Dorian
Registered
Take a look at the Halcyon travel BC. Its a great backplate.
Light(est??) BP/W combination
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This is what I have so far.
Or about 4.85lbs
I saw references to OxyCheq "Speed harness with Composite Buckle" but could not find details of it. I think that would save about 150 grams.
Really tough to beat the Zeagle Covert at 3.9 lbs!
| Items | Weight (grams) |
| OxyCheq Composite Cam Strap ( 2 x 172 grams) | 344 |
| OxyCheq Ultra Lite Travel Plate | 255 |
| OxyCheq Hogarthian Harness | 600 |
| OxyCheq 18# MACH V Signature Series Single Tank Wing | 918 |
| Stainless Steel Sex Bolt ( 2 * 42 grams ) | 84 |
| Total | 2201 |
Or about 4.85lbs
I saw references to OxyCheq "Speed harness with Composite Buckle" but could not find details of it. I think that would save about 150 grams.
Really tough to beat the Zeagle Covert at 3.9 lbs!
I use a VHD Plate with a Oxycheq Mach V wing. It's simply my favorite setup for travel. The plate and entire rig is light weight and easily fits into my carry-on bag. Can't say enough good things about this plate, It should work with any small wing (HOG, Oxycheq, DiveRite, etc)
http://vintagedoublehose.com/index....d=175#!/~/product/category=1874499&id=8445452
http://vintagedoublehose.com/index....d=175#!/~/product/category=1874499&id=8445452
ams511
Contributor
Sorry I am a bit late to this thread but I do need to comment. I do not have a Zeagle Covert to compare it to but the Oxycheq is one of the heaviest built wings on the market, if not the heaviest. They use a heavy weight fabric and a thick bladder. Another consideration is the Oxycheq wing does not fold well. A DSS, Hollis, Hog, or Dive Rite wing would probably be lighter and more foldable. Also you do not need the metal sex bolts, plastic ones will do or you can do without. For the Oxycheq plate all you need is a 10 foot section of webbing not a complete Hog harness. The extra length and the steel hardware is bumping up your weight.
I am not dissing the Covert, I just find it hard to believe that it is so light compared to a wing with a fabric plate.
A speed harness is just 10 feet of webbing and a plastic buckle, nothing else. You probably will not use the entire 10 feet.
Rich Keller
Contributor
The lightest thing I can come up with is a commercial diving harness paired with an Oxycheq 18lb wing. These were not made to be used together so you would need to customize both to connect them. I opted for the Dive Rite Travel EXP 26lb wing instead of the Oxychen only because the Dive Rite packed flatter in my suitcase. You can usually find commercial diving harnesses on ebay starting at $25 but the weight of each will vary depending on how many D rings are built into it. The first pic is a bail out harness and will be lighter then the bell harness in the second pic. Some of these harnesses are adjustable but most can not be adjusted so if you buy one make sure the size is right.
+1 for the Zeagle Covert. It is a nice piece of gear and the weight is great. I added a couple of pockets on the belt and it is still slightly over 4# including the integrated weight pockets. Very stable in the water.
eelnoraa
Contributor
I usually like UTD stuff, but this setup is a bit on the strange side. From what I can see, the rig itself has no structure support. The tank is the structure support. The wing attach to to the soft webbing harness via book screw, but the tank is strap to the wing only. So 2 things (not very strong) supports the weight in a serial fashion: 1) the book screw and the grommet on the wing. 2) The band slots on the wing. If one of these fails, the tank will fall off.
Now I am not saying they will fail or won't work, just I don't know in long term, how will this hold up. BTW, the wing looks like a Oxycheq 18lb, which is $350. And $500 additional for the rest??? And people are saying Halcyon is expansive.
I am currently using the vdh singles mini-plate. I had been using true Oxy fabric plate and compared to the vdh mini plate, the fabric plate is a little bit lighter but much more unstable in that anything other than the aluminum 63/80 tanks it was designed for, in terms of being negative in buoyancy, the cylinder will roll/flop side to side. The vdh aluminum mini-plate very small and light but can support modern high pressure and negative cylinders without compromising stability.
A significant contributor to weight, once you have gone to a fabric plate or something very small and tiny like the vdh plate remains the metal buckles, cam bands and D rings and wing itself. I really hate plastic for these things though for some it might be acceptable. what I really want is a titanium buckle and titanium D rings. I am okay with plastic cam bands since there are two with most plate, a failure of one does not leave you strangled by the regulator hose.
Currently there are no fabric bladder, self bladder wings on the market I have been able to find. For a travel wing, this remains a limitation in reducing weight. Again a compromise in durability but one some, including me, would consider.
Some may not understand the quest for super light gear when the first thing we do is strap lead all over the place. But dive resorts and charter boats have plenty of lead and fabric weight pockets add very little to the travel weight and most people are traveling to warm water locations where minimal weight is needed regardless of the weight of the plate and gear.
N
A significant contributor to weight, once you have gone to a fabric plate or something very small and tiny like the vdh plate remains the metal buckles, cam bands and D rings and wing itself. I really hate plastic for these things though for some it might be acceptable. what I really want is a titanium buckle and titanium D rings. I am okay with plastic cam bands since there are two with most plate, a failure of one does not leave you strangled by the regulator hose.
Currently there are no fabric bladder, self bladder wings on the market I have been able to find. For a travel wing, this remains a limitation in reducing weight. Again a compromise in durability but one some, including me, would consider.
Some may not understand the quest for super light gear when the first thing we do is strap lead all over the place. But dive resorts and charter boats have plenty of lead and fabric weight pockets add very little to the travel weight and most people are traveling to warm water locations where minimal weight is needed regardless of the weight of the plate and gear.
N
What size tank did you use? Amongst my other sins is that I tend to use a lot of air and usually as for the 15L if the dive center has it.
---------- Post added August 30th, 2014 at 07:54 AM ----------
Thanks for the info on the oxycheq fabric BP. So, I understand for you the trade off between the additional weight of the Aluminum BP worth the extra stability. That's the kind of trade off info that I am hoping to get.
Have you found the titanium buckles & D rings? In my search I have not come across them.
---------- Post added August 30th, 2014 at 07:57 AM ----------
Thanks for the info on "packability". That's very very useful. I will take that's into consideration. Looking at them I thought all wings will pack flat!
The vdh mini plate is much smaller and lighter than the typical doubles bent plate that so many use for singles diving. Yes, the tradeoff against the Oxy fabric plate is worth it to me to get that extra stability. That said, the Oxy fabric travel plate is a completely serviceable piece, as long as it is used as intended, with aluminum 63 and aluminum 80 tanks.
No, I have not found any aluminum or titanium D rings. Since I have broken the plastic ones and also broke some heavy duty hydraulic O-rings I was using as a D ring, I would prefer aluminum or titanium.
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No, I have not found any aluminum or titanium D rings. Since I have broken the plastic ones and also broke some heavy duty hydraulic O-rings I was using as a D ring, I would prefer aluminum or titanium.
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