TESTCENTRE medium ( 2x3kg ) the inner pouches are held in place by a quick-release buckle . Release the buckle , pull the handle for dumping in an emergency situation , or for handing up to the RIB at the end of a dive .
Unlike some weight systems situated in a more forward position , these sit nicely further back and over the hips to give a much better balance while freeing up more space . With the pouches in place the whole rig weighed in at an impressive 3.4kg .
A pair of conventional cylinder straps are threaded through the rear of the harness , ensuring that your cylinder remains firmly connected with no roll or movement . It may take , as with any BCD , a little experimentation to hit the sweet spot for your tank ’ s best position , but once you ’ ve got it then the trim on the Zen is a joy .
I ’ d have preferred to have used this system with my wetsuit , using the Zen as the sole source of buoyancy , but it ’ s packed away for the winter so I used the next best thing , a neoprene drysuit . Only adding enough air to counteract suit squeeze , the wing ’ s compact form held me in an effortless horizontal position and inclining my body head-downwards , the single leftsided kidney dump allowed me to easily adjust trim when required .
On descent and ascent , I simply held the corrugated hose above my head , and its central position dumped air very effectively without having to wriggle to one side .
There are several variations on this setup such as a choice of harness type and weight pouches ; so , if you decide to move up to twins then there ’ s no need to replace the whole thing , just go for a larger wing . A handy kit configurator is available on the XDEEP website which allows you to custom build what ’ s best for you .
The soft weight pouches are easy to use
Centrally positioned corrugated hose
The Zen ' s robust K-style inflator
SCUBA SAYS
XDEEP ’ s Zen Ultralight Wing hits the mark by combining excellent and robust build qualities with a lightweight minimalistic and attractive design . As tough as nails for UK diving , it ’ ll also fit the bill for jaunts abroad .
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