What rig do I need

[jdfmail]

I dive in tropical water in Thailand. I wear either a 0.5mm profile or a 3mm full wetsuit. I dive purely recreational. I use a Oceanic Excursion now and I use 4kg of weight, two in the front and two in the back. I'm 5"11 200 pounds. I only use the tanks given to me. I have no idea what they are, but they are always the same. I know I want to switch to BP/W and based on all the positive feedback I figure DSS is the way to go. Most of my diving is close but I do normally fly to the dive sites on local flights that have weight restrictions. I want something simple and comfortable, durable and easy to dive. Thanks for any help. I've looked at the website and the rig configurator but just not sure what is best. Also, when using the rig configurator, is there anything else needed or is everything included. Where do you put the extra weight? Can pockets be added?

Jon

 

[cool_hardware52]

I dive in tropical water in Thailand. I wear either a 0.5mm profile or a 3mm full wetsuit. I dive purely recreational. I use a Oceanic Excursion now and I use 4kg of weight, two in the front and two in the back. I'm 5"11 200 pounds. I only use the tanks given to me. I have no idea what they are, but they are always the same. I know I want to switch to BP/W and based on all the positive feedback I figure DSS is the way to go. Most of my diving is close but I do normally fly to the dive sites on local flights that have weight restrictions. I want something simple and comfortable, durable and easy to dive. Thanks for any help. I've looked at the website and the rig configurator but just not sure what is best. Also, when using the rig configurator, is there anything else needed or is everything included. Where do you put the extra weight? Can pockets be added?

Jon

Jon,

Most likely you are using aluminum 80's for tanks. These tanks have a flat bottom without a boot.

With a 3mm suit and al 80 you need about 8 lbs of ballast, 4 lbs to offset the buoyancy of the tank (+4 empty) and about 4 lbs to offset the 3mm suit.

A medium SS plate and harness is about -6 lbs and a reg is about -2 lbs. Bingo you probably do not need any other ballast. In only a dive skin you will be a bit over weighted.

You don't need much wing capacity. Your suit can only loose about 4 lbs., and your rig will only be about 10 lbs negative with a full cylinder.

Our smallest wing, the Torus 17 is enough.

Our complete rigs are just that, complete. Nothing else to buy.

BTW a SS plate is only about 3 lbs heavier for travel than a Kydex plate.

If you use a kydex plate you will need a weight belt.

Tobin

 

[jdfmail]

Thank you Tobin,

Is there any advantage to using the SS or the Kydex plate? I like the idea of less weight for travel but I suppose if needed I could carry the plate on with my regs. Also, would it be ok to get a slightly larger wing to provide a bit more flexibility in the event I dive in cooler waters in the future? Perhaps a 5mm for Bali for example. 17 sounds so small.

Finally, is there any difference between the Taurus and the LCD wings other than the zipper?

Jon

 

[cool_hardware52]

Thank you Tobin,

Is there any advantage to using the SS or the Kydex plate? I like the idea of less weight for travel but I suppose if needed I could carry the plate on with my regs. Also, would it be ok to get a slightly larger wing to provide a bit more flexibility in the event I dive in cooler waters in the future? Perhaps a 5mm for Bali for example. 17 sounds so small.

Finally, is there any difference between the Taurus and the LCD wings other than the zipper?

Jon

If you use the kydex plate you will need additional ballast with your 3 mm suit.

We can always sell you a bigger wing, we make 13 different ones. The 17 is plenty for the application you asked about.

Few 5mm suits will be more than about 12-14 lbs positive.

The LCD wings are Horeshoe style, and the Torus wings are "Donut" style.

Both types use 3 inch wide center panels and both types are streamlined.

Both dive almost exactly the same.

Tobin

 

[jdfmail]

Tobin

I know this guy here in Thailand that is selling his Kydex Med with Tourus 26 and HOG harness. Do you think that this is a suitable rig for me? If so how much ballast do you think I will need with the 3mm suit mentioned above. I know you recommended the 17 and SS Med. What should I do? Buy a new rig as recommended from you, buy this complete used rig, or buy the wing from him and the SS from you. (the wing is the most expensive, I would not just buy the used plate as the savings is marginal)

Thanks for your time.

Jon

 

[cool_hardware52]

Tobin

I met a guy here in Thailand that is selling his Kydex Med with Tourus 26 and HOG harness. Do you think that this is a suitable rig for me? If so how much ballast do you think I will need with the 3mm suit mentioned above. I know you recommended the 17 and SS Med. I want to go with your recommendation, but this one is here and he only wants $200 for it. What should I do? Buy a new rig as recommended from you, buy this complete used rig, or buy the wing from him and the SS from you. (the wing is the most expensive, I would not just buy the used plate as the savings is marginal)

Thanks for your time.

Jon

A 26 lbs lift wing and a lightweight plate are an odd combination.

If your application requires ~26 lbs of lift, by definition you need ballast. Remember the wing needs to; float your rig at the surface, and compensate for the change in buoyancy of your exposure suit.

With a SS plate, full al 80 and regulator your rig will be about -10 lbs.

Most tropical suits, i.e. 3mm are only a few lbs positive.


Will a T-26 + Kydex plate work for you? Maybe, but it's not what I would recommend.

Tobin

 

[jdfmail]

Thanks for the feedback. Truly appreciated!

 

[Tortuga68]

For what it's worth, I dive similar conditions/height/weight/wetsuit using a halcyon eclipse SS BP and 30# wing/single tank with no ballast

I'm converting to an alloy BP (for travel) with the same setup, and adding some (ditchable) weight to compensate for the lighter BP

Just another option you may want to consider

 

[cool_hardware52]

For what it's worth, I dive similar conditions/height/weight/wetsuit using a halcyon eclipse SS BP and 30# wing/single tank with no ballast

I'm converting to an alloy BP (for travel) with the same setup, and adding some (ditchable) weight to compensate for the lighter BP

Just another option you may want to consider

As I have pointed out before, tropical diving with thin suits and al 80's requires very little wing capacity. One could in theory use a 10-12 lbs wing if they existed.

The down side of over sized wings include greater drag and tank wrap.

The combination of a ~4-6 lbs weight belt and a buoyant tank up between your shoulder blades can make horizontal trim more difficult.

The dry travel weight difference between most SS plates and al plates is ~3 lbs or less. The "in water" difference is about 4 lbs.

Tobin