DSS (Old stock) vs Diverite Travelpac vs Zeagle Express Tech

[tbone1004]

ok, so the travel thing is BS, a SS BP/W with STA, SS cam bands, and basic harness is approximately 12lbs for a full size. 10lbs without the STA. ZET is 6.5lbs, comparable to the Kydex plate. A BP/W fits basically flat in the bottom of a carryon and the 3 pounds there is worth it to offset the lead needed. I've never been asked for weight of carryon. We are recommending the heavier plate because it makes sense, without a STA, you get about 7lbs negative with SS cam bands and based on the OP's mentioning of using 7-8lbs of weight with a normal BC, switching to a new wetsuit it's about right for what they want, if you go to a kydex plate or ZET, you have to either start using a weight belt or pocket weights, both of which add to the weight in the bag, so you're really not saving a whole lot of rig weight.

The SS plates just make sense, if he was diving without a wetsuit then the answer would be very different, but if you're diving a 3mm steamer the whole time and need to put that much weight on, then you might as well get the plate that makes sense for most of your diving.

 

[diverjen]

Dont need an STA with DSS, Kydex is like 3-4 lbs SS is 5-6. Then you could add weight plates to the DSS later if you dont want to wear it all on a belt. Either (DSS with SS or Kydex, or ZET) will work though!

 

[rhwestfall]

DSS kydex does not utilize the Glide Harness Adapter or the Weight Plates, only the DSS SS plate does...

 

[cwoco]

So I dropped by the store, and as it turns out, they only had Kydex in S and L, and SS in M size. My sister took to the S size after trying out S & M. I initially went with L, partly because I was afraid that SS would be too heavy. But if I stand up straight/back slightly arched, the bottom of the L sized plate presses into the upper part of my hip/back (where your back curves back outwards after the small of your back).

Eventually (a day later) I called them up and asked them to put the SS plate aside for me. I realised that the local forum guys were suggesting Alu (2lbs) + STA (2lbs) + SS cam bands, which really was not much difference from a DSS SS medium plate (4.7lbs) with plastic cam bands.

I figure that in the worst scenario that I'm heavily overweighted, I can work out some cheap lightening methods e.g. plastic waist buckle, or even plastic D rings and belt sliders. Or maybe shoulder pads to increase buoyancy. Or I could trade it later on. By the way, it's probably way too drastic, but has anyone taken a soldering iron to carve out portions of a plate for weight reduction purposes? I've heard of it being done to accommodate certain harness slots. Although I guess that would be quite a waste of a beautiful plate.

Also, the shop very kindly agreed to send both rigs for testing/checking to ensure there are no leaks/issues, so hopefully, if everything is ok, we will pick them up in a few days. And if there's anything wrong, well, we haven't put any cash down yet anyway.

Hope it all works out, will update after my Maldives trip!

 

[AdivingBel]

ok, so the travel thing is BS, a SS BP/W with STA, SS cam bands, and basic harness is approximately 12lbs for a full size. 10lbs without the STA. ZET is 6.5lbs, comparable to the Kydex plate. A BP/W fits basically flat in the bottom of a carryon and the 3 pounds there is worth it to offset the lead needed...

I'm sure your SS bp/w works fine for you, but the extra weight can make a big difference with dive travel. My ZET weighs 6 lbs. rigged for travel. The flexible plate (while it can't be rolled or folded) still offers alot of flexiblity when packing, much more so than a solid steel plate. Most warm water travel destinations provide weights with your dive package, so I can't see any reason to pack weights unless you're going somewhere they specifically are not available. With airline baggage restrictions this much weight savings can be really advantageous (even more so if you're traveling/packing with a buddy). In warm water, already diving with so little weight, having the flexibility to have some ditchable allows you to dive in whatever exposure protection best suits the environ plus you can dive larger steel tanks without over weighting concerns. Also being able to remove weight when you go to changeover tanks can be helpful especially in choppy conditions. Again, I'm sure your reasons for diving your rig work for you, but calling the benefits of other systems BS is well...BS.

 

[halocline]

I figure that in the worst scenario that I'm heavily overweighted, I can work out some cheap lightening methods e.g. plastic waist buckle, or even plastic D rings and belt sliders.

