Question Wing Size Regret: 30 or 40 pound?

[Inscrutable]

Hello, I am relatively new to diving so please forgive my ignorance. And apologies if I posted this in the wrong place.

I’m switching from a Scubapro Hydros Pro BCD with a 35 pound lift to a Halcyon backplate and wing. With my Scubapro, I currently dive with a single AL80, a 7mm semi dry wetsuit (yeah, yeah, I know) and about 12 pounds of lead in a cooler tropical climate which leaves me neutrally buoyant at 15 feet with 5-700 PSI left in my cylinder. I’m 5’9-5’10 and 125 lbs. I used both the Optimal Buoyancy Calculator and the Wing Calculator and both suggested roughly a 28 lb lift after I input everything.

I ordered the 40 lb Halcyon wing as I plan to do drysuit diving with steel cylinders in colder water and thought, perhaps, I could use one wing for both as the physical size difference appeared minimal (a few centimeters).

Now, I’m having some regret about purchasing the 40 pound wing. Would the 30 pound wing have been the wiser choice? I like having a bit of lift at the surface as I’ve been caught in some pretty turbulent surface conditions, but not at the expense of battling air pockets while diving if the 30 pound wing would be the better choice. Or, will I likely need both?

Thank you.

 

[Inscrutable]

I think the comments about the 40lbs wing being too big are confusing it with the Halcyon doubles wing that also comes with 40lbs lift. I would assume a Halcyon singles wing would be appropriately sized for a single tank and not have any of the problems that using a doubles wing with a single tank would bring - like tacoing. That being said, I use a 40lbs doubles halcyon wing for double steel 12L cylinders, 9lbs v-weight mounted to the tanks, steel backplate, more weight on a belt, drysuit with heavy undergarments, so I don't see why you would need more than 30lbs for a single tank. I've never used a pony or done any calculations for weighting with a pony, so can't say how that would affect it. Altough, if you're diving steel tanks with a dry suit, and you want more gas or redundancy, I would just get a set of doubles instead.

That seems to be what I’m learning is around 40 seems to be the popular size for doubles. Backplates and wings are so customizable whereas with my BCD, once I found one that fit, there was one lift option and away I went.

 

[Inscrutable]

I ordered a 30# Oxycheq wing once and a 40# showed up, oops!
I didn’t even know it until I looked at the label one day as I was cleaning it.
I was all mad at first but then realized the 40 is not that much bigger than the 30 so I kept my mouth shut and just kept using it. that was 18 or so years ago, IDK whenever the Mach V came out.
It’s not that big a deal.

Thank you, that’s reassuring! Part of me is curious to try both and see how they compare because I know someone who would eagerly take either size wing. We shall see once the 40 arrives.

 

[Jim Lapenta]

The thing to remember with drysuit diving is the wing only has to float your gear. The drysuit also provides buoyancy even when you dive it correctly with just enough air in it to offset the squeeze. And once you get experience in it, oft times, that squeeze offset amount is enough to remain neutral at recreational depths with an aluminum cylinder. Switch to heavier steel tanks and you'll need to add air to the wing beyond a certain point. I've used a 32lb wing with an LP119 and a drysuit and had plenty of lift. 40 is just overkill for any single tank. Except maybe some of the old Heiser's. Thankfully not many of those around.

 

[happy-diver]

Yeah for you but who are you, but not for the guy with the questions and not for me

Rough Seas in the Ocean not rough quarry