Back Plate / Wing set up

[iztok]

Okay, I just got off the phone with the professor in charge of the diving. He told me to expect to be doing cold water, double tank, de-comp dives when I get more experience. With this in mind, I'm thinking about spending extra money upfront to get a double tank ready set, that, of course, means a more expensive wing. I was actually recommended to get something called the Complete Dive Rite System.
- harness 159
- back plate 129
- REC EXP wing 358
- Cam straps, SS, Pair 60
- Crotch strap 22
- 16 lbs weight pockets 95
- single tank adapter 59

What do you think, high price worth it, if it can take whatever I throw at it? I build some good ones online but I think that I would end up spending the money anyways downthe road.

Wow 159 for webbing? Go with hogarthian webbing.

Don't use weight pockets (if you wan't I will sell you pair for $60+shipping, used only for few dives).

No need for STA either.

I posted a link when you can get pretty much all you need for $250 (add crotch strap and cam bands). For additional $250 you get second set with doubles wings to have two sets (AL and SS BPs)

 

[ski1313]

Yes.

I sold mine and bought a Halcyon Evolve 60 for doubles and an appropriate wing for singles.

As is the case most of the time, any product that is designed to do TWO things... usually does neither of them very well.

Thank you! That's the kind of answer I've been looking for!

I'm going to look for a stainless steel backplate/harness and a singles wing. Thanks to all the consistant pestering I'm going to go with the singles, though some of you were more helpful than others....

 

[RJP]

Thanks to all the consistant pestering I'm going to go with the singles, though some of you were more helpful than others...

Be sure to invest in appropriate exposure protection as well. Someone with such thin skin will need it...

 

[Colliam7]

Right now, I think my problem boils down to one main thing. I'm going to go with a back plate/ wing set up, for sure. The debate seems to now be over whether a wing good for doubles is too much/ no good for a single.

At least on SB, you will generally get a fairly consistent response, rather than any 'debate' - use a true singles wing for single tank diving, and a true doubles wing for double tank diving.

The "Complete Dive Rite System" that some people said sounded a little skechy, I found it at my local dive shop too. The guy who owns the place, (I also know him personally, and trust him completly), says that that is the set up he dives and he swares by it, for both singles and doubles.

And, please understand that people who question this set up are not trying to impugn the integrity of your friend, the LDS owner. The owner of 'my' LDS, where I have done most of my training, where I have bought most of my gear, where I currently staff, is also a personal friend, and dive buddy, and I trust him completely as well. But, he dives a Halycon BP and harness, and I dive a Dive Rite and an OMS. He uses a Halcyon reel and can light, and I use Dive Rite reels and can lights, in spite of his recommendations. And, many of us have bought for 'the future', only to find that by the time 'the future' arrived, there was a newer / better product available. Starting with a BP/W system is a good idea. You can grow with that approach, in part because it offers modularity, and the ability to adjust the components as the diving environment dictates.

Nor are the SB posters necessarily saying to buy cheap, or buy on line, instead of using your LDS (I am an advocate of using the LDS, in fact). But, some of the prices seem very much out of line - $159 for a harness, for example, is something I simply cannot understand - and some of the selections a bit questionable - the particular wing, and the weight pockets, for example. Does the system work for your friend, the LDS owner? It must, since he recommends it. Have other divers on SB found possibly less cumbersome, possibly more efficient, possibly less expensive alternatives? Yes, as the posts suggest. The responses give you ideas for questions you might want to discuss with your friend as you choose which gear to buy. Since he sells Dive Rite, he can also sell a Travel wing, or a Venture wing, both of which might be better single tank choices than the Rec. Many of us have been through the process of buying equipment that sounded really great, when described by a vendor, only to find that it didn't suit our needs or interests after a brief period of use. I once bought a Trident reel at my LDS because the manager (not the owner) said, 'It is much less expensive than the Dive Rite, and just as good.' And, it wasn't. It was a POS.

Now since it is their product, they are going to say its the best. Does anyone have any experiance with this particular wing?

As I mentioned in my first post, I have two of them. And, I have dove them for singles. And, I have used them for doubles. The REC wing is not a BAD wing. It will work for a single tank, but it is not optimal. It will work for double tanks, but may not be optimal for all. I find 50lbs of lift a little light in fresh water doubles diving, with steel tanks (120s or 130s) and deco bottles. It works for my double AL80s, although I personally prefer a different wing (Oxycheq Signature 50) for that rig, because of that wing's profile in the water. And, I find a different wing (Halcyon Explorer) preferable for double HP120s and 130s.

 

[scubadada]

Okay, I just got off the phone with the professor in charge of the diving. He told me to expect to be doing cold water, double tank, de-comp dives when I get more experience. With this in mind, I'm thinking about spending extra money upfront to get a double tank ready set, that, of course, means a more expensive wing. I was actually recommended to get something called the Complete Dive Rite System.
- harness 159
- back plate 129
- REC EXP wing 358
- Cam straps, SS, Pair 60
- Crotch strap 22
- 16 lbs weight pockets 95
- single tank adapter 59

What do you think, high price worth it, if it can take whatever I throw at it? I build some good ones online but I think that I would end up spending the money anyways downthe road.

Complete Dive Rite TransPlate package is available for $585 from Dive Gear Express, about $300 less than the package you quoted above. You could add a doubles wing when the need came up.

Many quality brands to choose from, wide variety of prices.

Good luck, Craig

 

[fnfalman]

Small wing for single tank.

Big wing for double tanks.

You're not going to do any deco diving any time soon, so by the time you do deco diving, chances are you will save enough money to buy a big wing.

BTW, where are you going to learn deco diving from? Is it part of the school program or are you expected to provide for this education on your own? Deco diving training isn't exactly cheap.