Wing BCD Crunch Time

I'm upgrading from my first Scubapro BCD and need to make the right choice
for the next few years. The Northern Diver Sea Eagle (£295) is in the right
price range/features, but I have yet to see one anywhere. The Custom Divers
TBK Sport Wing (£349) also looks okay and is just about in the price range I
can currently afford.

Anyone got comments on the above mentioned BCDs or similar products? It
needs to handle single/twins and have integrated weights. When deflated, it
should not hang like a badly made sack! I travel a lot, so I would like the
option of an Aluminium back plate, but I can get one made in the workshop
from aircraft grade ally otherwise.

Okay, start shouting

TIA
Graham

"Graham Skelly" <graham@websitenamePalehorizon.com> wrote in message
news:bv6eog$c0k$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> I'm upgrading from my first Scubapro BCD and need to make the right choice
> for the next few years. The Northern Diver Sea Eagle (£295) is in the
right
> price range/features, but I have yet to see one anywhere. The Custom
Divers
> TBK Sport Wing (£349) also looks okay and is just about in the price range
I
> can currently afford.
>
> Anyone got comments on the above mentioned BCDs or similar products? It
> needs to handle single/twins and have integrated weights. When deflated,
it
> should not hang like a badly made sack! I travel a lot, so I would like
the
> option of an Aluminium back plate, but I can get one made in the workshop
> from aircraft grade ally otherwise.
>
> Okay, start shouting
>
> TIA
> Graham
>
>

Buddy Travelwing?

> If you try to get something to do both jobs it will do both badly and we
> will all laugh and say "Told you so!" A wing that is wide enough to work
> well with a twinset will wrap up a single and give you a wonderful
> horizontal trim on the surface just where you don't want it. A wing that
is
> small enough for a single is tucked in behind a twinset and pushes at
> you as you inflate it.
>
> nigelH
>
or get two wings and one back plate the harness remains the same and you can
dive what you like.

david

david wrote:
> Nigel wrote
>> If you try to get something to do both jobs it will do both badly
>>
> or get two wings and one back plate the harness remains the same and
> you can dive what you like.

But he's already got the BCD and modern BCDs are
good kit and last for years. Don't throw his money away.
Let him save it for the twinset. That will cost enough.

I'm unconvinced about Single Tank Adapters on twinset
plates. I don't see the point. The argument that is always
thrown up is that it's nice to always dive the same rig but
I have three and I like a bit of variety. I want to keep my
hand in with skills and I'm not so old and decrepit yet that
if the secondary isn't where it was last week I'm going to
go all wobbly and drown. When the senility really begins
to bite I'll have to go DIR and have people tell me where
to put things.

nigelH

"Graham Skelly" <graham@websitenamePalehorizon.com> wrote in message
news:bv6eog$c0k$1$8302bc10@news.demon.co.uk...
> I'm upgrading from my first Scubapro BCD and need to make the right choice
> for the next few years. The Northern Diver Sea Eagle (£295) is in the
right
> price range/features, but I have yet to see one anywhere. The Custom
Divers
> TBK Sport Wing (£349) also looks okay and is just about in the price range
I
> can currently afford.
>
> Anyone got comments on the above mentioned BCDs or similar products? It
> needs to handle single/twins and have integrated weights. When deflated,
it
> should not hang like a badly made sack! I travel a lot, so I would like
the
> option of an Aluminium back plate, but I can get one made in the workshop
> from aircraft grade ally otherwise.

Personally I went for a Halcyon 40lb Eclipse (for single tank diving) and a
55lb Explorer wing (for twinset diving) which share a Halcyon stainless
steel backplate and harness. It's not the cheapest set up on the planet (ie.
you won't get much change from £750!) but it surely is nice!!!

Bardo wrote:
> Personally I went for a Halcyon 40lb Eclipse (for single tank diving)
> and a 55lb Explorer wing (for twinset diving) which share a Halcyon
> stainless steel backplate and harness. It's not the cheapest set up
> on the planet (ie. you won't get much change from £750!) but it
> surely is nice!!!

Two wings, a backplate and a harness? £750 !

Gulp !

