Wing sizing?

[runsongas]

a 30lb slim wing works fine for tropical diving. a 18lb to 24lb tropical wing is not required.

 

[tbone1004]

There is no "one wing to rule the others." You should plan on getting a smaller wing (say 18-20# for tropical diving with a 3 mm suit with a single tank) and a large wing (say 30-40# for cold water diving with 7 mm farmer john or drysuit and a single tank). When / if you go to double tanks, you'll need a physically larger wing to accommodate two wings. Single wings won't work well with double tanks and visa vera.

That said, the above advice to get a 30# single wing and do both is valid. It's just not ideal.

Fortunately, switching wings is easy.

30lb is fine so long as it is a slim profile which most of them are. They are just as wide as the 20lb wings, only a few inches longer. So long as you aren't using AL63's, it's a non issue

 

[Hartattack]

Thanks for the feedback so far. Here are my answers to the questions thus far:

1. I don't *think* I'm planning on going into tech diving as I advance. Though I'm open to the idea, I really see myself as a recreational diver. If I decided to go into tech diving, I would expect to have to do some upgrades to equipment in any case.
2. Exposure protection? I don't even have any hair on the top of my head to protect me from the elements! On a slightly more serious note, I don't currently own any wetsuits. For my training I used a 5mm long sleeve shorty over a 7 mm farmer john (I think... I might have the 5 and 7 reversed...). I would expect in the future, though, to use a 7mm wetsuit for cold water diving, and a 2-3 mm wetsuit for warm water diving.
3. Local diving is pretty cool lake (down as low as 50s) during the winter and spring, but pretty warm lake (up into the 80s) during the summer and fall. (Texas, y'all...) I hope to go a couple of times per year to a more reliably warm place such as the Caribbean. Overall, though, I would expect to have a relatively even distribution between cool and warm (but a little more fresh than salt water).

At least at this point in time I don't see myself getting a drysuit. I could change my mind in the future, but it's not currently on the roadmap.

Perfect, like others have recommended, I would go with a 30lbs wing, single tank adapter, and a SS Backplate to help you on the road to a balanced rig. There are many brands out there, but the two I most recommend are Light Monkey and Halcyon.

 

[formernuke]

Perfect, like others have recommended, I would go with a 30lbs wing, single tank adapter, and a SS Backplate to help you on the road to a balanced rig. There are many brands out there, but the two I most recommend are Light Monkey and Halcyon.

I can highly recommend halycon myself. Pricey but worth it in my opinion. I like LM lights but haven't seen there wings.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Perfect, like others have recommended, I would go with a 30lbs wing, single tank adapter, and a SS Backplate to help you on the road to a balanced rig. There are many brands out there, but the two I most recommend are Light Monkey and Halcyon.

+1

I own two singles wings and I rotate them. They are both great. One is a #30 Halcyon Eclipse and the other is a 28# Light Monkey. I use a Dive Rite STA and I have two plates. A 5# DGX plate and a 10# DSS plate (no longer manufactured). Both have a simple one piece hogarthian harness. I select the plate based upon my ballast needs and adjust for exposure suit and tank.

Clean, streamlined, simple. I love it and wouldn't dive anything else.

 

[Hartattack]

I can highly recommend halycon myself. Pricey but worth it in my opinion. I like LM lights but haven't seen there wings.

I use both interchangeably and they work great. LM wings are very similar to Halcyon ones.

 

[runsongas]

i would go with something based on the oxycheq design instead like oxycheq/vdh/dgx/apeks/mares. dgx or vdh are the value options.