30lbs donut wing
other stuff!

I dive this because it works.

I honestly don't care that much about what others dive, as long as it's safe. IOW's, dive what you want!

 

[WD8CDH]

Have you calculated that how much lift you need yet?

There's a good number of threads on proper lift/wing sizing. However, the requirements are as follows:

1. Compensate for gas at the beginning of the dive. This is around 6#-10#s.
2. If diving wet, compensate for wetsuit compression. For tropical waters (3mm or 5mm), this is 6#-10#s.
3. Float the rig by itself. A single tank rig with SS BP and LP85 should be less than 20#s negative.
4. Float rig high enough to have diver's head comfortably above water.

For tropical waters, 20# is usually enough.

A big mistake that many new divers make (yours truly included) is that more lift is better. More lift means a larger wing, which usually means a wider wing, which means more taco'ing, which means harder to vent and manage.

Another mistake is buying a dual purpose wing (singles+doubles capability). While these are manageable, they will not provide the best diving experience.

If starting with a properly weighted diver, #3 is often the biggest variable.

I usually take the larger of #2, #3 or #4 and add #1 (assuming #3 and #4 was taken with near empty tanks) as my minimum lift. I try not to go much over the minimum for all the reasons previously mentioned.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

The DSS 20lb wing will be darn close to perfect. If you were paranoid or maybe you wish to up-size and use bigger steel tanks soon, you could go up to a 24 or 30lb wing but I wouldn't.

I'd go slightly bigger just because it gives you the option of diving a bigger tank at some point. Either the Torus 26 or MachV 30 will be plenty streamlined ... both of those are exceptionally slim profiles for the lift capacity.

Resist the urge to get some huge 40+lbs bag that will flap around. Less is alot more streamlined, easier to vent, and generally more fun.

Totally agree there ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[sambolino44]

I don't have any experience with BP/W systems other than the one I bought, DSS. But the DSS wings have some unique features that I feel make them better for my style of diving (single cylinder, cold water), and are often overlooked.

They have a built-in rubber STA (actually, I think there may be some other brands with this feature), but, combined with the flatter bend of the DSS plate, it puts the tank closer to my body, and I think this makes the whole rig easier to dive.

Also, the way they attach to the BP is different; they are very easy to take off. I like this feature because I have weight plates on my BP, and it's real heavy and cumbersome. I like to take the wing off after every dive; it makes the whole thing easier to rinse and dry.

I didn't like the short corrugated hose that came with mine, but a longer replacement wasn't very expensive.