Using a wing set-up for recreational diving?

[Oldbear]

I have four weight intragrated BCDs, two BP/Ws and now a Sidemount rig...and I do almost exclusive diving with Recreational limits...within NDLs. For me the equipment I chose to dive in is based on that dive(s) objectives and goals. My most frequent objective is to just have a good time so I dive with whatever rig I am in the mood for that day.

 

[Rich Keller]

I switched to a wing just because it packs better for trips then a jacket. I do not see much difference in performance but I weight myself like I used to before BCs were invented so I have little use for either one. The only part I bought new was the wing itself the rest was used. The used part was not a standard back plate but a commercial diving harness I had leftover that I adapted to attach a wing. This is a single tank setup that cannot be converted for use with doubles but I have no need for that on vacation dives. I would suggest you wait until you find a good deal on the parts you want to buy used while you research the size and type of wing you may need in the future.

 

[geoff w]

My wife and I got certified in jacket style BCs (ScubaPro Classic) 21 years ago. She's petite and was always floating a bit in her BC. About 10 years ago she got a new BC (ladies Zeagle back inflate) and used it on just one trip to Bonaire, then went back to her ill fitting ScubaPro. In 2011 I picked up a couple of DiveRite backplates and wings, along with the TransPlate harness and weight pockets, and never looked back. My wife, who is completely non-technical and not into equipment, raves about how great her setup is. Ours are set up very much for recreational diving, with adjustable straps, quick release buckles, integrated weight pockets, pull dump valves on our wings, and integrated octo/inflators (Atomic SS-1). It's totally blasphemous for tech diving purists, but works for us. I probably have 2/3 of my career dives now in a backplate over that past 4 years. We got rid of my wife's old BC on eBay (easy to sell) and I keep mine for classes in the pool (chlorine is bad for dive gear)

There's a wide range in how recreational you can set up a backplate and wing, ranging from none to very. Personally, I like the comfort and adjustability of my setup, and we now have lighter weight backplates and harnesses for tropical vacation diving (use the same small wings). I've noticed with the weight centered on your back by the tank and the wing in a horizontal position, it's much easier to maintain good trim and buoyancy than a jacket style BC, where the air can be moving all around.

If you decide to go the technical route in the future, it's easy to either restring your backplate with continuous webbing, or just pick up another backplate and set it up with different webbing. I do a lot of shore dives locally, so appreciate the padded shoulders and adjustability to accommodate diving both wet and dry

Getting a backplate and wing setup and sitting on in for a couple of years on the off chance you're going to get into technical diving (you'll be spending lots more for training and gear than just a backplate) is crazy! If you decide to get one, go for it and start diving it. Search here on Scubaboard and you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who switched from a backplate and wing to a more traditional BC

 

[kr2y5]

tech wings for recreational dives OR are they kind of a pain to set-up

No pain to setup, and less pain to travel with... easier to pack.

 

[Diving Dubai]

I migrated to a BP/W as soon as I returned to diving again after a 5 year break. I have over 200 recreational dives on my wing (s) There is no right nor wrong setup - what ever works for you. I Started with the basic harness set up, a SS plate and SS tank adaptor. I now have a Diverite Transpac XT plateless comfort harness with their 36ib bladder which I use in when our waters get warmer and for vacation - with a Steel tank I carry 2lbs of lead. For the winter I have an Apex Comfort harness with the SS Backplate and STA for my Dry suit. All I do is switch over the bladders.

Both harnesses are identically set up with 2 pockets on the waist band which I use to keep my SMB in one and torches, reef hook gloves in the other. Stuff like Strobes, Z cutters which I've fixed to the wings are similarly replicated as I can't be bothered to strip down one to change kit over.

I use the comfort harnesses as I dive boats and I like the weight of a tank on my hips (after a back injury) The quick adjustments offered by the plastic clips don't come into play given that once a rig is set you don't need to adjust (unless the webbing stretches or you change in body size)

Ask any truthful wing owner and they will confess that actually they have a bunch of spares after tweaking and changing their wing set ups (because they can)

I don't go with the DIR/GUE set up of a fixed amount of D-rings, I have 8 on mine - I use one on either side of a pocket to keep it in place and stuff that is stowed in pockets is neatly clipped on for security. I also carry stages for deco and safety so they're clipped off too and on my plate there is a lift bag, spare SMB etc etc. My kit is modified to the diving I do and the location I dive. Yours would be rigged to suit you

As others have said - buy Regs for now - if you go tech you'll add anyway. I started off with a basic legend set up, now I have a LX Supreme as a main reg, A couple of Apex regs and 1st stages capable of 100%12 x 15l cylinders, 6 x 40cf stages a Dive X scooter blah blah blah. Don't EVER thing you'll but once and that will be it!

 

[hhjames]

Set yourself up with a backplate and wing and you won't regret it. Get used to it for a while. The nice part as mentioned previously is that you can change the wing between a singles and doubles set up to suit your dives. Start with what you have for the singles set up, let your bank act recharge, get a lot of dives. Then, go for the more advanced classes that require doubles, more regs, etc when you feel you are ready. Also previously alluded to, the things rarely wear out so you will just be adding to your current set up.


Henry James

 

[TSandM]

I can't even imagine what I would use 8 D-rings for. I have loops in my pockets to clip the contents to, and other than that, the three D-rings I have have always seemed to be more than enough.

 

[decompression]

I can't even imagine what I would use 8 D-rings for. I have loops in my pockets to clip the contents to, and other than that, the three D-rings I have have always seemed to be more than enough.

With 8 D rings I could look like a gypsy wagon.........


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nimoh]

I could see 8 d-rings if some are used to clip off things in pockets, although I think having the d-ring (or bungees) inside the pocket would probably be better.

I have 5 d-rings (left/right chest, left hip, front/rear crotch strap). I use bungee loops in pockets (4 pockets and 2 bungee loops in each for 8 bungee loops), so I guess I have 13 clip off points in my GUE compatible rig

 

[Robert Thompson]

Moving to a BP/wing on a single setup and getting used to how it dives for a while might be an easier transition. Going from a jacket style BC straight to a wing and doubles can be a large leap and create excessive task loading.