You won't be overweighted if you are diving with AL80s. They are 4 lbs positive empty, so your plate basically offsets that. Tropical diving with a thin wetsuit, an AL80, and a SS plate is VERY enjoyable for most divers. If you need a few more pounds to sink your wetsuit, the XS scuba camband pockets are great.

 

[cwoco]

Just a little update:
After being sent for checking, one of the two wings has shown up to be leaking, probably from the long storage period and maybe whatever handling that accompanies being displayed in store for a long time.

We are most likely going to purchase the working one for about $185 tomorrow - there are some doubts as to whether the other one is likely to start leaking too, but the price is rather attractive. We will be picking up the Medium Steel plate as it can fit both my sister and I.

The shop is also looking to patch the remaining one, but we will probably steer clear of that - it's kind of worrying when your 'new' wing has had a history of leaking.

Hope it all works out - if any of you think we should not purchase, please do tell us!

 

[halocline]

The shop is also looking to patch the remaining one, but we will probably steer clear of that - it's kind of worrying when your 'new' wing has had a history of leaking.

Hope it all works out - if any of you think we should not purchase, please do tell us!

If a DSS wing is leaking, the best thing to do is send it back to Tobin (DSS owner) for repair. He's very good at it and it will be as good as new, and he's fast. Some of the plastic compounds used in bladders for wings are not meant to be patched; I don't know if DSS is like that (I kind of doubt it) but he'll either patch it or replace the bladder.

A leaky bladder would not deter me from buying the set up as long as the price includes the cost of repair.

 

[cwoco]

I'm back from the Maldives, and it was awesome! Whale sharks and manta rays were plentiful! But that's a tale for another time.

I did pick up the steel plate and dove with it for 16 dives after adjusting it following the DIR guidelines (or trying to, at least). I don't know if it's because the rig was old, but the webbing was incredibly stiff and hard to adjust. Anyway that was just a one-off setup and I think it also keeps things locked in better.

In terms of weight, I felt reasonably close to correctly weighted with my 3mm suit, possibly a pound or maybe 2 pounds overweight - nothing too drastic. To be safe, I dove with a 2lb weight for the first 3 dives, then removed it and still able to sink pretty rapidly at the start of dives.

On another note, it took me a little while to get used to the dumping, but I was able to get on with my dives without floating off - for all that is claimed about how a horseshoe not inferior to a donut, I must say I would prefer a donut, or at least a right rear dump valve. Specifically, when the current is strong, and/or when diving off the right shoulder on a wall dive, I found situations when air could be trapped on the right side of the wing while finning downwards to counter a sudden current. Sure, when there is no current and in good trim, it is no problem to dump from the inflator hose or left dump valves, but there are definitely situations when dumping from any position is valuable. I was able to deal with this by remembering to exhale while rotating to face up (while the current was blowing), but it would be nicer to be able to dump even with my right butt up in the air.

Oh and in terms of crotch strap, I did feel a hit or two on the boys below doing giant strides. This seemed to be more of the case when I leaned a bit too far forward. It was also not all that comfortable floating at the surface held up by a 2" strap - I found myself pulling the BC down an inch or two by the D waist belt/D rings to relieve pressure when floating for too long. This was more evident when I was more vertical, talking to my group. The pressure reduced when lying back fully.

Overall, I did feel that a bp/w setup was nice, but honestly, I didn't feel that it was really as much of a difference as it is made out to be. I suppose its value is more evident when doing cold water diving or tech diving. I'm still glad I made this purchase and feel I got a good deal, but wouldn't mind switching out to a donut wing if I happen to find someone who wants to trade.

 

[tbone1004]

that actually has more to do with the webbing being new! You actually want it pretty stiff so the harness holds its shape when you aren't in it. Makes donning and doffing much easier.

Didn't realize they were horseshoe wings, sorry. They are a bit easier to tolerate in doubles than in singles, they are a bit unwieldy in singles. Take a picture of it, curious which wing it actually is.

The crotch straps are a little uncomfortable if they are unpadded. You can get padded ones pretty inexpensively, or you can pad your own if your dive shop has a junk wetsuit. Cut the arms off. The padded straps are sold over here for under $20, and the shoulder pads are sold for about $13 and you can just put one of them on there. Will make the experience a bit better