What do you do with your doubles?

[BgDadddy]

A thread in the for sale section got me wondering...

I switched to sidemount last year and haven't dove backmount since. I still have a set of 95s doubled up that I don't really know what to do with.

Do I keep them doubled up just in case I want to dive them again or maybe let a buddy use them?

Do I break them up and use the tanks when I do OW dives?

What does everyone else do?

Rick

[jimdiverman]

I broke up all my doubles and use them for sidemount now.

[Serota]

Seems like everyone who goes sidemount ends up with this situation. So far, I have kept my double 95s intact and used them once to dive Hart, where backmount is strongly recommended. I will probably break them up soon and put them up for sale, so I can buy a couple of gallons of gasoline.

[icestac]

I plan on breaking my doubles down, but the last dive that I was planning with them fell through and they were pumped full of mix. I am slowly filling my OTHER sets of side mount tanks with them for deep dives before I break them down. So for now, they are just hanging arond the garage...

~Jeff

[chimie007]

I broke up all my doubles and use them for sidemount now.

Same here.

[MengTze]

My AL80's became stages, my 100's I sold, one set of 108's is my 'bank' for my MEG and the last set of 108's just sits there in case I want to dive doubles again.....

But yes, I too am wondering what to do with the doubles.

[StaceyS]

the last set of 108's just sits there in case I want to dive doubles again.....

But yes, I too am wondering what to do with the doubles.

What are you talking about?? Do you even dive anymore? :)

[Wizard]

I broke my 104's up for sidemount. Most of my other 80 CF tanks got DIN valves put in for using the Nomad for quarry and cattle boat diving. For trimix diving I thought about pumping mix in the sidemount tanks and carrying a AL 100 on my back for 32% leaving only a O2 tank clipped in front. Anyone else thought of that or gave it a try?

[FW]

I broke my last set of doubles down about 5 years ago, and I use all of them for sidemount, even the 104s. Just get plugs for the manifold valves, and they make great L/R handed single valves.

[chimie007]

I broke my 104's up for sidemount. Most of my other 80 CF tanks got DIN valves put in for using the Nomad for quarry and cattle boat diving. For trimix diving I thought about pumping mix in the sidemount tanks and carrying a AL 100 on my back for 32% leaving only a O2 tank clipped in front. Anyone else thought of that or gave it a try?

No sure why you would want to do that. It's easy to carry a stage on each side on top/bottom of your SM tank.

Andrew A did a something like that and described it pretty well awhile back. Posted on TDS or here.

[Slüdge]

I went back to doubles. Now I have two pairs of LP80s with left-and-right valves lying around...

[JDostal]

I have to keep a set of doubles around unfortunately. I do some diving for the state, doing archaeological surveys on shipwrecks, and all of the other members of the team are diving backmount so I have to as well unfortunately. Last year I had to use them in my trimix class as well.

[Me]

I still have mine, as I am not completely converted to sidemount. I use the sidemount for difficult entries/exits and still retain backmount for the easy entry stuff.

I am entertaining the idea of doing some boat diving at some point with the sidemount. We were in Tobermory this past long weekend doing some wreck diving. No penetration yet, but it's a thought. Three of the dives were deep dives that being redundant was very prudent...we went with stage 40's for those. But if we get any more serious about it, there's no way in HE!! I'll be able to haul double 95's up on a boat ladder.

Tho, the op we dived with did have a boat with a hydraulic platform that was below the waterline and lifted you up out of the water.....pretty nifty. I could plant my doubles on that puppy for sure......

[rotor60driver]

I went back to doubles. Now I have two pairs of LP80s with left-and-right valves lying around...

Don't want to hijack this thread so maybe you could start another, but I was wondering why you went back to BM Doubles.

[BgDadddy]

I was wondering the same thing, but then again, from what I hear, Sludge breathes so little that he could dive on double 40s and still last longer than the rest of us.

I guess I'll end up breaking them apart... I was kind of saving them for stuff that is better in backmount (like Rocky Horror), but I would want bigger tanks back in there anyway.

Rick

[aainslie]

No sure why you would want to do that. It's easy to carry a stage on each side on top/bottom of your SM tank.

Andrew A did a something like that and described it pretty well awhile back. Posted on TDS or here.

