Help me understand the different BCD types.

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If you use a double wing on a single cylinder it will be too large and wrap too far around the tank.

If you use a single wing on a twin-set, it will be too small and not wrap correctly around the cylinders.

(at least that’s what I have always been told)

here a pic of my single wing on the top of my double wing: they are both 40lb lift. Don’t worry about the toilet paper ... babies were having fun in the room

:eek::eek:

View attachment 608596
So basically you’re just swapping one wing out for the other...depending on what your dive plan is for that day...
 
So basically you’re just swapping one wing out for the other...depending on what your dive plan is for that day...
I dive mostly doubles now. I’ll bring my single wing on holidays if the dive centre rents only single cylinders.


But yea either you do that or have two kits. (the harness is cheap and you should be able to buy a second hand backplate for cheap)
 
I dive mostly doubles now. I’ll bring my single wing on holidays if the dive centre rents only single cylinders.


But yea either you do that or have two kits. (the harness is cheap and you should be able to buy a second hand backplate for cheap)
How do you determine how much lift you need for the wing...size of the diver...the tanks being used....sorry if am asking too much
 
If you use a double wing on a single cylinder it will be too large and wrap too far around the tank.

If you use a single wing on a twin-set, it will be too small and not wrap correctly around the cylinders.

(at least that’s what I have always been told)

here a pic of my single wing on the top of my double wing: they are both 40lb lift. Don’t worry about the toilet paper ... babies were having fun in the room

:eek::eek:

View attachment 608596
That's a great looking wing! I actually ordered my Infinity rig Saturday with black webbing, urban camo wing and yellow gusset and then urban camo ACB pockets! Can't wait until it comes in! Gotta love the perks of being staff at a LDS! Of course it helps, too, when the LDS has Halcyon rigs for students to use for OW because I got to use them whenever I wanted, which definitely helped with my decision.


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How do you determine how much lift you need for the wing...size of the diver...the tanks being used....sorry if am asking too much
You can never ask too much !

Well I am not an expert but I’d say, for cold water, if you take 30lbs for a single wing you are likely to be sorted and 40lbs is enough on doubles for most people. (I think you can get away with less lift for a single cylinder if you dive a warm area because you won’t wear a thick wetsuit)

The exact way you determine how much lift you need is complicated.

You need to know how much negative you’ll be at the worst point of the dive: the big unknown if you use a wetsuit is how much it will compress at depth. When a wetsuit compress it will lose buoyancy and that can be quite a big factor if you go deep. Also the air in a single cylinder will add roughly 2.5kg at the beginning of a dive.

This assumes that you are neutral at the end of the dive when your tank will be at the minimum pressure reserve you choose.

Also if you want to be strict you should plan for the loss of a wing, this means that if you are more than 5kg negative at some point you probably want a second source of buoyancy. This can be a lift bag, a DSMB or a drysuit.

Some other people here with more experience will chime in ...

Alternatively, find some people in your area who have the configuration you want and ask them questions or even to try their equipment if you know them well ?

EDIT: I bought my 40lbs single wing thinking that it cannot hurt to have 10 more lbs.

If I could change it, I’d prefer to have a 30lbs.

The 30lbs is slightly more streamlined so it’s a bit easier to dump and move the air to the valve by raising the lower left side.
 
Well look at that, Mark must have read your question (nah, he's been polling for interests lately, your not unique in your questions:snorkel:)


I watched this yesterday, and thought it quite fits this thread. Tho BP/W masterrace is kept out of the equasion for once, since everyone knows what style would get the most attention. Nice to see a video about the 'softy' BCD's for once.
 
Well look at that, Mark must have read your question (nah, he's been polling for interests lately, your not unique in your questions:snorkel:)


I watched this yesterday, and thought it quite fits this thread. Tho BP/W masterrace is kept out of the equasion for once, since everyone knows what style would get the most attention. Nice to see a video about the 'softy' BCD's for once.
Mark is one of my go to sources on you tube...
 
Well, over the weekend I was able to try out a back inflate, I must say I liked it much better than the jacket. I was able to drop at 2lbs from my weight for one, I also felt much better in the water. I think I might go with one of the Dive Express BP/W setups, I'm fine putting something together myself, and I did not feel like I was being pushed forward in the water when I was on the surface. Was a much better experience underwater.
 
Well, over the weekend I was able to try out a back inflate, I must say I liked it much better than the jacket. I was able to drop at 2lbs from my weight for one, I also felt much better in the water. I think I might go with one of the Dive Express BP/W setups, I'm fine putting something together myself, and I did not feel like I was being pushed forward in the water when I was on the surface. Was a much better experience underwater.
The only thing that may be a bit of a learning curve is that a BPW does not come usually with pockets.

You have to use either the drysuit pockets, or wear shorts with pockets (they are called Tech Shorts I think) and you need to learn to clip things on the d-rings.

It may take a bit of time before you are used to use boltsnaps with gloves reliably and/or taking things from the thigh pockets and putting them back.

But it works well once you get past the learning curve.
 
The DGX setup is a good deal.

For pockets, you can also buy an accessory pocket at DGX and add it to the waist or arm strap.

I bought the $25 pocket and slid it right on my waist strap. If you go this route, decide if you want a vertical or horizontal pocket.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

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