GillScales
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Try. Aquatecusa.com. For horsecollars
Best bp/wing for double hose
- Thread starter EHowe
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I usually use an Oxy 18 or 30 pound Mach V wing with the Oxy fabric plate. It works wonderfully with a double hose or a single hose. It is by far the best, most compact and rugged wing system on the market. And, to reiterate, yes, it is perfect with a Phoenix:
And with no modification swaps right into a single hose rig:
I currently have Dive Rite weight pockets on my Oxy rig to eliminate the weight belt. It takes about five minutes to remove them if I wanted to use a weight belt instead of the weight integration pockets.
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And with no modification swaps right into a single hose rig:
I currently have Dive Rite weight pockets on my Oxy rig to eliminate the weight belt. It takes about five minutes to remove them if I wanted to use a weight belt instead of the weight integration pockets.
N
+1 on both the freedom plate and the Oxychec travel plate.
I used the travel plate with my PRAM before getting an aluminum Freedom plate and both work well.
Smaller 18-30 pound wings work well with a single tank as do a few of the crossover wings like the DR Rec wing or the 40 pound Deep Outdoors wing.
I used the travel plate with my PRAM before getting an aluminum Freedom plate and both work well.
Smaller 18-30 pound wings work well with a single tank as do a few of the crossover wings like the DR Rec wing or the 40 pound Deep Outdoors wing.
elmer fudd
Contributor
I was advised to buy a Freedom Plate back when I got into DH diving and I chose not to. Really wish I'd done so now.
Having said that however, I've dove DH regs with a variety of harnesses and BC's now and I've found a few things that work. The number one problem with modern BC's and BPW's is that they use two cam bands and the top one is too high to allow for proper tank mounting with a DH. My BPW is my best modern rig, yet my worst for diving with a double hose. If I combine that with an 8" tank it makes for an almost unbreathable double hose experience. The tank ends up too high and the reg sits way too far off my back. A modern backplate with a STA sets your tank about 3/4" away from your back to start with, then the E-8 tank adds another 1/2". My best DH setup is an old set of Sportsways doubles with the original plate and harness. Those things couldn't sit any closer to my back and they're secure and comfortable to boot. With the manifold set up with the outlet facing down you can wear the tanks higher while still keeping the regulator low.
I've also got an old plastic backplate from the 60's. It's got a psychedelic swirled pattern and looks like something Jerry Garcia would have used. That thing is also great. It very much resembles ZKY's freedom plate except it is made of plastic and sets the tank about 1" away from my lower back. This is good for clearing a weight belt. At the topside though it sits flush with my shoulder blades.
I've got one of those old hollow plastic plates as well. They're very easy to find, (just take apart most old BC's), and they work pretty well with DH regs. They do add a little more distance between your back and the reg though. Not a lot, so it's not a major problem, but there are better plates out there. Still, you may have one floating around and not even realize it, and they do work reasonably well. You can also fill them up with lead shot to add weight to them.
As I mentioned earlier, tanks make a difference. LP72's were 6.9" in diameter, modern tanks are 7.25" or 8". That sets the reg further from your back, especially with the 8" tank. Also, the LP tanks breathe better with the unbalanced DH regs. 3500 psi air and olld unbalanced regs just don't mix that well. That shouldn't be an issue with your Phoenix, but you'll find that DH regs are like potato chips and you can't have just one. Of course, you can always let some air out.
Having said that however, I've dove DH regs with a variety of harnesses and BC's now and I've found a few things that work. The number one problem with modern BC's and BPW's is that they use two cam bands and the top one is too high to allow for proper tank mounting with a DH. My BPW is my best modern rig, yet my worst for diving with a double hose. If I combine that with an 8" tank it makes for an almost unbreathable double hose experience. The tank ends up too high and the reg sits way too far off my back. A modern backplate with a STA sets your tank about 3/4" away from your back to start with, then the E-8 tank adds another 1/2". My best DH setup is an old set of Sportsways doubles with the original plate and harness. Those things couldn't sit any closer to my back and they're secure and comfortable to boot. With the manifold set up with the outlet facing down you can wear the tanks higher while still keeping the regulator low.
I've also got an old plastic backplate from the 60's. It's got a psychedelic swirled pattern and looks like something Jerry Garcia would have used. That thing is also great. It very much resembles ZKY's freedom plate except it is made of plastic and sets the tank about 1" away from my lower back. This is good for clearing a weight belt. At the topside though it sits flush with my shoulder blades.
I've got one of those old hollow plastic plates as well. They're very easy to find, (just take apart most old BC's), and they work pretty well with DH regs. They do add a little more distance between your back and the reg though. Not a lot, so it's not a major problem, but there are better plates out there. Still, you may have one floating around and not even realize it, and they do work reasonably well. You can also fill them up with lead shot to add weight to them.
As I mentioned earlier, tanks make a difference. LP72's were 6.9" in diameter, modern tanks are 7.25" or 8". That sets the reg further from your back, especially with the 8" tank. Also, the LP tanks breathe better with the unbalanced DH regs. 3500 psi air and olld unbalanced regs just don't mix that well. That shouldn't be an issue with your Phoenix, but you'll find that DH regs are like potato chips and you can't have just one. Of course, you can always let some air out.
elmer fudd
Contributor
One other thing I like are Hog style harnesses. I'm not a DIR diver myself, but I think this is one thing that they got right and that also really lends itself to vintage diving. They're cheap, simple and rugged and most of the old backplates are completely compatable with them.
No, not with either the Freedom Plate or the Oxy fabric plate that I like, both allow the tank to be set as low as needed despite using two cam bands. There is also what is known as the "Nemrod Mod" where a Dive Rite STA is cut with additional slots and shortened. I have posted it many times overt the last decade and it allows the tank to sit low enough to be acceptable.
Not exactly, since the Phoenix is actually longer through the body than an unmodified Aqua Lung the additional girth of the aluminum 80 is as I see it an advantage in that it restores the position of the regulator bottom can to riding against/on your back, not gouging into it.
Another general point, me being a rebel and not much buying into either current Padi tripe or vintage urban legend, I am just not into the dragging the tank behind me ape rigged style. It is not needed and accomplishes nothing good if I have and maintain a good horizontal position in the water while swimming. Now, if I were to swim feet down and head up as do many divers with poor trim/over weighted or as often necessitated by being over weighted in a horsecollar, then, yes, wearing the tank what I call "ape rigged" might be helpful to breathing. I prefer to trim for and maintain as close to a horizontal position in the water as possible, even slightly head down. This allows me to effectively use a frog kick or modified scissor and keeps my feet and wake up away from the reef and my camera close to the subjects on the reef.
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