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30lb wing with pull dump, two opv with pull, 240 denier internal bladder, 1680 denier outside casing, inflator and low pressure hose. All these features are included even though they are not shown on the picture. Will fit either of the Red Hat Diving harnesses and most other harnesses on the market.
Maximus the new breed of system BCD, designed to meet today's style of diving, and for the new trend of extended range diving. The stainless back plate combines with Premium or Sport harness and innovative horseshoe bladder (wing) to create a fully-functional BCD with excellent and flexible buoyancy, proper trim, suitable weight, efficient propulsion and integrated life support.
Pockets to tailor it to your exact requirements.All system parts compatible with most other system wings. OMS etc.
The full system comprises:- wing, (4 choices) backplate (3 choices) and harness ( 2 choices) plus a choice of seven pockets.
This listing is for the 30lb wing only.
The wing comes with inflator, pull dump and low pressure hose even though they are not shown on the picture.
For the 50lb 90lb and 90lb double wing and the harnesses have a look at my other items!
Read to the bottom for a 3rd party report from a well known diving journalist shortly to be published in Scottish Diver
Specification of 30lb wing
Maximus outer shell uses 1680 denier NYLON with PVC backing to prevent abrasion and punctures on all BC’s.
We then add an inner bladder constructed from the same puncture-resistant 210-denier Nylon TPU inner
Bladder capacity: 30 lbs.
Maximus wing has 2 dump valves.
A semi-circular zipper around the inside of the wing allows for easy inspection and replacement of the interior bladder.
"Trap-door" drainage system allows water to drain rapidly from the outer cover to minimize excess weight and diver effort reboarding the dive boat.
Compatible with OMS etc.
Description of full Maximus system
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Padded back plate, double mounting slot, 1 inch or 2 inch crotch strap, perimeter mounting holes, polished finish on the stainless back plate and a choice of anodised colours on the aluminium one. |
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The stainless plate provides around 6 lbs of non-detachable weight evenly distributed across the divers’ back. |
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Advanced power inflator with stainless power button |
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Heavy-duty shoulder straps in combination with optional chest strap allow infinite adjustability. |
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4 stainless D-rings. |
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Two dump valves located at the bottom, rear of the bladder. |
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Adjustable waist band with a quick release, stainless buckle provides. |
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Lift Capacity: 30lb 50lb, 90 lb or 90lb double. |
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1680 Denier Nylon backed to prevent abrasion and punctures. |
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You choose, type of harness, type of back plate, size of wing. |
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Available as extra, Cargo and weight pockets |
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The unique elastomeric bands (use is optional) assist in deflation, but still allow the diver to orally inflate the BC. Not available on 30lb wing
Elastomeric bands evenly compress the BC, eliminating the massive airshift associated with non-banded BCs that typically occurs when changing body plane.
Typically retract the BC to a width less than the divers’ shoulders, greatly reducing Drag and Snag potential.
By adding or eliminating bands in different parts of the BC, the diver can adjust:
- Lateral trim to compensate for stage bottles, cameras, etc.
- Horizontal trim e.g. head up, down or level.
3rd Party review
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Red Hat wing review
There must be dozens of wings out there for use when technical diving. On Dive boats Ive noted the usual brands and a few lesser known setups, which for me are always interesting to have a look at. Over the years I have used a few types and brands such as the original Northern Diver Sea Eagle with a Stainless Steel (SS) Back Plate, now I use a mares bc for shallow stuff and the new Buddy Tek Light wing for my independent twins. For my technical diving I was going to use manifolded twin 12l cylinders and needed a SS or Aluminium (ALI) back plate to bolt them onto with ss bands. (Buddy don’t recommend using manifolded twins with the buddy band system).
I was trawling web sites looking for a wing when I came across Red Hat Diving, I liked the look of their wings, so I contacted John Hewitt, the proprietor and he kindly sent me up a 90LB Maximus dive wing with ss back plate and a premium harness to review along with other optional pockets, harnesses, and a couple of weight harnesses. Over the course of the last 4 or 5 months I have been trying out this kit on my deeper technical dives.
The first thing that strikes you with this wing is that it is almost identical to the OMS wing. I had ample chance to compare the Red Hat Maximus with the OMS wing as my buddy Gordon Mackie of GM Diving uses one. There are two important differences between the wings though, firstly, the cost of the Maximus which is a fraction of the OMS set up. Secondly the materials used are lighter than the OMS. So where in these tight economic times I liked the price very much I wanted to ensure that the wing was up to the rigors of deep multi tank technical diving, here is how I got on.
WING
The Maximus wing is a truly modular system and you can customise it for your needs. The bladder of the wing can be supplied in 3 sizes- 90lb, 50lb and 30 lb. The outer of which comprises 1680 denier nylon with a PVC backing. Inside of this is a 210 denier thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) inner bag.
