Question Yet another BP/W purchasing question

[Snoegie]

Sorry in advance to the repetitive nature of these kinds of questions (I did search before posting for something that answers my questions.)

I am having analysis paralysis with choosing my first scuba setup and could really use some help picking my BC. I know I can just buy a full halcyon setup and be done with it, but want to consider other options that might be more cost-efficient. I have no other gear excepting a computer and mask, and am open to full-kits or buying in piecemeal. Below are details for how I'm planning to use this, and (I hope) some helpful personal information.

I...

1. dive in cold and warm water (drysuit and wetsuit)
2. dive both fresh and salt water
3. am planning on using this in my GUE fundamentals class (rec only) and therefore...
4. need it to be DIR/GUE compliant (I still can't figure out if GUE standards are the same thing as DIR, forgive me)
5. plan on sticking to a single tank configuration
6. am 170cm tall and weigh around 64kg (lean, not super muscular)
7. often have to travel for diving but think weight is probably the area I'm able to compromise most on
8. would like to buy minimize the repurchasing of gear that I will outgrow*

* I may get into tech/cave driving and recognize that if I do, I'll need to get a new wing to support doubles

What options would be viable for me given these criteria? Can one setup do all the things I am looking for, or would I need multiple wings and plates for this?

Thanks in advance!

 

[tbone1004]

This for $425 is about as cheap as you'll get, it will be fully compatible for Fundies. Get the stainless plate, I don't personally think that saving 3-4lbs with an aluminum plate is worth the hassle of extra lead but get aluminum if you disagree. Plates are plates, harnesses are harnesses, and this wing is ideal for single tank diving.

DGX Custom - DGX Gears Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package

A basic DGX backplate/wing/harness package for single tank diving at a value price.

www.divegearexpress.com

 

[Snoegie]

This for $425 is about as cheap as you'll get, it will be fully compatible for Fundies. Get the stainless plate, I don't personally think that saving 3-4lbs with an aluminum plate is worth the hassle of extra lead but get aluminum if you disagree. Plates are plates, harnesses are harnesses, and this wing is ideal for single tank diving.

DGX Custom - DGX Gears Singles Harness / Backplate / Wing Package

A basic DGX backplate/wing/harness package for single tank diving at a value price.

www.divegearexpress.com

Thanks for the quick reply! Just a point of clarification - while I absolutely care about saving money, I do not want to sacrifice safety in any meaningful way whilst doing so. Is DGX as "reliable" as a Halcyon? If it is, why does Halcyon/Xdeep have such a following? Also, is 30lb enough for a drysuit?

 

[tbone1004]

Thanks for the quick reply! Just a point of clarification - while I absolutely care about saving money, I do not want to sacrifice safety in any meaningful way whilst doing so. Is DGX as "reliable" as a Halcyon? If it is, why does Halcyon/Xdeep have such a following? Also, is 30lb enough for a drysuit?

xDeep has extraordinarily good marketing behind it, Halcyon makes some incredible products and has an almost cult like following. I do not believe they bring any extra value for the money that they charge though, certainly not warranting spending over 2x what the DGX system will provide. I will say that I would have no issue taking that rig on any dive that I would do in a single tank, and the wing is still Made in USA so it's not cheap imported stuff, it's a legitimate wing.

30lbs is more than enough for a drysuit, hell in a drysuit you need a smaller wing than in a wetsuit. A buoyancy compensation device primary task is to compensate for changes in buoyancy. That change in buoyancy is the mass of the gas in the tank that would cause a buoyancy shift, about 6lbs in the case of an AL80 up to about 10lbs for the larger steel tanks, and in the case of a wetsuit the compression at depth. A 3mm we say typically has about 6lbs of positive buoyancy, 7mm about 14, and a farmer john around 20lbs and it will lose about half that once you hit ~30ft, and will lose about 3/4 of it by the time you hit ~100ft due to compression of the closed cell gas pockets in the rubber. With a drysuit, we consider them to be constant buoyancy devices since you would be adding gas to compensate for that compression so the only thing the BCD has to do during a normal dive is compensate for the gas in the tank. Since that is relatively small many agencies/instructors advocate that you only use your drysuit for buoyancy control when diving with single tanks. Another can of worms not worth opening here as there are tons of threads about it on this forum.
The other things the BCD has to do is comfortably float your head at the surface, this is a point of contention with those that like 20lb and smaller wings, but I sink like a brick so I don't dive anything smaller than 30lbs so I can get my head out of the water. The only other thing is that it has to be able to float the rig at the surface without you in it, so if you use a weighted STA, attach weight pockets, etc. it has to be able to float all of that at the surface. If you use a weight belt then the lift is not an issue you have to worry about and even with a weighted STA a 30lb wing will handle that just fine.
40lb wings are excessive IMO and while you see them in the PNW area of the US with guys that dive in frigid water in wetsuits, if you're in a drysuit it is certainly excessive.

This 30lb wing is long and skinny, much better profile IMO than the Halcyon Eclipse wing *and I have at least a thousand hours in an Eclipse 30, so it's one that I'm intimately familiar with*, so you won't have any issue if you don't have much gas in the wing in terms of streamlining.

 

[Cheizz]

Are you purchasing in the US or in EU?

 

[Snoegie]

Are you purchasing in the US or in EU?

I am able to purchase in either continent

 

[Cheizz]

I am able to purchase in either continent

I sent you a private message.

 

[MidOH]

I've got a Dgx al system. A DSS plate with a Dgx wing. And a Dgx doubles setup.

Dgx is good stuff.

Their doubles wing is a little lame, the inflator isn't centered and hits the tank, which really isn't a big deal. Maybe that's why they don't sell a doubles wing anymore.

 

[Mr. Sunday]

Like tbone1004 advised. I'd get the DGX set. My buddy just got it for Christmas and it's very nice. Nothing budget about it.

 

[Snoegie]

Like tbone1004 advised. I'd get the DGX set. My buddy just got it for Christmas and it's very nice. Nothing budget about it.

Solid. So long as it can handle a drysuit and the plate can upscale to a doubles setup, it sounds like a great deal!