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More important than gear is training, and more important than training is experience. You can buy gear and training, but there is only one way to get experience.

Overall view:

Steel backplate, with continuous webbing harness and 30 lb. Eclipse wing, single tank adapter, two DIN first stages, trim weight, knife, whistle and a double valve 200BAR steel tank. Here it is a long 12l., but, depending on gas needs, it can be a long 12l. or a 15l and, when traveling, an alu 80 cf. Weighting must be adapted to tank buoyancy. Click here for a list of all the parts used to rig this system.

Single Tank Adapter:

There are some problems to install a booted 12l. steel to the original single tank adapter.

It is resolved by cutting two additional fences to balance the tank, placing the strap a little bit lower (12l. steel are shorter than aluminum 80's). This is the tank strap position used when fitting a Pioneer wing to the backplate fences, without a tank adapter. Trimming the bottom tail makes place for the boot.

I added a rubber insert for extra grip, home made from a car inner tube. (See modification details)

A valve safety lace is a need since there is only one tank strap. It is fitted to the MC system trough the wing handle.

Single Tank Adapter (with two cam buckle straps):

My buddy's choice is...

Tank Strap:

Halcyon straps are very well manufactured and use premium materials, but are ill designed. Scubapro's are far superior. Just change them.

I am using just one strap. Grip is very good an rigging is simpler and faster. A cylinder neck strap acts as a valve safety lace and stands for redundancy.

Tank Valves:

Single steel tank, twin independent valves (H valve) and two first stages, make a very compact, rugged and safe redundant breathing supply system.

For open water and wreck diving, this is European's first choice. We almost don't use the American's isolated doubles outside caves. (and cave divers are doing a lot of side mounting)

Since there is only one tank strap, I have included a cylinder neck strap (again from an Scubapro jacket ). It is fitted to the MC system trough the wing handle.

Two First Stages:

Right first stage regulator (Apeks ATX 200 DIN) supports the main second stage (APEKS ATX 200) and the pressure transmitter for the Aladin ZO2 computer. (Now I'm using a long hose and a different hose routing that does not interfere valve closing. Need new picture)

Left first stage (Scubapro MK20 DIN) feeds the SPG and the AIR 2, integrating the wing inflator and the back up second stage.

With AIR 2 three hoses are enough.

Wing LP hose wears a small protector very easy to tear off for washing (from Apeks)

Pressure transmitter & SPG:

The pressure transmitter for the Aladin ZO2 computer is fitted to the right mounted Apeks.

The SPG is fitted to the left mounted Scubapro with a 20" hose.

Second Stages:

The Back Up second stage is the Scubapro Alternate Inflator Regulator (AIR 2). The first generation AIR2 got a bad reputation after failing one of the US Navy certification tests. This is a third generation product and passed all Navy tests.

It is secured with a Velcro ring, fitted to the left strap with the original left D ring fastener.

Webbing rubber protectors (bike tube placed at backplate slots) .

2 inches long, prevent webbing from wearing out, mainly at waist level slots, the hardest ones for webbing.

Ditchable weight: 2x Halcyon Trim Weights.

4 Kg. of ditchable weight will be enough to get neutral to slightly positive buoyancy in the emergency of a total wing failure. I use two inverted Halcyon Trim Weight pockets. One each side.

Fixed Backplate weight

When diving steel 10l., or alu 80's, an additional lead plate weighting 2 Kg. is fixed with two bolts, washers and wing nuts to the back face of the backplate. Placed on the right side, close to the center, does not affect general balance. (need new picture with wing nuts)

Traveling by plane I don't take the backplate weight with me, so I can be very buoyant, really buoyant with alu 80's.

For additional ballast I use one 2 Kg. piece on the right side of the cam band and one two 2 Kg. piece threaded to the right waist band, placed very close to the backplate, and secured by the right D ring triglide. This is also a fixed, non ditchable weight.

Knife, Cutter & Spool:

Halcyon titanium Knife. It's mounted on the belt's right side.

A Trilobite EezyCut is mounted, with two zip ties, just over the left chest D ring.

3 inches open spool with 160 ft. of 1,4 mm. Dyneema line. See how the line is attached to snap (Larry Green method):

A Scubapro foldable knife can be attached to the accessory line of the left outer-thigh pocket.

Getting the buoy from the MC storage pack is much easier using a special bag.

See bag details

Velcro pocket for left outer-thigh:

A canvas bellows home made pocket is sewed to wet suit at left outer-thigh, at hand level with straight arm .It contains the frequent use accessories.

See pocket content details and a technical draw here

Right hand zipped pocket :

As an option, I can mount a modified Quechua expandable mountain pocket (6 Euros at Decathlon). I added drain grommets in top and first bottom, a mesh double bottom and a plastic clip to secure it to the right waist D ring. This pocket degrades hydrodynamics and is used only when really needed (detachable photo gear, measuring devices and the like).

See more details here

Safety Whistle:

Diving the ocean is different from diving a cave. Out there you need some visual and acoustic presence. This is a FOX40 Classic, it is virtually indestructible, has no moving parts to jam or freeze and can be heard up to a mile away. It's stowed in the pocket, clipped to the loop with a bungee lanyard and a plastic clip.

Purge Valve:

I have abandoned the modified Scubapro handle, underwater it is far better to easily find the cord, but this can be a significant entanglement point while you are on board (mainly when rolling back from a RIB). The main reason for that trouble is that wings have the valve installed in their inner side, unlike jacket BCD's, that have it outside, in their back side.