Newbie looking for a hogarthian setup

[decompression]

A 35# will almost certainly be on the inadequate side, generally us cold water divers do Al 80s and Steel 100’s in at least a 40# wing. Any tanks larger (or stages) really need 50# or possibly more. For now, a decent 40# will suit you for along time. As far as drysuit goes, it’s really up to you with a few suggestions I give my tech students.....
- material should be bi or trilam
- pockets, ability to add pockets or able to wear H shorts
- flexible (fit) to allow reaching valves and moving bottles around
- self entry
I also recommend replaceable neck/wrist seals and a p valve.
Resist the temptation to use a double wing for a single and vice versa, it’s just dangerous.

I agree that the Everdry isn’t really what you’d like, DUI, Santi and Aqualung are safe bets. The fusion has unmatched flexibility and size range but a less than perfect pocket design unless you opt or the aircore suits. I’ve been tech diving a fusion for about 10 years now.

I dive and teach hogarthian and trained by 2 DIR agencies.

 

[RainPilot]

Would a 35lb wing as suggested above be suitable for both single and doubles? (I know that its generally recommended to have different wings since the one for a single tank can be smaller) Would a stainless backplate still be recommended with double 100s?

My suggestion would be to get a single tank wing initially and dive the (split) doubles as single back mount. Once you transition to doubles, get a doubles wing. The single wing will still be your travel wing. The exact amount of lift is going to vary but with a drysuit as redundant lift, you can afford to go a little smaller with the wing. A lot is going to depend on whether you are planning to travel much and where.

If you are going to go somewhere warm somewhat regularly, I would say a 30 lb wing and an aluminium backplate will probably be your best compromise for warm water travel and cold water home diving. You can always add lead at home if you need to, or get a second steel plate and harness for home use, they aren't terribly expensive. I would check out Deep6, @cerich is a Canadian and may be able to help out with those crazy import and shipping issues.

I would advise against trying to use a doubles wing for single tank, managing the bubble gets quite demanding and it becomes a false economy.

Whether you need a steel plate for steel 100's is going to depend a lot on your total buoyancy, if you have a low body fat and keep minimal air in the DS then you may find that it makes you a bit heavy. The general rule of thumb seems to be to mix materials ie steel tanks= AL plate and vice versa. This is NOT true for everyone but its a reasonable starting point.

This is probably a few years off for me but I'll keep it in mind.

It may not be as far off as you think. When I teach the Deep speciality, I teach stage bottle for redundancy, at 130' your single tank rock bottom becomes pretty big and your dive times shorter. Also, in cold water you have a higher risk of free flow etc, plus extra gas use for the DS and it all adds up.

An AL40 pony with an LPI hose for the DS is something I would investigate, it's obviously not compulsory but cold water bad vis redundancy is something I would recommend.

 

[KevlarCoated]

Thanks guys,

Don't be the only guy who buys a dry suit from your retailer this year. Go someplace where they sell a LOT of drysuits and have lots of happy dry suit customers. Getting a $2000 dry suit in 3 months that doesn't fit sucks.

This is my fear with seaskin. Im going to go with one of the local stores (probably the DUI Yukon 2) assuming that it will fit nicely stock. Another local store has the Scubapro Evertech breathable, it's more expensive and the shop doesn't seem to sell a huge number of them. Neither store actually stocks them but the DUI store has a close relationship with the factory.

A 35# will almost certainly be on the inadequate side

Are you referring to it being insufficient diving with doubles or with singles as well?

I'm thinking I will start with a single tank setup with the VDH 35lb wing and a DGX SS plate. (I'll buy a larger for doubles in the future)
Tanks Im looking at Faber 100 steel tanks.
Regs I will continue using my current ones and upgrade or get a second one in the future when funds permit.

Thanks again for all the thoughts and suggestions

 

[decompression]

35# should be ok for a single steel depending on your negative ballast. A 40-50 # is generally fine for double steels (100, 120s). As most recommended, single wing for singles, double wing for doubles.