BCD vs. Wings (again!!!)

[Sander]

Hi everybody,

My ol' bcd is starting to look pretty worn out and I'm thinking about buying a new one (when I win the lottery). There are already a zillion posts about buying a "regular" bcd or a wing. I live on Curacao and dive single tanks. By the end of the year I'll go back to Europe and I'm thinking about dry-suit diving there. Probably I will take the Tec course some time in the future too.
So the question is obvious, should I buy a wing.
Couple of points:
1 I do single tank dives (so far)
2 I use my bcd only at the surface. Basically I dump ALL the air at the beginning ofg the dive and don't touch it anymore. Since wings will put you face down at the surface, I'm probably better of with a bcd.
3 Can I use a normal regulator (with octopus, console etc..) with a wing
4 The whole point is to spare money. So I don't want a single tank wing and a double one

Thanks for your advice and sorry about the long post.

Ayo

Sander

 

[Amphibious]

1 I do single tank dives (so far)
2 I use my bcd only at the surface. Basically I dump ALL the air at the beginning ofg the dive and don't touch it anymore. Since wings will put you face down at the surface, I'm probably better of with a bcd.
3 Can I use a normal regulator (with octopus, console etc..) with a wing
4 The whole point is to spare money. So I don't want a single tank wing and a double one

1. Single tanks are fine with a Backplate/wing setup. I eben teach in mine.
2. WINGS WILL NOT PUT YOU FACE DOWN ON THE SURFACE. this is a popular misconception spead by those that don;t have a clue. propper weighting will ensure you will be verticle on the surface.
3. Yes.
4. A double wing will not work with single tanks and vice versa.

 

[Jay Styron]

I'm not sure why a dbl wing won't work w/ a single tank or visa versa. The only issue would be w/ the extra inflator. You could either add another to your 1st stage for a back up or have your primary inflator hose long enough to reach both sides. Just a thought.
Jay

 

[island_sands]

Hi everybody,

My ol' bcd is starting to look pretty worn out and I'm thinking about buying a new one (when I win the lottery). There are already a zillion posts about buying a "regular" bcd or a wing. I live on Curacao and dive single tanks. By the end of the year I'll go back to Europe and I'm thinking about dry-suit diving there. Probably I will take the Tec course some time in the future too.
So the question is obvious, should I buy a wing.
Couple of points:
1 I do single tank dives (so far)
2 I use my bcd only at the surface. Basically I dump ALL the air at the beginning ofg the dive and don't touch it anymore. Since wings will put you face down at the surface, I'm probably better of with a bcd.
3 Can I use a normal regulator (with octopus, console etc..) with a wing
4 The whole point is to spare money. So I don't want a single tank wing and a double one

Thanks for your advice and sorry about the long post.

Ayo

Sander

i teach wearing a wing and it doesn't put me face down on the surface. i used an S-Tec with 28lb wing for rec. teaching.
you can use all the regular gear with a wing.. and you have the detachable harness for when you want to go tech and attach to twins with a larger wing.
i did dive with a tech wing, it was hiliariously big and flapped around at the back like manta wings rofl it was only single inflator though and i would recommend dual inflator for tech diving.

 

[Amphibious]

A double bladder wing isn;t worth the money. if you are properly weighted it's not needed (you should be able to swim up your kit) unless you're diving big steels then your drysuit will already be a second form of lift.

a wing for doubles is far to wide for single tank diving, will result in increased drag and "Taco" around the tank.

 

[Bobco]

Well, the old if I were doing it again, I would run a harness, backplate and wing. Which one or type is up to you. The one thing is it’s very flexible, you can take bits off and put bits on, re single/double etc, to suite your diving pattern. You can build up your kit in a progressive way, which is the way most of us dive.

Regards

bobco

 

[Sander]

Thanks for the tips so far. A buddy of mine suggested the dive-rite transpac. Wadda you guys think?

Ayo

Sander

 

[Bobco]

Well I would say it’s a good nod in the right direction, depending on which one you are looking at, it’s a bit of a half way house, a sound tech wing, without going the whole way to a fully configurable backplate, harness and wing. You could say it was an off the peg solution rather than made to measure. Do one thing, try it out before you buy , borrow, blag, or rent one, just to see how it feels, it’s the only way to know what it is like.

Bobco

 

[island_sands]

Thanks for the tips so far. A buddy of mine suggested the dive-rite transpac. Wadda you guys think?

Ayo

Sander

good one. if you can afford it, a halcyon is a good option too. i believe transpac and s-tec (scubapro) are made by the same manufacturer.

 

[roy_nexus_6]

Thanks for the tips so far. A buddy of mine suggested the dive-rite transpac. Wadda you guys think?

Ayo

Sander

I dive dive-rite Transpac-II with rec-wings. Awesome harness, extremly comfortable and the wings work well with eveything from aluminum 80 to steel 120 tanks. Been using it for past 5 years, never a problem.

 

[Amphibious]

I used to dive a Transpac2 and Rec wings - loved it...untill..... I went to a Stainless Backplate and wings (halcyon/oxycheq). I'll never dive anything other then a backplate/wing now.

 

[Jon]

I had a transpac as well, until I switched to a back plate and wing for everything. I'd never go back. The backplate is more versitile and packs, a lot, smaller than the transpac did.

Still, if the choice was between a transpac and a jacket BC the transpac is a BIG step in the right direction.

Jon

 

[Sander]

So basically what you guys recommend is a backplate with a wing for single tanks and a wing for doubles right? Any idea if that is cheaper than a transpac?

Cheers

Sander

 

[Jon]

Since you'll use the same wings with either set up that doesn't matter- there are differences in single tank vs. double tank wings.

Having said that, I basic backplate is much cheaper than a Transpac harness so you'll end up saving money overall once your done.

Jon

 

[rfondren]

same predicament. transpac supports steel back plate, so what's the difference?