VDH wing and bladder

[Bryan@Vintage Double Hose]

Just because I use an 18 for all my diving I can't say with certainty what will work for you as there are just too many variables.
I'm used to dealing with divers who know already what they need. So I won't BS you or waste your time telling you a definite buy this or by that as I don't have enough information to give you an answer I'm comfortable with backing up.

 

[Couv]

@Diver below 83 Personally, I think you've answered your own question here:

but 23# would give me the flexibility to do colder water with thicker coverage etc.

However, far be it from me not to give someone (especially a new diver) a bit of homework.
Have a look at this thread: Optimal Buoyancy Computer I'm sure you'll find as close to a definitive answer as possible there.

 

[lexvil]

I have the 18 and the 35, I would hazard a guess that the 23 is for people afraid to just go with the 18. In warm water the 18 is perfect, low profile, low drag, I’m 6’5” 245lbs, negative/neutral in salt and with my aluminum freedom plate I’ll carry 8lbs most of the time. I dive the 35 in Monterey, its low profile and has enough lift, I dive a drysuit and 38 lbs of lead, running no air in the wing so I can keep as muck loft in my suit to avoid squeeze and stay warm (in the shell suit) for the neoprene suit I do about 33 to 35 lbs lead because the neoprene has a softer squeeze.

If memory serves the 18 has nearly 23 lbs of lift in fresh water and the 35 has about 43lbs, measured by me in my pool.

 

[Diver below 83]

@Diver below 83 Personally, I think you've answered your own question here:


However, far be it from me not to give someone (especially a new diver) a bit of homework.
Have a look at this thread: Optimal Buoyancy Computer I'm sure you'll find as close to a definitive answer as possible there.

That’s what I was thinking. But based off Bryan’s description i think 18 may work fine. Thanks for the link. Checking it out now

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I’ve used the 18 wing in 50 degree water wearing a 7mm two piece suit and a steel 120 and had enough lift to dive.
The wing didn’t have enough lift to float the rig on the surface with a 4 lb. Freedom Plate, but then I wasn’t too concerned about it since I considered the rig part of me from when I got in to when I got out with no plans to ditch it during the dive.
If I can do that then an 18 is big enough for a 5 mil and an aluminum 80.

 

[Jay]

FWIW it seems many of the SB VDH18 owners use it with a 5mm, as I do occasionally too.

 

[Diver below 83]

Any users of the 23# in here? What’s your personal usage for that

 

[stuartv]

Any users of the 23# in here? What’s your personal usage for that

Well, I have a HOG 23... I bought the 23, well, partly because it was the smallest wing HOG makes and DRiS had a really nice Black Friday price on it a few years ago.

But, at the time, I also had a bit of what @lexvil said above. A little fear of the unknown and worry that a smaller wing might not be big enough. 23 seemed like it gave me some margin of safety that I might need at some point. I had been diving a DSS 30# wing and seeing all the integrated BCDs with 40 - 45 # of lift. 18 sounded so small (scary small)!

Now, I have the VDH 18 (which I have not dived yet) and it sounds so small (delightfully small)!

I don't expect to ever use the HOG 23 again. If the 18 is too small, I will switch to the VDH 35. It is remarkably streamlined. I wasn't sure about that until I looked at some pictures and a short video clip of myself diving the 35. Next to an AL80 (and me), it looked really small! If I'm diving a single tank and a drysuit, I'll use the 35. Otherwise, I think it's 18 all the way...

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

The reason so many convention jackets and back inflates have such huge lift capacities is because the manufacturer has to plan for the worst case scenario with weighting. First, most of them are weight integrated so that could mean weighting for a 7mm wetsuit or worse yet a drysuit with maximum thickness undergarments, and an aluminum tank. There is also the possibility of the diver being slightly or grossly overweighted in this day and age. This could mean a huge amount of weight on the unit, and in order to guarantee a margin of safety and to float the rig they put a gargantuan air cell on them.
I don’t believe you could ever find a jacket with an 18 lb lift air cell. That’s a custom thing

 

[ams511]

Well, I have a HOG 23... I bought the 23, well, partly because it was the smallest wing HOG makes and DRiS had a really nice Black Friday price on it a few years ago.

But, at the time, I also had a bit of what @lexvil said above. A little fear of the unknown and worry that a smaller wing might not be big enough. 23 seemed like it gave me some margin of safety that I might need at some point. I had been diving a DSS 30# wing and seeing all the integrated BCDs with 40 - 45 # of lift. 18 sounded so small (scary small)!

Now, I have the VDH 18 (which I have not dived yet) and it sounds so small (delightfully small)!

I don't expect to ever use the HOG 23 again. If the 18 is too small, I will switch to the VDH 35. It is remarkably streamlined. I wasn't sure about that until I looked at some pictures and a short video clip of myself diving the 35. Next to an AL80 (and me), it looked really small! If I'm diving a single tank and a drysuit, I'll use the 35. Otherwise, I think it's 18 all the way...

When you switched from the DSS 30 to the Hog, did you notice a big difference in your diving? or going from the Hog to the VDH 35?