Hollis DT 50 lbs Wing BCD Tech

A BCD should fit snugly enough that it does not ride up toward your ears when inflated, while still letting you breathe fully. Fasten the waist and cummerbund first, then adjust the shoulder straps so the tank sits close to your back and the shoulders cannot slide off. With the BCD fully inflated at the surface you should still be able to take a deep, comfortable breath; if it squeezes your chest, loosen it or move up a size.

Rinse the outside in fresh water and also flush the inside of the bladder, because salt water gets in through the inflator and dump valves. Fill the bladder roughly a third full of fresh water through the oral inflator, slosh it around, then drain it out through the inflator and each dump valve. Hang it to dry out of direct sunlight and store it partially inflated so the bladder walls do not stick together.

Integrated weight pockets carry the lead in the BCD itself, which many divers find more comfortable and easier on the hips, while a weight belt keeps the weight independent of your BCD. Either way, you must be able to release your ditchable weight quickly with one hand, and your buddy should know how your system releases. Non-ditchable trim pockets are useful for balance but should never hold weight you might need to drop.

Make sure the BCD is completely dry inside and out before packing so it does not mildew in transit. Remove all weights, deflate it fully, and fold or roll it around softer items such as a wetsuit to cushion the inflator and valves. Avoid hard creases in the air cell, and unpack and air it out as soon as you arrive.

Follow the service interval in the manufacturer's manual, which is commonly an annual inspection alongside the rest of your life-support gear. Have the inflator, dump valves, and bladder checked any time the inflator sticks, free-flows, feels rough, or the BCD holds air poorly. Between services, confirm that it inflates and deflates properly as part of every pre-dive check.

A jacket-style BCD holds air in panels that wrap around your sides as well as your back, while a back-inflate BCD keeps the entire air cell behind you. Jacket styles tend to feel very stable and upright at the surface, and back-inflate styles keep the chest clear and are often preferred for horizontal trim underwater. Neither is objectively better, so treat it as a fit and preference decision and try both if you can.

Most recreational BCDs use an adjustable cam band sized for common single-cylinder diameters, so standard aluminum and steel tanks generally work. Re-check the band tension after the first wetting, because webbing can relax slightly and let the tank shift. If you dive doubles or unusual cylinder diameters, confirm compatibility with the manufacturer before assuming it will hold.

No. The DT 50 is sold as a wing only, so you add your own backplate and harness. It mounts using cam band slots and also has built-in tank slots, which let you run a single cylinder without buying a separate single tank adapter plate. If you are unsure which plate and harness pair with it, contact us before ordering.

The DT 50 provides 50 lbs / 23 kg of lift and is designed for diving with heavier or double cylinders, the kind of setup common in drysuit and cold water diving. Its 360-degree tapered profile pushes lift toward the hips to help you hold horizontal trim, while still giving dependable floatation at the surface.

The outer shell is HD Laminated 1680D Cordura, chosen to resist abrasion and punctures, and the inner air cell is a 420-denier nylon bladder that holds the air. The two-piece bladder design uses a welded flange and a one-piece retainer, so the bladder can be accessed for service without tools. Hollis covers the wing with a 5 year warranty.

Yes. The lower OPV is a pull-style relief valve positioned so you can reach it while swimming horizontal or heads-down, which is the normal trim position for technical diving. The K-style inflator with a crushproof rubber hose allows positioning and oral inflation. The central elbow keeps the crushproof rubber hose clear of the tank valve and regulator.