Hey Raphael,

Here it is:

http://thedecostop.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25837

[Slüdge]

maybe you could start another thread

It's not worth another thread. I'm claustrophobic, so I went sidemount not to get into the really small places, but so that I could get in stuff that's tight backmount (entrance to Cow, etc.). Plus, I do a lot of solo, so the redundancy was a plus.

Then I got a scooter, and backmount is just easier. I'm lazy and impatient, so I drifted away from sidemount. I now wear backmount and breathe a stage half in, half out. Scootering, an AL80 will get me to the Middle Grounds and back in JB, the Insulation Tunnels in Devil's, basically an hour in 100' of water. Any longer and I can breathe a little off my backgas.

[nic160]

Give one of them to me........ I need another one for another set of sidemount tanks.....

[atedeschi]

not to take away from the original post, but what size tanks are you using for sidemount.

[FW]

I use AL14s, AL19s, AL30s, Steel 46s, 72s, 85s, or 104s, depending on depth, and lenght of dive.

[BgDadddy]

I have a pair of Faber 108s and a new pair of E-133s (same tanks with a higher PSI rating).

They work great for me.



not to take away from the original post, but what size tanks are you using for sidemount.

[BgDadddy]

Yeah, yeah. You'll have to start returning phone calls before I'll think about donating tanks to the cause....

R



Give one of them to me........ I need another one for another set of sidemount tanks.....

[flyczek]

I broke the last of my doubles down last week (they were due for visual). The only thing I'm concerned about now is taking a trimix class in sidemount. I guess it will depend on the instructor? I've dove sm with stage and O2, it just seems like after a while, all these independent cylinders may get to be task loading.

[FW]

I broke the last of my doubles down last week (they were due for visual). The only thing I'm concerned about now is taking a trimix class in sidemount. I guess it will depend on the instructor? I've dove sm with stage and O2, it just seems like after a while, all these independent cylinders may get to be task loading.

Take it from a sidemount/trimix instructor.

[icestac]

I broke the last of my doubles down last week (they were due for visual). The only thing I'm concerned about now is taking a trimix class in sidemount. I guess it will depend on the instructor? I've dove sm with stage and O2, it just seems like after a while, all these independent cylinders may get to be task loading.

I found this out from dumb luck, but it has served me well. I have 3 different types of mouthpieces (the "standard" one, the "long" one, and the aqua lung comfo bite). They are on different regs. I was doing a stage dive and just so happened that each type of tank had a different mouthpiece. It was actually really easy for me to know which tank I was on (and swithing to) just from feel.

When I'm just doing side mount with an O2 bottle, I usually have my left tank with one mouthpiece and my right tank with a different one. That way just from feeling which mouthpiece I am using, I know which tank I am on (not the only way I tell, but just another piece of information I can use to verify if in question).

I just thought about it, but this would still work even in zero viz, whereas the color coding would not.

~Jeff

[sskasser]

I broke the last of my doubles down last week (they were due for visual). The only thing I'm concerned about now is taking a trimix class in sidemount. I guess it will depend on the instructor? I've dove sm with stage and O2, it just seems like after a while, all these independent cylinders may get to be task loading.

You're right, it is task loading. That's all the more reason to take the class with a SM instructor in SM. I was doing SM only when I took the trimix class. I wanted to go BM just for the class, because of the task loading issue. I was told "you'll be diving in SM, so you'll be training in SM". While I was less than thrilled at the time, in retrospect, it was the right call.


I found this out from dumb luck, but it has served me well. I have 3 different types of mouthpieces (the "standard" one, the "long" one, and the aqua lung comfo bite). They are on different regs. I was doing a stage dive and just so happened that each type of tank had a different mouthpiece. It was actually really easy for me to know which tank I was on (and swithing to) just from feel.

When I'm just doing side mount with an O2 bottle, I usually have my left tank with one mouthpiece and my right tank with a different one. That way just from feeling which mouthpiece I am using, I know which tank I am on (not the only way I tell, but just another piece of information I can use to verify if in question).

I just thought about it, but this would still work even in zero viz, whereas the color coding would not.

~Jeff

Exactly! I stumbled on this one too. Each 2nd stage has a different mouthpiece or rigging (left tank 2nd stage is on a bungee necklace, right tank has a clip). O2 2nd stage hose has green tape for about 6 inches. This is color coding for my buddy, but "feel" for me in case of 0 viz, since it's the only one with tape. Stage bottle has different clip and mouthpiece.