I know I get ribbed for spending a lot on kit but
at least I have a lot of kit to show for it.

nigelH

"Bardo" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:bv6tmg$ovc3d$1@ID-115313.news.uni-berlin.de

> Personally I went for a Halcyon 40lb Eclipse (for single tank diving) and a
> 55lb Explorer wing (for twinset diving) which share a Halcyon stainless
> steel backplate and harness. It's not the cheapest set up on the planet (ie.
> you won't get much change from £750!) but it surely is nice!!!

I went for a Buddy Redwing - you can get them for about £130 brand
spankers (I bought second-hand). One of Nigel's backplates is £40
delivered, odds and sods will still see you with change from £200.

Maybe not to everyone's taste, but somehow I seem to have avoided dying
the heinous death many predicted, and that one wing seems to have done
everything I asked it to...

Vic.





--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server - http://www.Mailgate.ORG

"Vic" <vic@innocent.com> wrote in message
news:21af734997d08e08dbc75100faa5ce52.60200@mygate .mailgate.org...
> "Bardo" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:bv6tmg$ovc3d$1@ID-115313.news.uni-berlin.de
>
> > Personally I went for a Halcyon 40lb Eclipse (for single tank diving)
and a
> > 55lb Explorer wing (for twinset diving) which share a Halcyon stainless
> > steel backplate and harness. It's not the cheapest set up on the planet
(ie.
> > you won't get much change from £750!) but it surely is nice!!!
>
> I went for a Buddy Redwing - you can get them for about £130 brand
> spankers (I bought second-hand). One of Nigel's backplates is £40
> delivered, odds and sods will still see you with change from £200.
>
> Maybe not to everyone's taste, but somehow I seem to have avoided dying
> the heinous death many predicted, and that one wing seems to have done
> everything I asked it to...

You came back alive - that's always a result in my book!

>
> I'm unconvinced about Single Tank Adapters on twinset
> plates. I don't see the point.

Trim.

There is a lot more to DIR than where you hang your gear.

Using a SS backplate you move a lot of your weight further up your
body which makes it easer to keep horizontal in the water, which is a
much better swimming position. This does not happen with an AL BP
which is why they are only recommended (well actually thay are not
really recommended at all) for tropical diving where it is assumed you
are not going to be wearing much weight.

Of course, this may not bother you, so if it doesn't... don't worry
about it. It does bother me though, so my girlfriend is inheriting my
Buddy Franken Wing (16kg buddy travelwing-a-like made from parts) and
I have a nice new single tank wing which arrived yesterday.

Simon wrote:
>Nigel wrote
>> I'm unconvinced about Single Tank Adapters on twinset
>> plates. I don't see the point.
>
> There is a lot more to DIR than where you hang your gear.

That's what they all say.

> Using a SS backplate you move a lot of your weight further up your
> body

Woo. Stop there. My plate weighs 2.4 kilos. The center of the plate isn't
more than six inches above my waist so it's effect on my trim, compared
with 2.4Kgs on the belt, is negligable.

> which makes it easer to keep horizontal in the water, which is a
> much better swimming position.

So on the single I adjust this by where I put the cam band round the tank.
I was taught this in OW.

> This does not happen with an AL BP
> which is why they are only recommended (well actually thay are not
> really recommended at all) for tropical diving where it is assumed you
> are not going to be wearing much weight.

I thought the reason for a plate was as a jumping off point for the 5 point
harness which allows the rig to be attached to you with nothing tight.
Then it also does a weight distribution job to prevent a twinset twisting
and digging into your back when out of the water by putting the force
against the big bones of your pelvis not into the soft muscles of your back.
Certainly that's what Bill Main seemed to think when he introduced it.

> Of course, this may not bother you, so if it doesn't... don't worry
> about it. It does bother me though, so my girlfriend is inheriting my
> Buddy Franken Wing (16kg buddy travelwing-a-like made from parts) and
> I have a nice new single tank wing which arrived yesterday.

Now I am perplexed. Couldn't you fix the old wing on a plate?
Don't tell me. It's a Halcyon?

However you are clearly made of sterner stuff than I am. If I had ever
said to one of the girls in my life "This isn't good enough for me. You
can have it and I'm getting a new one" it would probably have cost
me blood.

nigelH