BACKPLATES
There is a choice of 3 back plates –Aluminium that can be supplied in a range of colours for the fashion conscious and two types of Stainless Steel back plates. The first one is an Economy back plate from Taiwan, I decided to go for the 316 marine grade SS back plate made in the UK. All come with mounting holes allowing for height adjustment. There are also mounting holes around the periphery of the back plate. There is therefore no lack of mounting options. This gave me the advantage of having 6lb of non removable weight comfortably spread across my back. After my 5 months of use there was no sign of corrosion and the backpack looked like new.
HARNESS
This is probably the most important part of any wing system. The Maximus offers 2 choices of harness. The Sports Harness is the more basic of the two harnesses on offer but I would say it’s very high spec. Two adjustable shoulder clips, 4 D rings, Padded Shoulder pads, crotch strap, Chest strap, back plate pad and a stainless steel buckle. It’s fully adjustable and very versatile. If you want flexibility this is a good choice. I opted for the Premium harness which boasts all of the above. The waist bands and shoulder pads are stitched onto the harness and the fitting are plusher. The back pad with it’s red hat logo is extremely comfy. There are a further 6 small D rings attached to the back of the harness for clipping on further items. For the extra few pounds I think the premium harness is extremely good value for money. I have seen a few inspiration users and OMS wing users using this harness. This didn’t surprise me much as the premium is very similar harness to the OMS IQ pack. I found it extremely comfy and easy to use.
ACCESSORIES
The maximus wing comes with a large selection of pockets and accessories.
I found the large utility/ mask pouch which is mounted on the waist band at the stomach very useful for popping all my tables, mask, and line cutters in. The only thing I would have liked to see in it was a little D ring to secure these items too.
Weight pouches are also available to fit directly to the harness but I found these to be of limited use, especially with side mounts. Trim weight pouches are useful and there are pockets for sheers, a no sag pocket which looks good. There is also a vertical mounted weight pocket and a thigh pocket. There is plenty of variety, so you will be able to customise your kit exactly the way you want it.
Conclusion
It’s not as tough as the OMS but then very few things on earth are as the OMS is bombproof. The Maximus is certainly no cheep copy. I found it an extremely comfortable and easy to use wing. If you are into designer labels you will prefer to look at the fashionable brands. But if you don’t mind not having a certain logo on your kit I would strongly recommend the Maximus wing system by Red Hat Diving. I liked it so much I decided to put my money where my mouth was and bought the product.
If a seasoned journalist and tester bought one what are you waiting for. You have read this far now go back and press the buy it now button
Pockets in the maximus range. All suitable for 50mm webbing.
Below from left- Weight pocket A, Utility pocket B, No sag pocket C,
  
Trim weight pocket D. Line cutter pocket E. Thigh pocket F.
  
Red Hat Sport Harness on Red Hat backplate with weight pockets A (not included). The weight pockets are fitted upside down. I dont think the factory grasped the "no sag" feature. All the main components are CE approved but I design a few of the extras which they make for me.
D rings and crotch strap come standard plus soft pad D rings and all other features shown .
Check out my other items!
One of the options for sale with the Maximus modular wing system Check out my other items! or look on www.johnhewitt.com/maximus.htm for the full range of pockets, backplates, wings and harnesses
Be sure to add me to your favourites list!
 Royal Mail parcel with insurance £9.00
If you want posting outside UK please check prices before bidding
SHIPPING TIMES
I always aim to ship your goods within 24 hours of a cleared payment being received by me. I usually send items next working day though I do take some time off on weekends.
All goods have proof of posting so if they have not arrived when you think they should have please contact me before you leave negative feedback. I always respond to feedback in kind
 Nochex (preferred) or Paypal for next day postage or personal cheque made out to John Hewitt. Which will need 6 working days to clear before posting.
EXCHANGES
Buying from a picture sometimes means an item is not exactly as you expected or the size is not what you thought. If this is the case I will exchange for another size if you return the item with a packing note and the size you prefer. If the item isn’t faulty I will ask for return postage to be paid by you
RETURNS
If you not completely happy with any Red Hat Diving product you may return it within 7 days of receipt. A full refund will be given providing it is in the same condition as when posted and suitable for resale. The postage paid is non refundable and responsibility for returning the item is yours.
QUALITY ASSURANCE AND GUARANTEE
See www.johnhewitt.com/warranty.htm
If you have read this far you are one in a hundred. Win this auction and you can have a free thigh cargo pocket just for the asking. Check out my other items! This is the small thigh pocket not Pocket F. Upgrade your free pocket to the larger Pocket F for only £3.00. | 
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