Looking for a "travel" wing...

[RJP]

Tobin, et al...

Looking for a wing to use when I travel. The challenge I think will be that "travel" doesn't necessarily mean "warm water" for me, but I'm hoping to get a single wing that will work for both warm and cold water travel.

I currently have a DiveRite Rec Wing, which is a single/double wing. It's not really ideal for a single tank, but I have been using it here in NJ with a steel 119, steel BP, 6lb STA, can light, wreck reel, etc, so it's been fine. (I mostly bought it in anticipation of doubling the 119s.)

When traveling and typically renting an AL80 the RecWing is more than I need. And it's a bit of a floppy taco, even with the gusset control.

I'm figuring that a smaller wing, made specifically for singles will help streamline me a bit, taco less, pack easier, and just be an all-around better choice.

Here's the specs...

Me:
6'2" tall
185lbs

Current NJ saltwater rig:
DUI Trilam drysuit
BARE 200g thinsulate w/capilene base layer
Steel 119 tank (soon to be doubled)
DiveRite steel plate
Halcyon STA w/6lbs
DiveRite Rec wing w/short inflator hose
No lead
My trim is perfect with this configuration.


Current cold saltwater "travel" rig:
DUI Trilam drysuit
BARE 200g thinsulate w/capilene base layer
AL80 (rental)
DiveRite steel plate
Halcyon STA w/6lbs
DiveRite Rec wing w/short inflator hose
10lbs of lead (on tank cam bands)
My trim is perfect with this configuration.


Expected warm water "travel" rig 1:
DUI tropical drysuit (just received, haven't dived yet)
DUI Stretchliner (relatively thin Polartec fleece)
AL80 (rental)
DiveRite steel plate
Halcyon STA w/6lbs
?????? wing
???lbs of lead (on tank cam bands)

Expected warm water "travel" rig 2:
Xcel 3/4/5 Vortex wetsuit
AL80 (rental)
DiveRite steel plate
Halcyon STA w/6lbs
?????? wing
???lbs of lead (on tank cam bands)

I'm thinking that a TORUS 26 would be a good choice, in that it should apply to all three configs. I would think that the 17 would be pushing it in terms of lift.

Will the Torus 26 work with the Halcyon STA? I really want to keep the STA and the 6lbs it carries to obviate the need for a weight belt.

Hoping to get this figured out quickly, as I'll be doing a liveaboard trip to the Cayman Islands in three weeks! Appreciate any insight you might be able to provide.

Ray

 

[cool_hardware52]

Tobin, et al...

Looking for a wing to use when I travel. The challenge I think will be that "travel" doesn't necessarily mean "warm water" for me, but I'm hoping to get a single wing that will work for both warm and cold water travel.

I currently have a DiveRite Rec Wing, which is a single/double wing. It's not really ideal for a single tank, but I have been using it here in NJ with a steel 119, steel BP, 6lb STA, can light, wreck reel, etc, so it's been fine. (I mostly bought it in anticipation of doubling the 119s.)

When traveling and typically renting an AL80 the RecWing is more than I need. And it's a bit of a floppy taco, even with the gusset control.

I'm figuring that a smaller wing, made specifically for singles will help streamline me a bit, taco less, pack easier, and just be an all-around better choice.

Here's the specs...

Me:
6'2" tall
185lbs

Current NJ saltwater rig:
DUI Trilam drysuit
BARE 200g thinsulate w/capilene base layer
Steel 119 tank (soon to be doubled)
DiveRite steel plate
Halcyon STA w/6lbs
DiveRite Rec wing w/short inflator hose
No lead
My trim is perfect with this configuration.


Current cold saltwater "travel" rig:
DUI Trilam drysuit
BARE 200g thinsulate w/capilene base layer
AL80 (rental)
DiveRite steel plate
Halcyon STA w/6lbs
DiveRite Rec wing w/short inflator hose
10lbs of lead (on tank cam bands)
My trim is perfect with this configuration.


Expected warm water "travel" rig 1:
DUI tropical drysuit (just received, haven't dived yet)
DUI Stretchliner (relatively thin Polartec fleece)
AL80 (rental)
DiveRite steel plate
Halcyon STA w/6lbs
?????? wing
???lbs of lead (on tank cam bands)

Expected warm water "travel" rig 2:
Xcel 3/4/5 Vortex wetsuit
AL80 (rental)
DiveRite steel plate
Halcyon STA w/6lbs
?????? wing
???lbs of lead (on tank cam bands)

I'm thinking that a TORUS 26 would be a good choice, in that it should apply to all three configs. I would think that the 17 would be pushing it in terms of lift.

Will the Torus 26 work with the Halcyon STA? I really want to keep the STA and the 6lbs it carries to obviate the need for a weight belt.

Hoping to get this figured out quickly, as I'll be doing a liveaboard trip to the Cayman Islands in three weeks! Appreciate any insight you might be able to provide.

Ray

Ray,

Without known buoyancy figures for all the exposure suits I can't really provide accurate wing sizes.

Your "cold water travel" configuration tells me your Drysuit is ~20 lbs positive, and your rig maybe as much as 26lbs negative with a full bottle.

A Torus 26 could be right on the edge of being able to float your rig, at the surface with a full cylinder if you ditched it. (Our Torus 26 will likely have a few more pounds of lift if used with a STA and more steeply bent plate.) If you move a few of the 10 lbs on the cambands to a weight belt you'd be fine with a 26. Having all your ballast on the rig requies a larger wing. A 26 is plenty to deal with a Drysuit failure.

I'll take a stab at your warmwater #2, I am assuming your wetsuit is 10 lbs positive.

If your suit is +10, and your AL 80 is +4 empty, you will need about 12 -14 lbs total ballast. Your plate and STA are -12, and your reg is about -2 so you should not need much other ballast (assuming I guessed right on your suit)

Your rig will be a max of about -16 with a full cylinder, 6 for the plate, 6 for the STA, -2 for a reg and -2 for a full al 80.

A TTW 17 will float your rig, and provide more than enough lift to compensate for a full compressd wetsuit. A Torus 26 is of course more than enough for both.

If I assume that your warm water Drysuit sill be less buoyant than your cold water, dry suit, then a Toru 26 should work for that application also.


Tobin

 

[RJP]

If I assume that your warm water Drysuit sill be less buoyant than your cold water, dry suit, then a Toru 26 should work for that application also.


Tobin

Tobin - thanks for the info.

Do you know if the Torus 26 can accomodate the Halcyon STA? Will the "built in Wobble Stopper" cause any difficulties if paired up with the DiveRite plate and the Halcyon STA?

Ra

 

[cool_hardware52]

Tobin - thanks for the info.

Do you know if the Torus 26 can accomodate the Halcyon STA? Will the "built in Wobble Stopper" cause any difficulties if paired up with the DiveRite plate and the Halcyon STA?

Ra

I don't think the Wobble stopper will interfer, but even if it does they are easy to remove, just use a seam ripper.

Tobin