HELIX COMPACT PRO + ROGUE SET

This Aqua Lung set pairs the Helix Compact Pro Pack with the modular Rogue, and adds the Combo 2K console. It is the smallest regulator Aqua Lung builds, and it carries the full cold-water package rather than a reduced one.

An Auto Closure Device seals the first-stage inlet the moment the regulator leaves the cylinder, and a sealed environmental chamber isolates the mechanism from the water around it. The DIN 300 bar first stage weighs 525 g, on two 7/16 inch UNF high-pressure ports and four 3/8 inch UNF medium-pressure ports. Work of breathing is 1.35 j/L on the primary and 1.25 j/L on the octopus. The Rogue sizes its back, shoulders and waistband independently on ModLock connectors, giving 27 fit combinations from three component sizes, and its 15 litre cell carries 35 lb of lift. The Combo 2K console adds a 50 mm pressure gauge and an in-line depth gauge on one 80 cm hose, weighing 389 g.

The result is a set rated for cold water at a travel packed size, on a buoyancy compensator sized to the diver rather than to shop stock. Nothing in it was chosen later to fill a gap.

Sizing follows the Rogue, three component sizes, S, M and L; the rest is one size. Cylinder, computer, weights and exposure protection are separate. The wrap-around Pro HD and the entry-level Wave are the jacket alternatives. At R33,972 the set saves R8,493 on the parts bought singly.